THE former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, July 2, 2022, rode a commercial tricycle known as Keke Maruwa/Napep across some parts of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to demonstrate the safety of that particular means of transportation.
According to media reports, the former President rode the Keke from his Pent House residence at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) to the Kuto under bridge area amidst greetings and jubilation by onlookers along the road.
In a release by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said, “There is nothing wrong in young people starting small. The Keke is secure and safe when handled professionally and with discipline. In fact, you can plan your business the way you wish and earn income that you can deploy to other investments. And if you are able to get a second one, you can give that to someone else. So you become self-employed and you have also employed somebody.
“This is how we can increasingly address unemployment in Nigeria. I have always had a passion for youth empowerment and employment. When I started establishing farms, do you think I can run the farm alone?
“The people I employed on the farms, some of them are as educated as PhD. There are veterinary doctors among them, Agric economist and some people that are well educated, and some of my children that have PhD and is still working with me.
“The other time I checked the people that are working with us directly in our various establishments, we have over 5,000 and most of them are youths. I have always had a passion for youths because there is no substitute for employment.”
It should be noted that Obasanjo had, in June, donated tricycles to 85 persons as part of an empowerment programme in honour of his 85th birthday. The former president clocked 85 on March 5, 2022.
Watch a video of the incident as posted by Instablog here
