Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged youths to discard the label of leaders of tomorrow, saying the youths have already assumed the role of leaders of today.
Obasanjo made this appeal at a Presidential Youth Retreat, themed “Contributing to the Green Economy,” held at the Youth Development Centre in Abeokuta on Monday.
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| Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo encouraging the youths with his words. Photo Credit:@obasanjo Source: Vanguard |
He challenged youths to overcome any obstacle that could prevent them from showing their leadership potential.
The former president also encouraged Nigerian youths to lead the campaign against climate change and advocate for a green economy.
Obasanjo observed that the negative effects of climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, such as the abnormal weather patterns, extreme temperatures, flooding, and drought, among others, are alarming and demand the collective efforts of all to stop this worrying trend.
He said, “Climate change is a fact, though some still think it is a fiction or not real, but we have witnessed it in floods, droughts, and extreme weather conditions, among others.
“The scientists have helped us to realise that man has exploited the balance of all that God created—the forest, the hills, valleys, and animals, among others—to the extent that there is now an imbalance.
“And it is we that created the imbalance that will also suffer the consequences, like the sea level rising, victims of floods, drought, extreme weather conditions, and, of course, change in climate and food insecurity, among others.”
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Obasanjo noted that the solution to fight climate change is to adopt a green economy, which involves all efforts to produce less carbon and absorb more of it through green vegetation