Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has admonished youths to reject the toga of leaders of tomorrow, asserting that the youths are already the leaders of today.
The elder stateman specifically asked youths to go all out to remove any barrier that could hinder them from demonstrating their leadership capacity.
Obasanjo gave the charge in Abeokuta on Monday at a Presidential Youth Retreat, themed “Contributing to the Green Economy,” held at the Youth Development Centre.
The former president also urged Nigerian youths to champion the campaign against climate change and push for a green economy noting that the adverse effects of climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, such as the resultant abnormal weather conditions, extreme temperatures, flooding, and drought, among others, call for concerns and require the joint efforts of all to halt this disturbing trend.
“Climate change is a reality, though some still believe it is a myth or not real, but we have seen it in floods, droughts, and extreme weather conditions, among others.
“The scientists have helped us to understand that man has abused 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 caused the imbalance that will also be victims of these consequences, like the sea level rising, victims of floods, drought, extreme weather conditions, and, of course, change in climate and food insecurity, among others”, he said.
Obansanjo further noted that the way to fight climate change is to embrace a green economy, which encompasses all efforts to generate less carbon and absorb more of it through green vegetation.
|Vanguard
