FORMER president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, took on former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former Governors Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa), James Ibori (Delta), Lucky Igbinedion (Edo) and Joshua Dariye (Plateau), saying though they were younger, they were not able to govern well when in positions of authority.
Speaking at the annual Ibadan Sustainable Development Summit, organised by the University of Ibadan Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), Obasanjo affirmed that youths who had been privileged to hold positions of authority in the country had not fared better than their elderly counterparts.
He condemned the younger generation of leaders, saying they lacked integrity and probity and had failed their people woefully.
While reviewing Nigeria’s history since independence, Obasanjo said the country may have been cursed with poor and irresponsible leaders.
He said if Nigerians were yet to commend a leader after 53 years of independence, “then we are jinxed and cursed; we should all go to hell. Some of you who are condemning the leadership would get there tomorrow and it will be a different story. Only very few are actually good.
“In 1979, we had 20 new ships specially built for Nigeria. When I came back 20 years after, the national shipping line had liquidated. The whole thing is not just about leadership. If we talk about good leadership, you should also talk about good followership. If you talk about human right, you should also talk about human duties and obligations.
“It is sad that after 53 years of independence we have no leader that we can commend. The problem in Africa is that when one person takes over, he would not see any good thing that his predecessor did. Let us condemn but with caution.”
Obasanjo, while responding to a challenge thrown at him by one of the discussants at the summit, Professor Mojeed Alabi of the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, said “when I came into government in 1999, there were four young governors-Alamieyeseigha, Igbinedion, Dariye and Ibori.
What became of all of them and what mark were they able to make? The youngest leader of the House of Representatives ever was Salisu Buhari, but he was caught up in a certificate forgery scandal. We had him impeached.
“You say Tinubu is your leader (referring to Professor Alabi), what he did was exactly what Salisu Buhari did, but while we at the federal level got Buhari impeached, we on this side of the country covered him (Tinubu) up.”
Reacting, Tinubu, through his media aide, Sunday Dare, said “Tinubu is undergoing daily therapy for now. There should be a statement shortly but not today.”
The former president also stated his efforts to bring in Alhaji Abubakar to succeed him as president, adding that unfortunately, he was disappointed in his choice.
“I wanted someone who would succeed me so I took Atiku. Within a year, I started seeing the type of man Atiku is. And you want me to get him there?” he said.
Reacting, Abubakar, in a statement by Garba Sheu, said “yes, Chief Obasanjo is right. He didn’t know Atiku well. It was later he got to know him as a fighter for democracy and defender of the constitution.”
Obasanjo, when asked by another discussant, Dr Obiajiofor Aginam of the Institute for Sustainability and Peace at the United Nations University headquaters, Tokyo, Japan, on issues of succession, which had become a major challenge on the continent, also stressed the frustrations which Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere experienced with his people, despite his patriotic attempts to engender development.
He called on the people to rise up to the challenge of leadership, saying it was not only about being in government.
He defined leadership as “the ability to provide direction for others to follow, in order to achieve a uncommon or extraordinary stated goals,” adding that people must not only be ready for development, they must be agents of same.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Isaac Adewole, noted that the summit, sixth in the series, was initiated by the institution “to drive the required reflections, debates and generation of innovative ideas necessary to make Africa’s rise sustainable.”
The event, had in attendance the Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by one of his commissioners, Mr Muyiwa Ige; Professor Akin Mabogunje, members of the academia and policy makers from different parts of the world.
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