Nigeria's out-going President Olusegun Obasanjo warned in Abuja Monday that the country's self-imposed target to be one of the largest economies by the year 2020 could be a mirage, according to dpa. The goal, he said, was only possible if the country stays on the path of economic prudence, and political and social reform programmes, which his government introduced. "Tomorrow, I will hand over the instruments of governance to Umaru Yar'Adua, our newly-elected president. He is a man in whom I have great confidence. I have worked with him and observed him at very close quarters. "I know his track record and his pedigree. I have confidence that he will discharge his mandate to the satisfaction of all Nigerians," Obasanjo said of his anointed successor in a valedictory broadcast to the nation. Obasanjo thanked Nigerians for their support while he was in office. Between May 1999 when he became president and Monday, Obasanjo's tenure was characterized by communal crises across the country and hostage-taking in the Niger Delta, where militant youths have frequently abducted expatriate workers to get the attention of government and the international community. "For the eight years that I have enjoyed your mandate and support, we changed not only the image of our country in the eyes of fair- minded, honest and objective observers both at home and around the world," he said. "We have run the longest democratic dispensation and eliminated the risk of violent changes of government through coups and counter- coups in our political culture," Obasanjo added. "Tomorrow morning, we will, for the first time in our history, witness a peaceful transition of political leadership from one democratically-elected government and personality to a new set of elected president, governors and legislators," he said. The April 21 election that produced Obasanjo's successor was roundly condemned as a sham by local and international observers. Obasanjo remarked that before 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy, the country was at its lowest ebb and was shunned, not only in the international arena, but also even at home. "Many Nigerians had lost hope for the future of the country. Our citizens were leaving our shores in droves in search of better conditions in the more advanced countries of Europe, the United States of America and the Middle East," he said. Meanwhile, the planned swearing-in of Yar'Adua is still received with mixed feelings. While Obasanjo had been busy with the handing-over programme, opposition and civil liberties groups have asked Nigerians to shun the programme and stay at home in protest against perceived theft of their votes by the ruling People's Democratic Party at the April general elections. The sit-at-home directive was supposed to have started Monday, but many went about their normal businesses or travelled across the country. All banks opened for business, while other commercial activities were in top gear across the country Monday.
