Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that most Nigerians are interested in public offices only to enrich themselves and their cronies and then leave the country worse than they met it.
The former President said these people obtain billions of naira in loans, believing that paying back from public funds after being elected won’t be a problem.
Obasanjo disclosed this in his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’ where he painted the characters of chief executives at both the federal and state levels.
The book was one of two new books unveiled to mark Obasanjo’s 88th birthday last week.
The former President said the majority of those who have been opportuned to hold leadership positions in the country such as governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners and local government chairpersons, were ill-prepared, satanic, self-centred and were all out to corruptly enrich themselves while the nation continues to wallow in abject poverty and condemnable underdevelopment.
He said, “How do you explain the situation of a chief executive, a governor, whose business was owing the banks billions of naira and millions of dollars before becoming a governor and within two years of becoming governor, without his company doing any business, he paid all that his businesses owed the banks.
“You are left to guess where the money came from. Having got away with that in the first term, he consigned to himself almost half of the state resources in the second term. He was a typical example of the goings-on at that level almost universally in the country with only a few exceptions.
“State resources are captured and appropriated to themselves with a pittance to staff and associates to close the mouths of those that could blow the whistle or raise alarm against them while in office and when they are out of office.’’
He further said, “The ones that are criminally ridiculous are the chief executives that deceive, lie and try to cover up on the realities and truth of action and inaction on contract awards, agreements, treaties, borrowings and forward sales of national assets. Such chief executives are unfit for the job they find themselves in.
Meanwhile, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, labeling it a wasteful and corrupt initiative. He also condemned the Bola Tinubu administration for approving N21 billion for a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Obasanjo made these remarks in chapter six of his newly launched book, Nigeria: Past and Future, which was unveiled last week as part of his 88th birthday celebrations.Nigerian home decor ideas
According to Punch, the former president argued that the government’s actions reflect a continuation of “transactional” governance, operating under the slogan “it is my turn to chop.”
“State resources are captured and appropriated, with a pittance to staff and associates to silence whistleblowers,” Obasanjo said.
He pointed to the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project as an example of “waste, corruption, and misplaced priority,” adding that Tinubu’s administration had ignored public concerns over the controversial project.
“Typical examples of waste, corruption, and misplaced priority are the murky Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road on which the President had turned deaf ears to protests and the new Vice-President’s official residence built at a cost of N21bn in the time of economic hardship to showcase the administration hitting the ground running and to show the importance of the office of the Vice-President. What small minds!”
Obasanjo also accused many Nigerian leaders—including governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners, and local government chairmen—of being ill-prepared and self-serving.
“Many clamouring to lead are only interested in using their offices to enrich themselves and their cronies, leaving the country worse off,” he wrote.Nigerian home decor ideas
He reiterated his long-standing belief that Western liberal democracy might not be the best fit for Africa, advocating instead for a system tailored to the continent’s unique characteristics.
“We should seek democracy within African history, culture, attributes, and characteristics, one that will take necessary African factors into consideration. Until we can get a better word or description for it, let us call it Afrodemocracy,” Obasanjo said.
