Posted by By MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta on
Ten days after he relinquished power to Alhaji Umar Yar'Adua, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday, in Lagos, experienced hard life outside the Presidency as he was stranded in a traffic jam for almost two and half hours.
Ten days after he relinquished power to Alhaji Umar Yar'Adua, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday, in Lagos, experienced hard life outside the Presidency as he was stranded in a traffic jam for almost two and half hours.
Obasanjo, who spoke in Abeokuta, during welcome-home reception organized in his honour by the Abeokuta Special Group (ASG), narrated how he left his Ota farm for Lagos early on Thursday hoping to reach his destination as early as 6.30 or 6.45 a.m. but got stranded in the usually hectic traffic jam in Lagos.
He urged young wealthy Nigerian, who have made money in the country, to spend part of such money by marrying more wives.
Although the former president did not mention where he went in Lagos, he said he was scheduled to meet three octogenarians in the "City of Excellence," adding: "On my way to Lagos this morning, everywhere was almost flooded. It took me two and a half hours to get to Chief Onabade's house. I thought I would have got there by 6.30a.m. or quarter to seven.
The former president, who said he was not aware of the reception by the Abeokuta Special Group until Thursday morning, added that he was also to meet leaders of thought from Imo State at his Ota Farm
"Today (Thursday), I have already planned my programme to get to Lagos very early. I had appointments with three octogenarian, whom I promised to visit. My orientation course for the Open University will soon start. It took me two and half hours to get to the house of one of the octogenarians".
While commending the (ASG), whose membership include the Iyalode of Egbaland, Chief Alaba Lawson and former Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Folorunsho Oke and host others, he urged Nigerians to provide conducive environment for foreign investors.
"We must bend down to carry our load before we can get help from people. We must create conducive environment. An investor particularly, a foreign investor has alternatives. He may come to Nigeria, but he can also go to Ghana or can go to Sierra Leone. "
Whatever we may have, one thing that we may claim to have that others do not have is population, but population alone does not make it. Other things must be added to it. We have to create conducive environment. We have to show that we have something to show to attract investors because they can go to other states."
According to Obasanjo, "any investors who come to Nigeria may decide to go to Anambra State . He may go to Imo State. He may go to Cross Rivers State. He may go to Katsina. He may go to Kano. We have to show that we have something special to offer in Ogun State.
The former president also appealed to Nigerians, particularly those in Ogun State to make land available for industrial development.
His words: "I want to appeal to our people; we may need to make land available for investors. We may need to provide lands for development. Anybody who comes here and makes any form of development on our land wouldn't carry it away.
"They will also employ our people, pay tax to Federal Government and those people who are workers there would pay income tax to state government. They will buy things. They may even marry our girls.
"I have always told young Nigerians not to just make money alone. Make money just make sure that you spend the money you make here in Nigeria. They asked how they can spend it here and I told them that if you have married one marry another one."