A former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has faulted the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, saying the country is becoming a “failing state”.
Obasanjo spoke in his keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
“The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, and disunity,” Obasanjo said during the event on Friday.
“The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated for all to see.”
“As we can see and understand, Nigeria’s situation is bad. The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, discord, division, disunity, depression, youth restiveness, confusion, violence, and underdevelopment,” Obasanjo added.
“That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan. The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see through the consequences of the level of our pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, perversion, injustice, incompetence, and all other forms of iniquity.”
Obasanjo asked the leadership of the country to work for the betterment of the people and not pander to foreign influences to the detriment of Nigerians.
The former president warned against what he described as “state capture” by some persons which he said is one of the most pervasive forms of corruption.
He said, “State capture is one of the most pervasive forms of corruption.
“What is happening in Nigeria—right before our eyes—is state capture, where public institutions are subject to undue influence from vested interests.”
He also decried the rising levels of insecurity, food scarcity, and other issues affecting Nigeria.
According to him, if food insecurity is not tackled, the country faces threats of instability.
Ex-president Obasanjo accused politicians of taking advantage of the situation instead of addressing it.
“The food items are usually packaged strategically with the image of political candidates and the parties they represent,” he said.
“The political calculation here is that destitute people are more likely to vote for a politician who brings along gifts – ironically, bought by looted treasury funds belonging to the very same people that are condescended upon – than one who only provides concrete solutions to their everyday problems that might take time.”
Presidency Accuses Obasanjo Of Running ‘Most Corrupt’ Govt in Nigeria
Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation to President Bola Tinubu, has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of running the most corrupt presidency.
Obasanjo was Nigeria’s president between 1999 and 2007 and had recently claimed that the country’s failing state is due to “widespread corruption, poor leadership, and immorality” under Tinubu’s leadership.
But Dare accused Obasanjo of failing to lay the infrastructure foundation for the country when he was the president.
“Former President Obasanjo is a man with a tremendous capacity for mischief and Nigerians know it. His journey along the path of hallucinations has never been in doubt. So is his descent into muddling facts, forgetting that he ran a Presidency on record as the most corrupt. His recent diatribe at Yale University lacks sincerity,” Dare wrote on his X handle on Monday.
“It is actually laughable that Obasanjo’s pretentiousness about fighting corruption is not cutting any ice in the eyes of the general public. We all know what happened under his watch and how, up till the present moment, there has been no explanation as to how he wasted a whopping $16bn in generating megawatts of darkness across the nation. But that is not even the issue.
“Democracy suffered mortal wounds under his watch only capped by his murderous rage for an ill-fated 3rd term. Successive administrations struggled to clean up the mess Obasanjo left behind, which President Tinubu is now making progress with. Obasanjo has lost any moral right to condemn any government. He should apologise to Nigerians for not laying the foundational infrastructure Nigeria needed to advance.
“The Yoruba proverb, ‘A o ki n wo ariwo oja, eniti a anba na oja ni a n wo’. This means that you shouldn’t pay heed to the market’s noise. Rather, keep an eye on the person you are negotiating with. This is instructive. In this market called Nigeria, the man with the renewed hope agenda is the one that matters, and indeed Nigerians. Everything else is ariwo oja. This administration will stay focused on bringing relief to Nigerians. Obasanjo’s remarks reflect the infantilist nature of market noise.
“President Tinubu will Stay the Course in seeing through the reforms he has instituted for a better Nigeria.
“The point here is that Obasanjo should take time off this habit of pulling down leaders, especially his successors, and try to interrogate himself on how he has contributed to the parlous state of the Nigerian nation which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now spiritedly battling to put back on the track of development. We thank former President Obasanjo for agreeing that ‘Yes, there is hope’. That’s the Renewed Hope Agenda President Tinubu is about and it’s on track. We are happy to have that conversation with the former President.”
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