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A former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday challenged Nigerian youths to get up and take over leadership positions.

A former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday challenged Nigerian youths to get up and take over leadership positions.

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Obasanjo said this on Saturday during a special interview with former Super Eagles star, Segun Odegbami, on his Eagle7 Sports 103.7 FM, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

His charge comes amidst clamour for a younger president ahead of next year’s election.

Obasanjo reiterated his position that youths should always reject the tag of “leaders of tomorrow,” saying the tomorrow may never come.

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According to Obasanjo, some corrupt leaders would destroy the so-called tomorrow if the younger generation fails to rise up and take their future in their hands.

“My advice for Nigerian youths is that, never let anybody tell you that you are the leaders of tomorrow. If you wait for tomorrow before you take over leadership, that tomorrow may not come. They will destroy it.

“This is the time, youths get up and make it happen,” Obasanjo said while responding to questions from Odegbami.

Asked to explain his “romance with farming”, Obasanjo said the only thing he did not do by accident in his entire life is farming.

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“I don’t like the word you used, ‘romance with farming’. I am a farmer. What do you mean by romance. Everything I have done in my life is by accident. The only thing that is not accidental is farming. Every other thing that I’ve been is by accident. And you called that romance? No! What do you mean by romance?

“You know my beginning. I was born and bred in a village. I went to school by accident. My father just said, ‘won’t you do something different?’ So I went into farming.

“When you look at countries that have made it, they developed on agriculture. First, for the purpose of food security; second, for the purpose of processing what they get from their farms, which is the beginning of industrialisation. Third, to give it out as export, which is for the purpose of foreign exchange; and fourth, as a means of generating employment for the youth.”

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On Sunday, Obasanjo played host to the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, in his residence in Abeokuta.

The duo met with Obasanjo in company of the Labour Party (LP) National Chairman, Julius Abure and the Senior Pastor, Trinity House Church, Ituah Ighodalo.

Baba-Ahmed disclosed this and equally shared pictures of the meeting with Obasanjo on his Twitter handle.

He, was, however silent on issues discussed at the meeting.

(Daily Trust)