Obasanjo’s govt marred by monumental corruption, can’t condemn Tinubu – Presidency

The presidency has responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the country’s affairs.

Obasanjo had in a keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum in Yale University, New Haven Connecticut, the United States, last weekend, described the country under Tinubu as a “failing state” characterized by pervasive corruption, leadership failure, hardship and hunger.

He stressed that Nigeria is speedily becoming a bad case under the leadership of President Tinubu whom he referred to as “Emilokan” and “Baba-go-slow.”

The ex-military argued that the country is currently suffering from state capture as a result of Tinubu’s lackluster leadership.

“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,” he noted.

But in a statement issued on Monday, the Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation to the President, Sunday Dare, described Obasanjo as a man with a “tremendous capacity for mischief.”

He insisted that the ex-president muddled up facts about the present administration.

The former minister of sports added that Obasanjo’s government was characterized by monumental corruption and as such, he has no moral standing to accuse the Tinubu administration of graft.

Dare said: “Former President Obasanjo is a man with a tremendous capacity for mischief and Nigerians know it. His journey along the path of hallucinations has never been in doubt.

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“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 says, ‘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.”

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