Former Nigerian president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has claimed that he left the country in a better state than when he first assumed office.
He made this known during a youth-focused event held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. Obasanjo took the opportunity to reflect on his tenure, engaging in a candid conversation about his leadership and impact.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo highlighted a range of achievements that he viewed as seminal moments in his presidency. From freeing Nigeria from the shackles of crippling debt to setting the stage for an enduring democracy, he described his time in office as transformative and history-making.
With pride in his voice, Obasanjo credited his leadership with paving the way for Nigeria’s sustained democratic progress, pointing to the significance of the nation’s 25 years of uninterrupted democratic rule, which began under his presidency in 1999.
He said: “When I came in as elected President, I wanted to get debt relief because we were spending $3.5 billion every year servicing debt and the quantum of the debt was not going down. Today, I can say that I made Nigeria better than I found it from an economic perspective.
“I found $3.7 billion in the reserves and we were spending $3.5 billion to service our debt. By the time I left, we had a debt of about $36 billion with the debt relief, and I left with a debt of $3.6 billion. Also, I left a reserve of over $50 billion. I also achieved excess crude for the country worth over $25 billion.”
