Daily Inspiration Quote by Olusegun Obasanjo

Obasanjo’s sentence wears the polite suit of diplomacy while quietly redrawing the rules of ownership. “I want to take this opportunity” is the classic statesman’s throat-clearing: not just courtesy, but a signal that the real message is strategic and timed. The pivot comes fast: “foreign friends” collapses outsiders into allies, softening the hard edge of what follows. “Friends” implies trust and reciprocity, even as the invitation is framed on Nigeria’s terms.

The operative word is “join.” It doesn’t offer a handover; it offers entry into an existing national project. That framing matters in a postcolonial economy where “resources” is never a neutral noun. It carries the memory of extraction, concessionary deals, and the political volatility that comes when oil, minerals, and cash flow concentrate power. By calling resource development “our endeavor,” Obasanjo asserts sovereignty first, then opens the door to partnership. The subtext: investment is welcome, but legitimacy flows from the state.

The phrase “develop the resources of our country” also performs a double reassurance. To international capital, it signals openness and stability: Nigeria is available, organized, and looking to scale. To domestic audiences wary of foreign capture, it insists on national possession (“our country”) and casts foreigners as participants, not drivers. It’s an invitation with a leash: come in, but understand whose house this is.