BY DAUD OLATUNJU

ABEOKUTA—FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, Wednesday, said the country  would not move forward or progress without even distribution of resources, condemning what he described as  lopsided distribution of opportunities  and resources in the country.

Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during a solidarity visit by the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ogun West, to Hilltop Mansion, Abeokuta, that was partly destroyed by fire recently.

They were led by PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in 2011 election, General Adetunji Olurin (rtd).

He said: “For Nigeria to record any progress, our development must be evenly spread. And development in Ogun State must be evenly led and equally spread and the same for the whole country.

“You cannot have one part of the country in darkness and the other in light. A hungry dog cannot play with a satisfied dog. All our dogs must be satisfied together. I don’t want to speak on politics, particularly  PDP in Ogun State, because, what we ought to do we have done it.”

Apparently, reacting to the marginalisation of Ogun West in the scheme of things by Ogun East and Central senatorial districts, Obasanjo urged the leaders of Ogun West Senatorial District to put their house in order ahead of the next election.

He said “the reason why I said Ogun West needs a proper attention is that, if we don’t carry our load we will not see anybody to carry it for us. When there are two opportunities in Ogun State, if all the two did not go to East, both the East and Central will share them.

“If it were to be three, two will go to the East while one will go to the central; West will be left with none.

”In case, the opportunities were to be four, both East and Central will share it equally. For how long are we going to be in this injustice? When I was a military Head of State, whenever there was an opportunity for Ogun State, particularly in education, the polytechnic we established in Ogun State, I was the one that insisted that it must be established in Ilaro.”

Obasanjo while cautioning the leaders of the party in the state, urged them to embrace the returnees when they returned.

“They must not only be welcomed, they must also be reintegrated. Some of them are still sufficiently influential within their own communities.

Speaking, Olurin said they decided to pay a solidarity visit to the former President and at the same time pledge their loyalty to him.

According to him, “we still have a long way to go in PDP. We are going to draw a line on what is disturbing us in the PDP. Some people are spoilers; their aim is to destroy the party. We would not allow that to happen. Nobody says anybody should not come back to PDP, but what we are saying is that we should be honest and be ready to be truthful.”

“Nobody is against the coming back of some people to the party. Baba and I did not say that. Baba Obasanjo is interested in the progress of the PDP, but we have to be careful with the people who want to deceive us. Do not be cajoled with the money and their deceit.”