Rahma Ahmed
By Ahmed Rahma
The need to embrace change has been emphasised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at a virtual meeting held some days ago.
Mr Obasanjo, who was a guest at the Africa and the Middle East National Presidents meeting, pointed out ways to foster positive changes in the world, stating that education and comprehending the environment were important.
“When we talk about change, some change will be gradual; some will come like Tsunami or storm. Whether it is political, technology, social or other sort of changes, we must be very prepared for it.
“You must prepare yourself educationally for the world that is changing. Your education must be far and wide enough to prepare you for the changing world. I am not talking about classroom education alone, I am talking about the education you get in all facets of life,” he stressed.
He, however, lamented that people do not appreciate the community they live in, noting that the absence of this was detrimental to the nation and Africa at large.
The former Nigerian leader commended the Junior Chamber International (JCI) for raising his hopes for a greater continent of Africa.
According to him, with the quality of young people in the organisation, he is more hopeful about the development of the continent of Africa through their impacting programs.
Mr Obasanjo commended the determination of JCI’s members in their effort to make the world a better place to live, urging them not to forget their coming together which is stronger than their individual capacity.
The former president also called the presidents at the meeting to further identify problems at their different nations and find ways to solve them.
“African and the Middle East are faced with the problem of insecurity; your responsibility as youths and members of JCI is to ensure peace in those regions of the world. There is a lot that we can do to bring out some of these solutions in your regions,” he said.
Speaking on the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, “there must be ways to do something in every corner of the world, Tough time does not last forever, tough people overcome tough time”.
“From my experience with JCI over the years, I believe that the members all around the world have a lot to offer to everybody in all over the world,” he added.
Appreciating the former president for his advice, the National President of JCI Nigeria, Mr Abiola Olorunnisola, promised that all the advice given by the former president would be adhered to and will help the organisation in making future plans in driving development changes in both Africa and the Middle East.
