Presidency on Monday said Nigeria’s democracy under former President Olusegun Obasanjo suffered severe setbacks.
The Presidency’s reaction followed Obasanjo’s weekend criticisms of the running of the country by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, said that Obasanjo’s government actually assaulted and vitiated Nigeria’s democracy throughout his eight-year rule.
Dare, in a statement on his X account, on Monday, stressed that successive administrations struggled to rectify the damage left by Obasanjo, adding that President Tinubu is now making significant progress in addressing these issues.
Dare said Obasanjo had lost any moral authority to criticise the current government, stressing that he should apologise to Nigerians for failing to lay the necessary infrastructure for the country’s progress.
Dare said, “Democracy suffered mortal wounds under his watch, only exacerbated by his destructive obsession with an ill-fated third-term bid.
“He is a man with a tremendous capacity for mischief, and Nigerians know it.
“His journey down the path of delusion has always been apparent, as has his descent into distorting facts, forgetting that he presided over a presidency that was among the most corrupt in history. His recent comments at Yale University lack sincerity.
“It is laughable that Obasanjo’s pretensions about fighting corruption are failing to convince the general public.”
Dare pointed out that under Obasanjo’s leadership, no explanation was ever given for the $16bn wasted on generating “megawatts of darkness” across the nation.
“But that is not even the main issue. The Yoruba proverb, ‘A o ki n wo ariwo oja, eniti a anba na oja ni a n wo,’ teaches that we should not be distracted by the noise of the market. Instead, we should focus on the person with whom we are negotiating.
“This is an instructive lesson. In this market called Nigeria, the man with the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda is the one that matters – President Tinubu and, indeed, Nigerians.
“Everything else is just ‘ariwo oja’ (market noise). This administration will remain focused on bringing relief to Nigerians. Obasanjo’s remarks are a reflection of the childish nature of market noise.
“President Tinubu will stay the course in seeing through the reforms he has initiated for a better Nigeria,” he added.
He advised Obasanjo to refrain from constantly criticising his successors and to take time to reflect on how he has contributed to the parlous state of the Nigerian nation, which President Tinubu is now valiantly working to restore.
“We thank former President Obasanjo for acknowledging that ‘Yes, there is hope.’ That’s the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda that President Tinubu is advancing, and it’s well on track. We look forward to having that conversation with the former president.”
