Inflation: Adopt The Zimbabwean Model, Obasanjo Tells FG

The Federal Government has been advised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to follow the Zimbabwean example in order to withstand the current inflationary storm.

As part of celebrations for his 87th birthday, he made the plea at a youth leadership symposium with the theme "Opportunities for Peace: Roles of The Youths in Conflict Prevention in Africa" that was hosted at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The former president, who turned 87 on March 5 (today), urged the next generation of African leaders to always choose peace over conflict in order to resolve issues on the continent.

With Nigeria's inflation rate at 29.9%, he maintained, there was nothing wrong if the country's leadership reached out to the nation in Southern Africa to find a way to overcome the challenge.
The Institute for African Culture and International Understanding, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, and the Centre for Human Security and Dialogue collaborated to host the conference.
The moment has come, he said, for Africans to reject bigotry and prejudice that fuels war and bloodshed.

He declared, "We have to start embracing love and tolerance and see peace as not negotiable for economic growth and prosperity."

"Our youths must remain steadfast in their opposition to conflicts around the continent. Instead of being employed or seduced as agents of instability, they ought to be peacemakers.

"We need to start instilling in our young people a culture of security and peace. There's a good likelihood that in areas where love is prevalent, we will have peace. The first thing to do is to inculcate in the youths, the ingredients of peace which is love and fellowship.
"Observe the qualities that God bestowed upon us in order for us to live stable, peaceful lives: kindness, mercy, and forgiveness, to name a few. God professes to have all of these qualities, and He shared them with us to make life more enjoyable. However, there will be issues if we reinforce bad attitudes and undermine him.

"In the Bible, there are young people like Esther who managed to prevent her race from going extinct. Joseph, another young person who assisted in battling starvation, is comparable.

"Youth need to lead the charge in advocating for peace, they need to be able to convince others who think using guns and violence to resolve disputes is the best course of action to reconsider, the way out is conversation and dialogue.
"Despite the fact that we brutally killed ourselves and destroyed our best facilities during the Civil War, we returned to the roundtable to find a solution to the problem.

It is imperative that young people cultivate a culture of peace, humanity, and living according to God's will.

The former President further exhorted the youth to rise to obstacles in life, believing that nothing is insurmountable with the power of the Almighty God.

Prof. Peter Okebukola, the programming coordinator and former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission, stated that the symposium's main goal is to emphasise Chief Obasanjo's belief that African youths have pivotal roles to play in achieving peace across the continent.
It is not enough to give young people a seat at the table; their involvement must be essential and meaningful, according to Okebukola, the director of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library's Institute for African Culture and International Understanding.

"Our goal was to enable West African youths as agents of positive change, laying the groundwork for a more tranquil and harmonious society, through focused interventions, inclusive policies, and joint international efforts."