A former federal lawmaker, Senator Kola Ogunwale, who represented Osun Central in the Senate between 2003 and 2007 has said Africans are not suffering from lack of resources but suffering due to the attitude of their leaders.
Ogunwale noted that African nations, though blessed with good resources, have remained underdeveloped due to bad leadership with many of its leaders hiding resources stolen from different countries in the continent in different parts of the world, especially Europe.
He spoke on Wednesday at an interactive session tagged ‘The Frontliners” organised by the Osun State chapter of the Association of Veteran Journalists in Osogbo, Osun State.
“We are not suffering from lack of resources but suffering due to attitude of the people we put at the helm and control of the resources,” he said.
He recalled how he was attacked in Germany for calling the country a poor nation.
Ogunwale said he was attacked after he called Germany a poor country and that it only depended on African resources for survival.
He noted, “I said this in Germany in the year 1993 when I was asked to come and deliver a lecture. I told my audience that your country (Germany) is poor. I told them Africa is the richest but you (Germans) are the poorest. Western nations are the poorest but you are the richest because all the wealth of Africa is being brought to your door.
“If Mubutu Seseseko can take back all his investments in Europe, if Haile Selassie can bring back all his investments in Europe, if Umaru Dikko will bring his own back; your social security will collapse the following day. Somebody threw a shoe at me on the podium. I was immediately surrounded by the police and taken back to London.”
He further said the progress of Nigeria after 60 years of Independence was fair when compared to some of the western nations, that were older in existence.
He added, “Different kinds of things happen to every nation. But we all want to compare Nigeria with either Britain or America which have existed for years. They have also gone through different types of challenges. All these nations have gone through the type of situation Nigeria is going through currently.”
