It will be difficult for Africa to get debt relief in future- Obasanjo

By Kolawole Olayinka, Abeokuta

Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has said it would be difficult for any administration in africa to get debt relief in the future.

Obasanjo said that there was no option for the next generations of Africans to relief the continent from her huge debts because of the level of mismanagement of previous debts written off for Nigeria.

It would be recalled that Obasanjo as the country’s President in 2003 secured a debt relief for Nigeria likewise his counterpart from Algeria at the same period.

A statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi on Wednesday, said Obasanjo made the disclosure during an engagement with 2023 awardees of the Future Africa Leaders Foundation, an initiative of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

Obasanjo declared that the debts were traps that no individual or nation should fall into, adding that they constitute an albatross on any economy.

The former president who asserted that leadership was the number one problem facing the continent, said “The coming generations will have no choice but pay the current debt being incurred by different countries in the continent.”

He commended Pastor Oyakhilome for the efforts put into building leaders, adding that the nation needs more people like him to address the leadership crisis facing the continent.

Highlighting the qualities of a good leader during the questions and anwers session, Obasanjo said “a leader should be able to set good examples, being bold and courageous when making decisions, accepting mistakes and learning from them as well as having a realistic dream”.