The head of state and two-term president of the country has blasted president Tinubu over the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project calling it a misplace priority, fuel by embezzlement.
The Former president also criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for proposing a new residence for the Vice President, seeing it as a potential source of corruption.
According to his recently published book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future,’ he describes the current personalities of leaders at various levels of the country as worrying about
The ex-leader in his book, chapter six, examines the leadership trait of numerous government officeholders during the past dispensation.
During a book lunch to celebrate his 88th birthday last week, Obasanjo evaluated current leadership decisions regarding governance.
Although report on ground stated that the planned Highway will receive N4.93 billion per kilometer in counterpart finance, rather than public-private partnership, according to the Ministry’s flag-off report.
Misplace priority
However the public has expressed concerns about the lack of openness and accountability in the allocation for projects.
The skepticism highlights ongoing concerns about the government’s commitment to responsible financial management in major infrastructure projects. solely by embezzlement.
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former vice president, questions the Federal Government’s decision to award the project to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company without competitive bidding.
Atiku condemns the assigned company’s sincerity, believing it to be the president’s longtime business partner and buddy.
However in analyzing the APC’s present two-year administration, Obasanjo said that the civility of over 230 million Nigerians would not alter if effort remains transactional.
Bola Transactional politics
The ex-president faulted the present administration motto, it is my turn to chop, portraying it as fuel to the current administration’s transactional politics.
He stated that many candidates for government positions lack preparation, prioritize themselves, and act in a demonic manner.
Similarly the Owu Kingdom giant stress the need of good leadership saying different people aiming to become leaders at any level are doing so to enrich themselves and their cronies while leaving the country worse off than they met it.
The former president further said that most office-seekers in the country would go so far as to borrow billions of Naira in loans, assuming that repaying them from public resources once elected would not be an issue.
He questions the circumstance in which a chief executive or governor owes banks billions of Naira and millions of dollars before becoming the number one citizen of their respective state, despite being debt-free as soon as they take office.
He further remarked that since he left office, Nigeria has found itself in the hands of criminally ludicrous chief executives who deceive, lie, and try to cover up the reality and truth of their administration’s actions.
Selective sharing of government information on contract awards, agreements, treaties, borrowings, and forward sales of national assets can weaken public trust due to a lack of openness.
OBJ stands on the coastal project
Furthermore, while some leaders may have questionable motives, there are also many who strive to implement reforms and improve governance amidst these challenges. He went on to say that such chief executives are unsuited for their jobs.
Obasanjo cited the muddy Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, where the President ignored protests, and the new Vice-President’s official house, which cost N21 billion during a time of economic difficulty.
The Ogun-born ex-military general recommended African states, particularly Nigeria, to examine Western liberal democracy in practice and consider how it may be modified to fit African characteristics.
Definition of Africa democracy
Furthermore, he explains the need for the country to interrogate, conduct introspection, and perform an internal analysis of our type of democracy to forge the country ahead of time, adding that we should pursue democracy within African history, culture, traits, and features.
Presidency Silence
However, since the outburst, various attempts to contact the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, have proven futile, with numerous people declining to respond to Obasanjo’s criticism of his principal on Wednesday night.
