Obasanjo: Why Nigeria, Others Should Reach Out to Trump, Change His Perception of Africa

•Declares US greatest nation on earth, must not be allowed to antagonise Nigeria

•Says nation undergoing hardship, current situation not God’s will

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Funmi Ogundare in Lagos

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday urged Nigerian and African leaders to approach those close to US President-elect, Donald Trump, with a view to changing his ‘sh*thole’ perception of the continent.

Obasanjo, who appeared on Arise Television, to pay tributes to the late US President, Jimmy Carter, also acknowledged that Nigerians are presently going through difficult times, noting that the current suffering is not the will of God for Africa’s most populous nation.

In his first stint in power, Trump had mostly not given Africa any attention, only throwing jabs and calling the continent unprintable names when he did.

Obasanjo declared that America remains the greatest nation on earth, pointing out that even if Trump does not eventually become Nigeria’s friend, he must not be allowed to antagonise the country.

He said: “Whether anybody likes it or not, the American people have decided that Trump will be their leader. And Trump being the American people’s leader,  will lead America for the next four years. He will be the leader of the world because America is the greatest country in the world for now.

“It may change in a few years’ time. Maybe China will take over and become the largest economy. Maybe China will surpass America in technology, maybe in military power. But for today, America is that country. And we cannot say we have nothing to do with Trump. Trump will be there from the 20th of January for the next four years.

“And we have to find a way of letting Trump know that what he calls ‘sh*t house’ is not entirely a sh*t house, that there are some decent houses in Africa. And we have to make him understand that. And I believe there will be policy makers around him that we can reach and we can also talk to.

“I believe that there’s no leader that if you present facts and figures and what I would call enlightened interest of that leader’s country, because America has enlightened interest in Africa, we should make that known to Trump and to say, look, this is your interest and don’t ignore it. We are ready to work with you.

“Give us our respect and dignity that is due to us. Respect our citizens that are in your country and let us work together for a peaceful world. A world that is secure, a world that is stable, and a world where prosperity will be shared, where security will be common to everybody. I believe Trump will understand that,” he posited.

 With the largest economy, the most advanced technology that no other country matches and a powerful military force as well as diplomatic strength, Obasanjo opined that any country will only ignore America at its own peril.

“So, whatever any country does with America, we have to watch how far it can go.  We don’t need to kowtow to America, but we need to understand where power lies, and we need to appreciate how to manage those who have power, not to use their power against us.

“If they do not use their power in our favour, let them at the worst be neutral, but not to be against us. And I believe that should be really our position with America and with any other country with the type or similar type of power that America has. Maybe economic, maybe military, maybe political. We must understand that and realise that it is in our best interest not to allow anybody to use its power menacingly against us,” he added.

On the home front, Obasanjo said that although Nigerians are currently undergoing serious hardship, they must never lose hope in the new year, admitting that politics drives everything in government.

Like himself, Obasanjo stressed that while out of office, Carter did not go to sleep, but remained active and even criticised those who came after him, who were not doing what they should do.

“And the point is that when you have gone through it, you know certain things that could be done. And when it’s not being done, it pains you as a leader who has gone through it. And that was one lesson we can learn from President Carter. He was active until he had no power to be active anymore.

“And I believe that God created you for a purpose. That purpose is to be of service to humanity and by being of service to humanity to be of service to God. And you shouldn’t shirk your responsibility in that wise.

“That is one lesson. But to talk about what we can do, I will say to Nigerians, we are going through hardship. But they should never lose hope. I am an incurable optimist about Nigeria. And we have a great country. And where we are is not where God wants us to be. And I believe that sooner than later, we will get to where God wants us to be.

“God wants Nigeria to be a land flowing with milk and honey, not a desert, not a basket case, not a failed country. That we are where we are is either inadvertent action of our leaders. I believe God has great things for Nigeria in the immediate future. And we should not lose hope,” he added.

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