Work hard and pray for Nigeria’s success in 2021, Obasanjo tells Nigerians

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, charged Nigerians to work hard and pray for the success of the country in 2021.

In his goodwill message, the Owu high chief said for the most populous black nation to experience positive change, the citizens, especially the leaders, must work very hard and intercede for it. He insisted that Nigeria must work hard in the coming year to surmount its myriad of challenges.

Obasanjo, who lamented the insecurity and poor economic state of the country, noted that 2020 had been a challenging year for Nigerians, adding: “but in all things, we must give thanks to God.”

The elder statesman told President Muhammadu Buhari and other Nigerian leaders to blame themselves and not God for the nation’s woes. He insisted that God did not create Nigeria to be poor, but the “bad decisions of Nigerian leaders had left the country in its current bad situation.”

The ex-leader continued: “We do not have to blame God for our situation, we have to blame ourselves. Nigeria does not have to be poor, no Nigerian must go to bed hungry.

“That we have a situation like this is a choice of our leaders and followers alike. My prayer is that God will make 2021 a better year for all of us, but it will not happen without work.

“We have gone from one form of insecurity to bad economy and on the top of it is the COVID-19. Some people, either for insecurity or for bad economy or for COVID-19, have gone to the great beyond. I will say may the souls of those who have departed, particularly in this year of challenges, rest in perfect peace.”