"Obasanjo Will Remain In History For Bringing GSM To Nigeria"
Goodluck Jonathan calls him his political "father". Ordinary Nigerians have have long ago been divided in accordance with their disposition towards him. While some consider him to be Nigeria's "hero", others accuse him of our contry's hardships. Whichever camp you might belong to, there is no denying that Olusegun Obasanjo, who clocked 78 today, has left a notable imprint in Nigeria's history.
Writing for Legit.ng, Godwin Eruriere says Obasanjo will forever be remembered as the one who brought the Global System of Mobile communications to Nigeria and ensured employment of millions of Nigerians.
A good father always calculates how his children will survive after he is no longer present.
When Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was president, he made decisions that are now a legacy to all citizens of Nigeria. To me, many Nigerians are happy and content today because of what Chief Obasanjo did while he was in the office. So the way things are currently turning out is unfortunate.
Let me share with you my opinion on the issue of job creation. As a president, you need to consider what effects this or that resolution will have in the long term. As a president, you have to be able to look into the future and analyze if this or that scheme will continue to work.
Nigeria Immigration Service (or, rather, Disservice) has been no good at job creation. It is clear that we will always need more hands to handle existing companies, ministries and whatnot.
Obasanjo brought about the GSM. This alone has created countless workplaces all over the country. The benefits of the GSM business are being enjoyed by almost everyone.
Where all people working with MTN Nigeria, GLO, Airtel and Etisalat would have been employed otherwise? The same question goes to phone and phone accessories sellers (both individual entrepreneurs and dealers like Slot that are employing people on their own), phone repairers, those printing and selling recharge cards, engineers installing and maintaining masts for telecommunication companies... The list is endless, and I estimate that tens of millions are employed and being paid.
Having said all of the above, I must confess I don't feel like anyone else has fulfilled their promises of creating jobs for Nigerians.
Also, think about international companies like Nokia, LG, Samsung and others that have come to Nigeria to stay — all thanks to Obasanjo's efforts.
To sum all of this up, I think it's fair to say that virtually no one would claim that they are not enjoying the fruits of the breakthrough made by Chief Obasanjo. I personally will forever be grateful.
As far as I am concerned, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo deserves National Honours for implementing the job creation dream into reality. Anyone can exchange WhatsApp messages on their phone, communicate via Facebook and Twitter social platforms, buy and sell stuff online, make online payments, read news, make comments, use email service, etc.
I am sure many of you will disagree with this praising of Obasanjo. But what if I seized your phones for a month? I'm sure you would feel like you no longer exist!
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has provided us Nigerians with the means of survival. It is a pity some people are not appreciating his efforts.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Legit.ng, its editors or other contributors.
Source: Legit.ng
