Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo (file image)
Obasanjo: Most of those in government should right now be behind bars or in gallows
By Valentine Amanze
Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the nation was sitting on keg of gunpowder, while advocating for moral rearmament and positive reorientation among Nigerians.
Obasanjo raised the alarm in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while welcoming six members of the House of Representatives, and co-sponsors of the bill on a single six-year term and rotation between the North and the South.
The lawmakers were led by a former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Downstream Petroleum, Ugo Chinyere, during the visit to the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
Obasanjo also lamentated the emerging leadership in the country.
His words: “Nigeria is a nation where we take two steps forward, one step aside and four steps backward. So, we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder that could explode anytime if we fail to take courageous and decisive steps to address the multi various challenges facing the country.”
The former President also regretted that the succeeding government had not built on the foundation he laid while he was in power.
“More than anything else such as changing our system of government, moving to a single term of six or four years, we must change our ways of doing things in this country.
“We must decarbonise our brains; we must change our mentality and characters.
“How I wish that the succeeding governments are building on the foundation we laid even if not so fast as one would have wanted it. But sadly, the blocks we put there are even being removed.
“What I know about Nigeria is that yes, if we get it right – the leadership and the team because one tree does not make a forest – you need a good leader but you also need a good team for a well-done job.
“The point is that if we get this right in about two and half years, we shall get some of the challenges behind us and in about 10 years we would have gotten a solid foundation, and about 25 years we are there.
“But what we have always done is to take one step forward, two steps aside and four steps backward and it is why we are where we are in the country.
“For me, it is not so much about the system but we may need to rethink the liberal democracy where we talk of loyal opposition. What we do in Africa is that we sit down and get a consensus and after we have done that, there is no opposition. Everyone is on the same page and we move together.
“The word for opposition in all African languages that I have looked into is enemies. What do you do with loyal enemies? Nothing like that. Once you take it, it belongs to you, the winners take all and the opposition goes into the wilderness. That is what we do but this is not good. We need everyone to join hands together and move the society forward.
“The issue for me if we get it right whether we have a single term of six years or two terms of four years is that we must decarbonise our brains and mentality.
“Look if you give him a period of a single term of six years, he can go ahead and still do the evil he would have done in a case of two terms of four years. The only difference is that he would have done that within the period of six years and not four years and that is if he is not reelected for another four years.
“To me, this is not our problem. Our main problem is ourselves and until we take care of ourselves, if we like let us adopt a single term of six years, one term of four years among others with the same mentality and same way of doing things, nothing will change.
“So, the very beginning is ourselves, yes system, yes we have to rethink our democracy but the character of people in government must change. With all due respect, most of those in government should right now be behind bars or in gallows.”
