The Presidency has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his remarks regarding the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
News About Nigeria recalls that Obasanjo recently described Nigeria as a “failing state” under Tinubu’s leadership and called for the dismissal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, along with other officials, as part of electoral reforms.
Reacting to these comments, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, condemned Obasanjo’s statements, insisting that the former president owes Nigerians an apology.
In a statement shared on his official X account on Tuesday, Dare described Obasanjo’s administration as the most corrupt in Nigeria’s history, accusing him of insincerity and noting that Nigerians faced severe hardships during his tenure.
He stated, “Former President Obasanjo is a man with a tremendous capacity for mischief, and Nigerians know it. His journey along the path of hallucinations has never been in doubt. So is his descent into muddling facts, forgetting that he ran a presidency on record as the most corrupt. His recent diatribe at Yale University lacks sincerity.
“It is laughable that Obasanjo’s pretentiousness about fighting corruption is not cutting any ice with the general public. We all know what happened under his watch and how, up till now, there has been no explanation for the $16 billion wasted on generating megawatts of darkness across the nation.
“Democracy suffered mortal wounds under his watch, only capped by his ill-fated bid for a third term. Successive administrations have struggled to clean up the mess he left behind, which President Tinubu is now addressing.”
Dare further argued that Obasanjo lacks the moral authority to critique any government, adding, “He should apologize to Nigerians for failing to lay the foundational infrastructure needed to advance the country.”
Quoting a Yoruba proverb, Dare concluded, “A o ki n wo ariwo oja, eniti a anba na oja ni a n wo,” meaning, “Ignore the noise of the market and focus on the person you’re negotiating with.” He emphasized that Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda is what matters to Nigerians.
