Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has voiced his concerns over the outcome of Nigeria’s general election, which he described as a “sickening show of shame”.
Speaking in Abuja at an event held to present a book authored by Tunji Olaopa, Obasanjo called for the incoming administration to take steps towards national reconciliation in order to rescue the country from what he described as a “launch into dystopia”.
He emphasised the importance of fostering a common vision to address the deep divisions and corroded state of Nigeria.
He urged all committed patriots to take action to rescue the nation from the precipice, saying “I am now too old to keep quiet and watch Nigeria’s seemingly clueless launch into dystopia”.
Obasanjo also recommended innovative ways of expanding growth and development in Nigeria, stating that the money to develop and grow the economy is available if a conducive environment is created for it.
He called for the reform of the public service into a capability-ready institution that could enable Nigeria’s development agenda beyond 2023. He warned that the gains made would be reversed in the absence of a political will to curb corruption and frivolous spending.
In his own words, “Political will, political action, and administrative efforts must be invested in reforming the public service into a capability-ready institution that could enable Nigeria’s development agenda beyond 2023…All of these and more are necessary to correct and not to repeat the sickening and painful show of shame which the elections of 2023 generated into.”
Obasanjo’s statement is a call for urgent action towards national reconciliation, given the current state of the nation.
He is concerned that Nigeria’s dwindling fortune, huge foreign indebtedness, and the urgency of diversifying Nigeria’s neo cultural economy will only worsen the situation if innovative measures are not taken.
It is clear from his statement that Nigeria’s future requires a concerted effort from all committed patriots to foster national moral rearmament and national reconciliation for the aggrieved.
