Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has thrown jabs at President Bola Tinubu, sniggering that under his leadership, Nigeria’s failing status has been confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has thrown jabs at President Bola Tinubu, sniggering that under his leadership, Nigeria’s failing status has been confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see.
Obasanjo made these remarks during his keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
In a statement released by his Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo taunted President Tinubu with labels as “Baba-go-slow” and “Emilokan,”, to underscore what he considered his lackluster leadership. He stated that the nation’s dire situation is evident to “every honest person.”
Delivering a lecture titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, Obasanjo warned that the nation is sinking deeper into insecurity, division, and underdevelopment. He attributed these issues to widespread corruption, mediocrity, and a lack of accountability.
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“Nigeria Situation: 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.
“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. But yes, there is hope”, he said.
Drawing from Chinua Achebe’s 1983 book, “The Trouble with Nigeria”, Obasanjo reiterated that the nation’s challenges stem from a failure of leadership. He dismissed notions that cultural or environmental factors are to blame, emphasizing instead the inability of leaders to rise to the occasion.
Obasanjo also accused political elites of engaging in state capture, a form of corruption where powerful groups manipulate national policies, laws, and resources for personal gain. He highlighted the sale of national assets at undervalued prices and the undue influence of interest groups in shaping Nigeria’s economic and political landscape.
“State capture is one of the most pervasive forms of corruption,” Obasanjo explained. “What is happening in Nigeria – right before our eyes – is state capture, where public institutions are subject to undue influence from vested interests.”
The former president criticized the intertwining of business and political elites through family ties, lobbying, and vote-buying, which he argued prioritizes private gain over public welfare. He warned of the long-term implications on education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic development.
On a hopeful note, Obasanjo maintained that Nigeria’s challenges are surmountable, provided the nation’s leadership embraces accountability and reforms.
In honoring Chinua Achebe, Obasanjo praised the late literary icon for his lasting contributions to Nigerian society, describing him as “a great and distinguished Nigerian.”
