By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA NIGERIA – Presidency has reacted to the comment credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying that Obasanjo has lost any moral right to condemn any government, stressing that he should apologise to Nigerians for not laying the foundational infrastructure Nigeria needed to advance.
Precise Post recalls that Obasanjorecently took a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, describing Nigeria’s current state under his leadership as “glaringly indicative of failure” and lamenting the nation’s struggles with corruption and mismanagement.
He stated this in a statement issued by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, which said Obasanjo made these remarks during his keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Slamming Obasanjo over the comment on his X account on Monday, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser, Public Communication and Orientation to President Tinubu said “former President Obasanjo as 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.”
“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 in 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.
Further recall that in his speech titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, former president Obasanjo attributed the nation’s challenges to pervasive corruption and a lack of competent leadership.
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. That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan.”
“As the world can see and understand, Nigeria’s situation is bad,” Obasanjo said. Referring to Tinubu’s administration, he added, “The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see.”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. That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan.”
Obasanjo also referenced Chinua Achebe’s seminal 1983 work, The Trouble with Nigeria, agreeing with the assertion that the country’s core issue lies in leadership failure. He remarked, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character… The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership.”
He contrasted Achebe’s moderate critique with more severe analyses by American scholars, including Robert Rotberg and former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, who described Nigeria as “a fully failed state of critical geopolitical concern.”
Drawing from definitions by the World Bank and Transparency International, Obasanjo elaborated on the concept of state capture, which he described as a form of corruption where powerful individuals manipulate a nation’s policies, economy, and resources for personal gain. He cited examples of how public institutions in Nigeria are being exploited by political elites to the detriment of the nation’s development.
“State capture can seriously affect economic development, regulatory quality, the provision of public services, quality of education and health services, infrastructure decisions, and even the environment and public health,” he warned.
Reflecting on Chinua Achebe’s legacy, Obasanjo described the renowned author as “a great and distinguished Nigerian” whose works and values continue to resonate.
The former president’s critique has once again sparked conversations about Nigeria’s leadership challenges and the need for a transformative approach to governance.
