On Monday, former president Olusegun Obasanjo suggested that Nigeria seek a solution from the Zimbabwean government regarding the nation’s record-breaking inflation.
He pointed out that Zimbabwe, a country in southern Africa, would have helpful advice for Nigeria because the latter had recently faced and overcome a similar issue.In their most recent report, the National Bureau of Statistics stated that Nigeria’s inflation rate was 29.9%.
The rising cost of food is currently a problem for Nigerians, adding to the high cost of living in the nation. Around the country, there have been sporadic protests.
As part of the celebrations for his 87th birthday, Obasanjo said that Nigeria could learn from Zimbabwe while speaking on Monday at a symposium on youth leadership.The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta hosted a symposium with the theme “Opportunities for Peace: Roles of the Youths in Conflict Prevention in Africa.
“The Institute for African Culture and International Understanding, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, and the Center for Human Security and Dialogue worked together to put it together.
The former president stated that in difficult times, one should not give up but rather confront the issue head-on and learn from those who have faced and overcome similar difficulties in the past.
“No problem is new and no problem will be permanent. The tough must get going when the going gets tough,” he said.
Suicide is never the solution to a problem; instead, face it head-on and confide in God, who is able to intervene in any situation. When facing a challenge, consider those who have gone through similar experiences and how they overcome them.”
We currently face the issue of rapidly rising inflation, but have there been any recent examples of similar problems in any other country? Indeed, we do; Zimbabwe recently experienced this issue. Even though our strategy will be different, should not we still ask them how they accomplished it?
We can ask questions to help us find our way even if what we end up doing is different.Obasanjo also asserted that peaceful talks would be a better means of resolving the numerous conflicts on the African continent than the use of force or other weapons.
In order to inspire young people to be at the forefront of promoting peace rather than being used to carry out acts of violence across the continent, he said that now more than ever, deliberate efforts must be made to develop and instill in them a culture of peace and security.”We need to start instilling a culture of peace and security in our young people,” he declared.
Peace is more likely to exist in areas where love is the dominant culture. The first step is to instill in the young people the principles of love and camaraderie, which are the foundations of peace.”Look at the qualities that God gave us—kindness, mercy, and forgiveness, to name a few—so that we might live stable, peaceful lives.
God claims to possess all of these qualities, and He gave them to us in order to improve our quality of life. But there will be a problem if we undermine him and foster bad attitudes.He made reference to the biblical figures Joseph, who “helped to fight famine,” and Esther, “who was able to secure her race from being exterminated.”
“The youth have to lead the charge in promoting peace. They have to be able to convince people to reconsider if they think using guns and violence to resolve disputes is the best course of action.
Dialogue and conversation are the path out.Throughout the Civil War, we have experienced problems.
Even though we brutally killed ourselves and destroyed our best facilities, we returned to the roundtable to find a solution to the proble.”Youths have to cultivate a culture of humanity, peace, and living according to God’s will,” Obasanjo continued.The symposium’s main goal, according to Prof. Peter Okebukola, the program coordinator and former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission, was to emphasize even more Obasanjo’s dedication to African youth.