Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is always proud to be addressed as a farmer.
Obasanjo was a former military Head of State before he was elected as a civilian President in 1999.
Speaking on Saturday in an interview with Segun Odegbami on Eagles7 Sports 103.7 FM, Abeokuta, Obasanjo said everything about his life happened by accident except farming.
Odegbami had asked Obasanjo to speak about what he termed his “romance with farming”.
In response, Obasanjo expressed displeasure on the usage of the word ‘romance with farming’ stating that he is a farmer and it’s not by accident.
Giving his reasons, the former president said he went into farming for the purpose of food security, export, industrialisation and means of generating employment for the youths.
He said: “I don’t like the word you used, ‘romance with farming’. I am a farmer. What do you mean by romance? Everything I have done in my life is by accident. The only thing that is not accidental is farming. Every other thing that I’ve been is by accident. And you called that romance? No! What do you mean by romance?
“You know my beginning. I was born and bred in a village. I went to school by accident. My father just said, won’t you do something different?’ So I went into farming.
“When you look at countries that have made it, they developed on agriculture. First, for the purpose of food security; second, for the purpose of processing what they get from their farms, which is the beginning of industrialisation. Third, to give it out as export, which is for the purpose of foreign exchange; and fourth, as a means of generating employment for the youth.”
Obasanjo also said there is no better time for the youths to take over leadership in the country than now, as the country heads into another round of presidential election in 2023.
The youths are massively mobilizing support for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who like Obasanjo, said his motivation to run for the presidency, is to return power back to the people, particularly the youths whose future has been ruined by years of misrule..
Obasanjo cautioned youths against leaders who address them as leaders of tomorrow, saying the tomorrow may never come.
Former President Obasanjo said some corrupt leaders would destroy the so-called tomorrow if the younger generation failed to rise up and take their future in their hands.
He said, “My advice for Nigerian youths is that, never let anybody tell you that you are the leaders of tomorrow. If you wait for tomorrow before you take over leadership, that tomorrow may not come. They will destroy it. This is the time, youths get up and make it happen.”
