Olusegun Obasanjo Quotations

Nigeria has no business with poverty. With our human and material resources, we shall strive to eradicate poverty from our country.

Pope John Paul II not only visited Nigeria twice but stood by the country in its fight against dictatorship and injustice.

My gut feelings and my faith tell me that until God shuts a door, no human can shut it.

Unfortunately, the true force which propels our endless political disputes, our constant struggles for political advantage, is often not our burning concern for democracy, it is often of our dedication to the principle of the rule of law.

Corruption, the greatest single bane of our society today.

We regard America and Europe as old friends. We keep old friends, but we make new friends in Japan, India, and China.

What the oil producer gets paid is about 16 percent. The majority of it is tax, which in fairness to the government of this country they have accepted and admitted.

I am a black man inside and outside and you are white men on the outside, but inside, you are Africans like me.

There is no part of the world where corruption is absolutely eliminated.

Let me make a solemn pledge before all of you, before the whole world and before God, that I will devote all my energy and all I possess in my power to serve the people of Nigeria and humanity.

I will not say the fact that there are no European Union observers at an election means that it will not be fair and free.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that our foreign friends are welcome to join in our endeavor to develop the resources of our country,

When I left office in 1979, I was about the only one who had really left public office on my own.

I believe God knew what he was doing when he put oil under our ground. It should be a means to an end.

We will work to bring an element of stability to the price of oil.

My joy knows no bounds... I will devote all my energy and all the powers available to me to the service of Nigeria and humanity.

The givers of most of the corruption in Africa are from outside Africa.

We will as soon as possible reexamine our laws and policies and eliminate all obstacles to genuine investment.

If I am not above the law, nobody in this country can then claim to be above the law.

We need to negotiate with other groups, unless our objective is to prevent any decision.

Make no mistake. We face a very difficult job once we get the pomp behind us tomorrow,

Many are the people, Nigerians and non-Nigerians, dead and alive, that God has used and is still using in the course of my life journey.

My joy knows no bounds, ... I will devote all my energy and all the powers available to me to the service of Nigeria and humanity.

People were expecting us to run before we walk, ... People should be patient with us, bearing in mind that even the (Western) countries that are shouting at the top today about being democracies, it took them time to get there.

I have directed the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book and we will make sure that sort of situation does not arise again.

We must demonstrate the political will and assume the responsibility for the historical wrongs that are owed to the victims of slavery, that an apology be extended by states which actively practiced and benefited themselves from slavery.

It has been a tough campaign, but once again Nigerians have proved themselves and turned out in numbers for this historic day, at least in my constituency, ... We are hopeful the transition to democracy will be smooth, and with the rest of the world watching, Nigeria will once again regain its former glory.

I will open my arms to welcome him,

Last time I was here there were pillboxes, roadblocks and sandbags on the road from the airport. There is only one set of sandbags this time,

is a flow out of Plateau. If the governor in Plateau had taken the right steps, there would not have been Kano. You don't deal with symptoms and leave the disease.

Religion mixed with politics in a multi-faith country like ours portends destruction and devastation.

We are happy that we are witnessing this day. Our government shall do its best to meet the hopes and aspirations of our people,

Those are areas where one should not say they are expecting too much, because they are areas where things should be done and should be done fast,

While there are enormous challenges ahead, we have recorded some modest achievements in the areas of peace and stability.

any time he chooses to take advantage of it.

This government was highly touched by this unfortunate incident, which claimed such a number of lives. The nation is in a state of grief and a state of mourning.

This meeting attests to full acceptance of our country back into the Commonwealth and also signifies the endorsement by the association of our progress in democratic governance.

asks all Nigerians to pray for all those aboard the plane and their families.

It was frank and exploratory. They will continue to meet to see how they can bridge the gap. All are willing to make a success of this.

It is unfortunate. Any military takeover anywhere in the world is out of fashion and should be regarded as unfortunate. Any short-circuit of democracy is not in the best interest of the people.

It is the destiny of us all to see this day.

The best thing that I will want to have is not to have debt at all, ... So when you talk of rescheduling, I'm apprehensive. When you talk of remission, even staying of interest for some time, will be one way. But we cannot, we cannot, talk of being able to do what we need to do ... bearing the burden of debt that is hanging over us at this time.

strive at this meeting to come out with solutions.

As your president of a democratic and civilian administration, I believe this is what God Almighty has ordained for me and my beloved country and its people.

In Africa we are emerging. We have taken responsibility, and know change is required so that we can be empowered in the way of human and capital infrastructure. And then America and Europe and ourselves will be the better for it.

I can assure you that Nigeria is not just the number one item on our agenda. Nigeria is in fact the only item on our agenda.

At the same time, African aims to intensify cooperation with China in the fields of trade, investment and agriculture.

School is not meant for the poor, only for the rich.

Fighting corruption is not a one-night affair.

Yet there comes a time in the life of a patriot when abdication would amount to a betrayal if not outright treachery.

North and south must also adopt measures to arrest the growing phenomenon of illegal capital flight and the repatriation of illicit wealth siphoned abroad by corrupt political leaders and their collaborators back to their countries of origin,

I don't see why anybody should worry,

Democracy should be nurtured and sustained in Nigeria and in our part of the world

To feed our people we must first feed our soil

Even Jesus Christ cannot conduct a free and fair election in Nigeria.

If you deceive me once shame on you because I have trusted you once and you have deceived me, if you deceive me twice shame on me because I have learnt my lessons and you have deceive me and if you deceive me for the third time shame on me because am a compound fool.

Femi Fani Kayode is my boy. Provide him food, he will eat and then sing for you. He’s a smart boy