Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday, said he warned the Federal Government against the current hardship in the country but was ignored.
Obaseki, in a chat with newsmen in Benin, the state capital, however, blamed the current socio-economic challenges bedeviling the country on poor leadership decisions by the nation’s leaders.
According to him, “As an investment banker, I foresaw the hardship faced today due to the bad economic decisions by leaders of the country. I several times raised the alarm on the need for corrective measures but was ignored.”
Obaseki said as governor, he understands that Nigerians were passing through very tough and difficult times, appealing to them to be resilient and not lose hope.
He added, “I know as a Governor that we are all going through suffering in the land. I understand how the economy works and saw this ahead of time. I have been shouting since I became Governor that the way we are going and the kind of decision many of us politicians were making will bring about hardship.
“Nigeria was never like this before. God in his mercy endowed Nigeria like no other country in the World. How many countries in Africa have 100 million people not to talk about 200 million? God designed us as the biggest market in Africa. God gave us all and the problem we are facing as a nation is the one created by us, particularly our leaders.
“Leadership is not how much you can get for yourself. Nigerians are suffering today due to bad leadership. Nigeria is rich in terms of resources and has no business with poverty and suffering. We can grow and produce all we need to consume in Nigeria, so why are we not doing it?”
