Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former President, believes the country needs more rebels who will tell the truth to power without regard for whose ox gets gored.
This, he argued, was one of the most important stages toward Nigeria’s reconstruction.
Obasanjo spoke on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while unveiling the autobiography of the Babanla Adinni of Egbaland, Chief Tayo Sowunmi, titled “Footprints Of A Rebel.”
The autobiography, which was reviewed by Hafsat Abiola Costello, founder of Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, was unveiled as part of the 80th birthday celebration of former activist and elder statesman, Sowunmi.
In his brief remarks, Obasanjo noted that for Nigeria to move forward, it required “more rebels” to stand and speak for the truth.
He added that whoever must live a life of honesty and integrity had to be a rebel.
Obasanjo said:
“Looking at the title of the book, I ask myself, why would someone call himself a rebel, but it is good. The truth is that if you have to live a life of honesty and integrity, you have to become a rebel. There would be some time you would be asked have to do something, but you would say no, this is not right. And when you say that you will become a rebel. You may even become a persona non grata.
“Our country, there is no country that we can call our own except Nigeria. Our country, Nigeria, needs more of rebels. Those who would look at things straight in the face and say ‘this is not right’, ‘this, I will not be part of’, ‘this is not good for Nigeria.”
