Nigeria is a failed state due to Baba-go-slow, Emilokan— Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria’ has become a “failed state” due to the policies of former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Obasanjo said Messrs Tinubu and Buhari led Nigeria into a “state of chaos, insecurity, and underdevelopment.”

He stated this during a paper presentation at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the United States. The annual lecture honours the late Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe.

The former president delivered his keynote address, titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, in a pre-recorded speech played at the event.

While Mr Obasanjo did not name the two leaders directly, he mentioned nicknames used for them by their opponents, “Baba-go-slow” for Mr Buhari and “Emilokan” for the incumbent.

President Bola Tinubu. his friend and ally, former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“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.

“That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan. The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see through the consequences of the level of our pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, perversion, injustice, incompetence, and all other forms of iniquity,” he said.

State capture of the Judiciary

Mr Obasanjo also claimed that the Nigerian judiciary has been compromised by politicians, forming part of what he described as a grand “state capture.”

He criticised the common retort “go to court” to election disputes, saying it reflects the judiciary’s compromised state. According to him, “the judiciary in Nigeria is a very pale version of its once internationally esteemed self.”

“Politicians, after rigging elections, openly ask their rivals to “go to court” in Nigeria because they are aware that they have completely compromised the Judiciary system.

“A number of Judges are in the pockets of wealthy politicians and individuals and make judgements – not based on the law of the land but to the highest bidder. This, my learned audience, is one of the most effective strategies of State Capture – discussed next – that must be excised from Nigeria like a surgeon cutting out a malignant cancer,” Mr Obasanjo said.

He further highlighted the ongoing sabotage of the economy by political elites for personal gain, including the acquisition of national assets at bargain prices.

“The purchase of national assets by political elites and their family members at giveaway prices, and the allocation of national resources—minerals, land, and human resources—to local, regional, and international actors must be prohibited through robust local and international laws,” he said.

While not mentioning names, Mr Obasanjo said a former governor continues to control his state 25 years after leaving office.
“That is the case of one governor of a state who still holds the state captive in his pocket 25 years after being the governor of the state,” Mr Obasanjo said.

PREMIUM TIMES checks reveal that only a few governors from 1999 still wield significant influence, with the most notable being President Tinubu, who has maintained political dominance in Lagos State since then.
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Messrs Obasanjo and Tinubu have a history of political animosity, beginning when the former was president and the latter was governor of Lagos State.

Mr Tinubu was the only Alliance for Democracy governor that Mr Obasanjo’s ruling party failed to unseat in the 2003 elections.

The only time they were on the same side in a general election was in 2015 when they opposed the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Politicians exploiting hunger

Mr Obasanjo criticised Nigerian politicians for exploiting the poverty and hunger in the country by using “stomach infrastructure” to gain votes rather than addressing systemic issues.

“The food items are usually packaged strategically with the image of political candidates and the parties they represent.

“The political calculation here is that destitute people are more likely to vote for a politician who brings along gifts – ironically, bought by looted treasury funds belonging to the very same people that are condescended upon – than one who only provides concrete solutions to their everyday problems that might take time,” he said.

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He lamented the high rate of out-of-school children, insecurity, and pervasive corruption, urging the adoption of virtues that have helped Southeast Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore achieve progress.

Aside from Mr Obasanjo, Nigerians present at the event included Peter Obi, the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, and former Minister Obi Ezekwesili.

Mr. Obi participated in two different panel sessions: a discussion on “Leadership and Democracy in Africa” and “Intergenerational Panel: Young People and the Future of Leadership in Africa.”