I don’t know where we are going yet- Obasanjo

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has
said he is not sure of the right way for the

country to overcome its present challenges and
move to the path of greatness and abundance.
Obasanjo who likened the prevailing political –
economy of Nigeria to that witnessed by the
citizens during the era of the Late military
dictator, General. Sanni Abacha, urged people to
take solace in the fact that tough times don’t
last but only tough ones do.
The former President who spoke while receiving
a delegation of the Nigerian
Market/Traders Council in Abeokuta home, Ogun
State, led by the National President, Yeye Osho,
noted that a recent sms message he got from a
Nigerian requesting for financial assistance, gave
the country away as one where
the middle-class is fast disappearing.
The delegation of about 150 persons(including
the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson)
from across the 36 states of the federation had
come to seek direction from the former
President regarding the 2015 general elections.
He equally shocked the delegation as he scrolled
through his handheld phone’s sms inbox,
retrieved the said text message and read it out
to the hearing of the traders but assured them
that Nigerians would “survive” the hard times
like they did in the past.
” As for me, we don’t know where we are going
yet, may God show us the way. The way that
will take this country and make it a great
country, and when, for me ooo, I understand
and (if) I see the way, I will tell you, I pray that
God will show me the way, may God show you
the way.
“Tough time does not last forever, and when
tough times comes, tough people get going, we
will keep going and we will survive this though
time.
“I told him (the SMS sender) that we have
experienced this period in time of Abacha, all
the middle class were completely destroyed.”
Obasanjo also recalled the experiences a soldier
and family of doctors well known to him to
buttress his conviction that tough times are here
for real, saying he was surprised that such
people could afford even basic necessities
befitting their status.
He said: “I was surprised the day a Colonel in
the Army came to me complaining that he and
his family could not afford to buy a car.
“A friend of mine, Dr. Okoro, a medical Doctor,
his wife was also a medical Doctor and they
have daughter too, who is also a medical Doctor,
between the three of them, they could not
afford a new car, they had to go to Saudi Arabia
but, I pray we will not have such a time in
Nigeria.
“We all have contribution to make and should
not leave our responsibility on other for us to
do. If we fail to participate in things that are
meaningfully positive for this country, you will
be a victim and we all become victims.”
In the brief speech, Osho said the council had
tremendous support for Obasanjo while his
eight year administration lasted.
“We had tremendous support from you when
you were in government. As such, we deem it
necessary and as a mark of respect to come and
find out on which direction we are going. He had
told us to wait and we shall pass the message to
our members throughout the country, that Baba
is yet to decide,”