Is it too late for Obasanjo to undo his failures with Nigeria?

Practically, the answer is no!

So, the former President Olusegun Obasanjo spoke at a seminar on Monday where he confidently blamed bad leadership for the challenges facing the country. The 79 year old said, “One problem that must be corrected is the problem of leadership. This is because our leaders lack focus, commitment, continuity and sometimes proper knowledge about economic and development issues, hence we have not been able to achieve meaningful result.”

Former President Obasanjo has not taken a back seat since he handed over power in 2007. His pointed criticisms of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and preceding administrations is not new. At yesterday’s event, he said also that, “When we were in office, we privatised the NNPC and sold it to Dangote and partners, but the government that succeeded me revoked it and that is why till today, the NNPC cannot work optimally.” 

Being the type to frequently weigh in on national issues, the elder statesman has mastered the art of removing himself, his decisions as president and policies made by his own administration from the roots of the issues that plague the country.  But he seems to forget that he set the ball of this generational mess that we’ve found ourselves in rolling. Recall that recently, members of the House of Reps described him as the founder of corruption in Nigeria and they cited …

This is not an attempt at acknowledging the reps members or discrediting the former president but we’d like to suggest a few steps he can take to undo his failures so we can all move on from the blame game:

1. Launch a foundation: Former Presidents in the United States have towed this path. President Barack Obama launched the Obama Foundation to “inspire active citizenship, expand economic opportunity, and promote peace and justice throughout the world”. Richard Nixon after leaving office set up a foundation to change the public’s perception of him, the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation otherwise known as the Clinton Foundation was set up to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States. There are more than enough causes former President Obasanjo can support with his powerful presence and voice. How about a foundation that speaks to improving the welfare of IDPs?
2. Write an actual book: Rather than one that seeks to attack everyone who is in and has been in government like we saw with his 2014 book, Olusegun Obasanjo: My Watch, the former president can do himself and future generations a great deal of good by writing a book that records national history from an unbiased angle. A book that can be included in reading lists for schools at higher levels and will outlive his ailing reputation.
3. Sponsor a new political party: We don’t need further proof that Olusegun Obasanjo is a political heavyweight so rather than invest time in castigating governments, he can form an alliance that will overturn the current government in coming elections and run the country from the background based on his ideals and timeless wisdom.
4. Stay out of our business: This is the final straw really. If Obasanjo cannot proffer pragmatic solutions moving forward, it’s best for him to stay away from political discourses. Like just don’t talk about it and leave us to deal with our issues (most of which he actively participated in creating) by ourselves.

Tolu

Your pop culture/entertainment go-to. Music head. Wallflower. I do not like to write. On a mission to decipher covfefe.