Obasanjo Failed Nigeria During His Tenure – Done

Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo

                      A political scientist, Prof Adekunle Amuwo, has blasted the former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.

The political scientist, a speaker at the 39th public lecture on “Bullet versus Ballot: Interrogating Nigeria’s 4th Republic Electoral’s Consultations,” organised by the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, said Obasanjo failed Nigeria during his tenure.

He said he had full knowledge of how Obasanjo became the president in 1999, and insisted that the former president’s rule was the beginning of the corruption currently experienced in the country.

The professor, who also noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government has not moved Nigeria forward an inch, described President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration as the legacy Obasanjo left behind.

Prof Amuwo acknowledged that the current political situation in the country was crucial and critical in the history of Nigeria, and called on the electorate to change the fortunes of the country by choosing the ‘ballot’ rather than the ‘bullet.’

“We are in a democracy run by professional non-democrats men and women who have the financial muscle to ‘outmuscle’ the electorate and the rest of the country because about 70 per cent of the population of Nigeria is poor. In 2001, Obasanjo promised Nigeria would enjoy 24/7 power supply, but he failed. His election in 1999 was massively flawed. He just had to win and Olu Falae had to lose. He represented the Western powers and Africa and did a lot for the two groups by providing an enabling business environment for them to thrive. But he did little for Nigeria. He had all the powers to tame the monster of corruption in the country, but he did not do anything. Things have become so bad that the United States now threatens that if we don’t compose ourselves, they would not give us visas. It’s ridiculous,” he said.

According to the professor, no reforms had taken place under Jonathan’s administration, and he alleged that there is structural violence against the electorate.

“Nigeria can recover. However, the ballot should be used to do this instead of the bullet,” he said.

Meanwhile, other scholars at a consultative meeting of media scholars and practitioners on the February 2015 general elections have remarked that the security of lives and property of the electorate is an important aspect of the success of the polls.

Also, the vice-chancellor, Professor Charles Ayo, who spoke on behalf of the chancellor of Covenant University and founder of the Living Faith Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, explained that the lecture was aimed at reshaping Nigeria’s destiny in the forthcoming elections.

“This will hopefully play a major role to improve the existing security situation in the country before, during and after the elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, Obasanjo was recently accused by former Ogun state governor, Segun Osoba, of making the current governor, Ibikunle Amosun, his stooge.