Former President Olusegun
Obasanjo has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government of moving the
country towards the path of disaster.
In an interview with Premium
Times, the former president said the progress the country is said to be making
is questionable.
He lamented the present
arrangement of political leadership in the country, saying it tends to favour
some zones at the expense of others.
In the buildup to the 2019
general election, Obasanjo fell out with Buhari and endorsed Atiku Abubakar,
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I think we have no choice but to
be on the path for sustainable development,” Obasanjo said.
“The progress we are making may
be questionable. Is it fast enough? Is it steady enough? Is it stable enough? Are
we taking two steps forward and one step back or one step side-way?
“You can question that, but we
have no choice but to be on (the) path for sustainable development. Any other
thing will be a disaster. In fact, the pace at which we are going now is tending
more and more toward disaster and instability and unsustainability.”
The former president said foreign
investors no longer have confidence in the nation’s economy as it is poorly
managed.
“The problem is that we are just
not doing what we should be doing,” he said.
“Nobody has that confidence, and
we cannot develop Nigeria without that confidence in our economy. Both for
domestic investors and foreign investors.”
The former president expressed
worry about the present leadership arrangement in the country, saying the
composition sends a disturbing signal in a multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria.
“I think there is a presumption
in our constitution that our system will bring out competent leaders devoid of
extremism, religious or tribal bigotry. Leaders who understand what it takes to
hold the country together and put it in high gear for development, unity and an
inclusive and shared society,” he said.
“These are assumptions. And if
these assumptions come true, what is meant to be achieved in our country will
be achieved. But the kind of situation you have now cannot allow those
assumptions to become reality. Now you have a situation where three top
officials of government will be from only two northern zones. Ahmad Lawan (who
has been pencilled down as senate president) is from the north-east, the acting
chief justice of Nigeria is from the north-east, The president of the country
is from the north-west. They are all from what we call the core north. How can
you have that kind of arrangement and then be absolutely insensitive to it
(lack of geographical diversity)?
“So the prescription that our
constitution makes of the kind of leadership that should emerge, we have failed
to achieve that with the present leadership we have in place. The Constitution
expects the executive to care for the welfare and security of every Nigerian.
But in the present situation, they don’t seem to care.”
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Baketmouth don open mouth again oo
ReplyDeleteBasketmouth don dey talk true again oh.
DeleteYour beloved candidate has failed and he is in court, and you cannot lobby winning for him due to the judge is not your boy. Sorry
ReplyDeleteCan someone send a letter bomb to this so called elder statesman?
ReplyDeleteObasanjo talking from both sides of his mouth again. Agbala oniro
ReplyDelete