At Dele Momodu’s “How to End Hunger and Poverty in Africa” leadership lecture, former President Olusegun Obasanjo issued a stark warning: “If China can lift 700 million people out of poverty, Nigeria has no excuse for enduring poverty.”
Obasanjo told the Abuja audience that true food security begins with safety and “education is the tool to banish poverty—where there’s no education, there will be poverty.”
He argued that integrity, discipline and visionary leadership—demonstrating “communality”—are critical to driving sustainable change. “Leadership is the greatest ingredient for ending poverty,” he said, urging universal basic education and calling on Nigeria’s leaders to take responsibility or risk sitting “on a gunpowder keg.”
Without decisive action, he warned, Africa will never earn the international community’s respect.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, echoed this call for patriotism, urging citizens to support homegrown solutions “from the food we eat to the clothes we wear.”
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke praised Obasanjo’s vision and championed state‑level innovation, describing his “Atlanta‑standard” infrastructure plans and inviting Obasanjo to inspect rapid developments in Osun.
The trio agreed: only with united leadership and civic collaboration can Nigeria and Africa eradicate hunger and poverty.
