Why Africa remains poor, ex-President Obasanjo speaks out

• Former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo has identified one major reason Africa is retrogressing
• Obasanjo said that given the continent’s abundant resources, there is no reason for its growing poverty
• The elder statesman made this assertion at the opening ceremony of the FESTAC Africa Festival at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu, Kenya

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the widespread poverty in Africa is man-made and not an act of God.

Obasanjo made this statement on Monday, August 26, at the opening ceremony of the FESTAC Africa Festival at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu, Kenya.

As reported by The Punch, the former head of state remarked that, given the continent’s abundant resources, there is no reason for its poverty.

He said:

“Africa has no reason to be poor. Our poverty is not an act of God. We are steeped in poverty due to our poor mentality. “We need to wake up because we have a wealth of resources.”

As reported by Daily Trust, Obasanjo also accused the World Bank of deceiving nations of the continent with some of its initiatives.

“If you look back in history, you will see that whenever others needed to get work done, they came to Africa to transport black people to the so-called New World to make others rich. And that hasn’t stopped. The slave trade led to colonialism. We enrich others while remaining impoverished. We need to awaken.“Structural adjustment was the idea of the World Bank. However, I disagreed because we lacked the structure. What exactly were we adjusting? They were simply deceiving us.”

Read more about Obasanjo's story:

• Hardship: Why Nigeria remains backward - Obasanjo
• Obasanjo finally reacts to claim his father is Igbo
• Igbo Must Go Hashtag: Obasanjo breaks silence, “We own this country together”

Obasanjo: How Nigeria lost out in 'Operation Feed The Nation'

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Obasanjo explained how a decision by the late Shehu Shagari is allegedly one of the reasons for Nigeria’s failure in food sufficiency.

During a think tank event attended by Legit.ng, Obasanjo noted after he left a policy of ‘rice production’, his successor came in and cancelled it.

A veteran farmer, Obasanjo launched the ´Operation Feed the Nation´ whilst the military head of state and has been a prominent advocate for agribusiness in Nigeria and across Africa.

Source: Legit.ng