“Papa Fasoranti, l feel your sense of frustration as you are getting to your departure and you are wondering that, is this the Nigeria of my dream that I had laboured for?”
Those were the words of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the leader of Pan Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, on Friday.
Obasanjo said this in reaction to the fear, expressed by Papa Fasoranti over the future of Nigeria as a nation.
Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during the launch of his book entitled “My Life, My Legacy (Service with Integrity and Excellence), to mark his 94th birthday, complained about the continued insecurity in the country, unemployment, famine and other challenges confronting the country and described them as eroding the root of the Nigerian nation.
Former President Obasanjo, who is the chairman of the launch, noted that the dream of the Afenifere leader on Nigeria had not been fulfilled but urged him not to write off the country, saying there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
He assured that dream of the patriotic leaders on Nigeria would still come to reality, saying all they had laboured for would not go down the drain.
Obasanjo added: “But I want to assure you that I have a vision of a new Nigeria, I see new understanding among Nigerians, new awareness among Nigerians, new realisations among Nigerians.
“The books you’re launching today is one of the legacies you’re leaving behind and coming generation will refer to it.
“We hope for the best for Nigeria. We will continue to follow your footstep and examples.
“My vision is that you will see the Nigerian of your dream before you depart, the Nigeria you’ve laboured for.
“Our founding fathers didn’t wish for a disintegrated Nigeria but a progressive and united Nigeria. In your lifetime, we will achieve the Nigeria of your dream.”
