Kolade Larewaju
11 February 2007
Abeokuta — PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday declared that the April elections would be a do or die affair for the country and his ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP].
Addressing elders and other stakeholders from Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State on preparations for the forthcoming polls, Obasanjo said that he would give it all it takes to ensure his party's victory in the elections, adding that he was not prepared to hand over to criminals.
He explained that he would want to hand over to those who would continue with the reform programmes of his administration and pointed out that continuation with the reforms would make Nigeria one of the leading countries in the world within the next 15 years.
The president's words: "I read that somebody said that I was campaigning. I will campaign because this election is a do or die affair for the PDP. We have a reform programme which we have started; we want those who we will hand over to continue the reforms. If we continue with the reforms, the next 20 years, Nigeria will be one of the leading countries in the world. I even said that 20 years is too long, that we should be targeting 15 years.
"If we are targeting 2020 as the year Nigeria will become one of the 20 leading economies in the world, we must not pray for spoilers and criminals as our leaders in the next elections. Why should we have criminals as leaders? We want those who will succeed us to continue where we stop. In 1979, Nigeria was self sufficient in rice production and in poultry. Those that we handed over to lifted bans on those things and we became importers of them and we could not produce them again.
"In 1979 when we handed over, Nigeria was the 48th biggest economy in the world. Do you know the position we were when I came back in 1999? We were 173. Now, we want to be among the 20 leading economies in the world by the year 2020. This cannot be possible if those who are going to succeed us are rogues.
"Nigeria's next leaders must be people that will continue the reforms and take the country to the promised land."
He then extolled the virtues of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Musa Umar Yar'Adua, saying that he was confident that he would be able to provide the kind of leadership needed by the country.
He said: "Some people called him Yar'Adua unhealthy; some people said he has one kidney. Can somebody with one kidney play squash?
Speaking on the candidature of Governor Olugbenga Daniel, the president endorsed his candidature for the PDP, saying that whatever faults he has could be corrected. "Nobody is perfect. Or is there anyone that is perfect here? If there is such a person, he or she should raise his or her hand. Daniel may have his weaknesses, but such can be corrected," Obasanjo emphasised.
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