“Retired Military Officers And Professors Did A Bad Job Ruling Nigeria” – Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president, has expressed his opinions on progress in many states around the nation.

In his keynote speech titled “Respecting the Principles of Democracy” delivered on Thursday, January 26, at the international conference on “Deepening Democratic Culture and Institutions,” held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Obasanjo noted that many states led by academics, retired military officers, and professionals have not seen any improvements.

He also bemoaned the fact that insults, lies, and self-interest had replaced discussions of matters of national relevance and advancement in Nigeria’s political campaigns.

Obasanjo claimed that minions had taken control of campaigns and had created iron rings around candidates at all levels.

The former President said: “At the end of all the rigmarole, people get elected: they never believed in or shared a common platform, failed to carry Nigerians along, lacked a deep understanding of the trends and tendencies in the social and economic system.

“Everyone in this room, whether we admit it or not, is an expert in Nigerian politics. We all have opinions and we have prescriptions for all the problems of Nigeria. Yet, the country is not making progress. Most of us are experts in what we know little or nothing about and ignoramuses in what is our duty and responsibility. We have tried all sorts of regimes, ideologies, planning strategies and personalities in power: the so-called new breed did not show that they were different.

“Equally, states run by professors, retired military officers and other professionals including teachers did not experience visible and substantial improvements. True, there have been some outstanding leaders at various levels of power but no tree has ever made a forest; the good ones are few and far in between and did not form a critical mass. The lack of conversations across fault lines and primordial proclivities means that our leaders are unable to share ideas and have durable and sustained policies for a long enough time. This prevents useful cooperation, collaboration, stability and sustainability. It means that whatever best practices are in one location remain there and may die there.”

Obasanjo added that the way Nigeria’s democracy is exercised has deepened contradictions, negative coalitions, distrust, disloyalty, and unpatriotic tendencies within and between communities and constituencies all over the country.

He also bemoaned that Nigerian leaders are not demonstrating clear capacities to provide a transformative leadership that unites Nigerians and contains ethnic, religious, regional, and clannish, selfish, class proclivities.