Obasanjo To Africa Leaders: Stand Firm In Fight Against Treasury Looters

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By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday hinted that Africa can only witness growth and development if African leaders are ready to stand firm in the fight against treasury looters.
The former President dropped this hint in Ibadan at the opening ceremony of a five-day third biennial international conference, which has the theme, ‘Polity debacle and the burden of being in Africa’, organised by the Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan.
Chief Obasanjo  disclosed that it is now time for African leaders to ensure that there is no hiding place for treasury looters in their countries if steady growth and development were to be achieved.
According to Chief Obasanjo that if African continent is to overcome its numerous socio-economic and political challenges, which had formed a hurdle against its progress,it is African leaders needed to stand firm in the fight against treasury looters.
Speaking through the Deputy Coordinator, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Mr Ayodele Aderinwale, he said “there should be no respite, there should be no hiding place for treasury looters.
“There should be no respite, there should be no hiding place for treasury looters. And good people with ideas must come forward to be counted, get elected or supported by good people to grow the economy and provide solid infrastructure”he said
The former President then advised that Africa should build human capital rather than material resources and for African leaders to make changes that would reduce corruption and generate the laws, policies and practices needed to redraw the efforts at catching up with the rest of the world.
“African citizens on their part will have to create the popular pressures that will put African leaders to address the challenges of leadership, fiscal and economic, managerial, infrastructure, industrial and technological deficits. The town and gown must collaborate to make Africa the best”
Chief Obasanjo while stating that “those in political leadership position must ensure policy framework and enabling environment to provide public infrastructure” added that “there is need to restore the social justice issues around resource control, citizenship and governance. Let me state unequivocally that our standards of living will rise the moment we take our destiny in our hands. I know we have what it takes.”
Prof Akanmu Adebayo of the History and Conflict Management at the Kennesaw State University, US who is the keynote speaker maintained that the cost of governance in Nigeria and other African countries was too high and not sustainable, saying,studies have shown that the leadership elite had been forming alliance with economic elite, and traditional rulers to perpetuate themselves in power.
He also urged Africa leaders to sustain the fight against corruption, and that attention should not only be focused on public governance but governance of religious and traditional institutions.
In his remark, Prof Pat Utomi blamed Africa deficiency on the collapse of culture, weak institutions, wrong policy choices which has depleted progress and unfavourable disposition of leadership to human capital development.

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