Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that Nigeria needs to do something urgently about the security situation plaguing some parts of the country.
The call came as I was talking about how I discovered that I was partially hearing impaired while I was overseas.
Mr Obasanjo said this in Bauchi during a working visit on Sunday to commission a road project to be constructed by the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed.
He said he strongly believes that African countries were not created by God to be poor and that their poverty is the result of misguided leadership within the country.
Earlier, the former Mr. Obasanjo, during a visit to the Bauchi State Traditional Rulers Council at the Bauchi Emirs Palace, stressed the importance of community security in addressing the growing security situation in the country.
He argued that community policing, where community members know their neighbors, is important to easily identify and address safety threats within the community.
According to Obasanjo, the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria requires urgent action.
“The best form of security is community policing because everyone in the community knows their neighbors. This makes it very easy to identify bad eggs.
“Unlike during his tenure when he prioritized the security of lives and property across Nigeria, the security situation in Nigeria today is very bad. Something needs to be done about this urgently.”
He called on traditional rulers to encourage community policing to reduce crime spree.
“During our national service, we did everything jointly and took decisions together to unify our focus. My brother, Ahmed Adam Muazu, is sitting here and is testifying to me. Whatever we achieved back then was a collective effort.
“If we have to move forward, we need peace, unity and collective support in this country. Things can be right and good again in this country, and we need to All we have to do is come together and do things collectively,” he said.
The former President likewise disclosed that he had donated hearing aids to 2,000 people with hearing loss in Bauchi.
He explained that many people suffer from hearing loss without knowing it until a medical examination reveals their hearing loss.
Obasanjo discovered he was partially deaf when he was abroad and could not hear clearly when someone was speaking to him, but when the man asked for permission to have his ears examined, there was nothing in his ears. He explained how he claimed there was nothing abnormal.
After the results came out, it was determined that he had a 25% hearing loss, he said.
“After the test results came out, I had to ask the man to also check on my chief security officer, who surprisingly was even more hearing impaired than I was. ,” he said.
According to him, his experience inspired the beginning of his Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, where thousands of Nigerians have benefited from ear treatment and provision of hearing aids.
He said the distribution of hearing aids to over 10,000 poor people in the Northeast would begin, starting with Bauchi state where 2,000 people would benefit.
Acknowledging that the security situation in the country has worsened over the years, the former president said everyone must work together to confront security threats head-on.
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed said his blueprint, including the commissioned roads, was designed even before he was re-elected as Bauchi State governor.
“I have directed them to create a roadmap of projects that will serve the people regardless of the outcome of the election.
“I believe that leadership is not about personal ambition, but about collective progress and the well-being of our employees.
“The projects we are commissioning today are part of our wider ambitions for the state.”
The governor said his administration has prioritized the construction and rehabilitation of roads in the state, noting that roads are key to development.
“As of today, we have commenced the construction of 116 road projects totaling 1482.25 kilometers across Bauchi State.
“The road we are commissioning today marks an important milestone in our journey to build a new Bauchi.
“These include the 7km duplication of the Awara-Maiduguri road, the 17.7km duplication of the Kano road to the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport Bauchi, the Gubi Gari, Ruda road linking the two local government areas of Bauchi and Ganjuwa. This is the duplication of a 30km road from Bida and Shii to Nasarawa.
