2019: Obasanjo Hints On Who Nigerians Need As President

Elder stateman, Olusegun Obasanjo is out again in the media to root for the choice of President Nigeria needs, especially as the 2019 elections draw close.

According to him, any African country especially like Nigeria, needs a leader who has a good knowledge about economy.

He said this on Tuesday at the Foursquare Gospel Church annual public lecture in Lagos.

He, however didn’t attribute any character to his description of what the Nigerian president should be.

The former president quoted the words of his friend, Helmut Schmidt, a former chancellor of Germany, who said if the people in Africa have to make it, all their political leaders must have good grounding in economy.

Obasanjo, while commenting on a lecture delivered by Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic diocese of Sokoto, said even Jesus had a sound knowledge of the economy.

He noted that politics must be the most serious game created by man, adding that there must be a balance of politics, faith and economy for the country to get it right.

“There is no doubt at all that if we have to get it right the three (economy, faith and politics) must go together,” he said.

“One of my international friends, the late Helmut Schmidt, who was a former Chancellor of Germany – he died at the age of 96 about three years ago, I was at the burial – and he said if we in Africa have to make it, all our political leaders must have good grounding in economy.

“As a fact from Bishop Kukah, even Jesus Christ understood the economy and if you have a leader who does not understand economics, then you cannot have a leader that will satisfy the need of the people, the physical and the material needs of the people.”

While Obasanjo was the Nigeria’s president between 1999 and 2007, Atiku Abubakar, who was his Vice presided over the affairs of the country

Although, Obasanjo and Atiku have not been in good terms for a while before now but the latter paid tribute to him after clinching the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Worthy of note is that, Obasanjo is opposed to the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term.