“Obasanjo Opened Nigeria’s Gate To Corruption ” – Presidency …Says Fmr President Consumed By Jealousy

By Adesina Soyooye

Obasanjo’s book further relegate his integrity as the leader who opened Nigeria to the canker worms of corruption…”

In a stinging response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu, the Presidency has assured that Tinubu will not be distracted because Obasanjo’s criticisms are borne out of jealousy.

The former President, in chapter six of one of his two books – Nigeria: Past and Future released a couple of days ago to mark his 88th birthday dismissed  the much discussed

Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway a flagship Project embarked upon by the Tinubu Government as a misplaced priority, wasteful and soaked in corruption. The project comes at a princely cost of N15.6 trillion.

The former President also came down heavily on, and dismissed as wasteful, the N21bn official residence built for Nigeria’s Vice President.

For the records, since the commissioning of the edifice, by President Tinubu’s Government, Vice President Kashim Shettima, has not moved into it. He still operates from somewhere else. But it, also, needs to be clarified, however, that the project was not initiated by the Tinubu Government.

Taken aback that Obasanjo could criticize both projects in a book, instead of his usual letter writing which Nigerians are used to, the Presidency responded without pulling any punch.

The first response came from Minister for Works, Dave Umahi, the man whose responsibility it is to deliver the job. While on an official duty in Akure, Ondo State, he advised Obasanjo and other critics of the Coastal highway not to ply on it when completed. The criticisms, the Minister pointed out stem from jealousy.

But in its own response through in a statement signed by President Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, which he posted on X Thursday, the Presidency stepped notches higher than Minister Umahi.

In the statement, the Presidency not only said Obasanjo is a man consumed by jealousy because of President Tinubu’s achievements but dismissed him as one who has an exaggerated opinion of himself. According to the Presidency, the former President sees himself as a self-righteous man, and the only person who knows all of Nigeria’s problems, and reminded him that he remains the one who opened Nigeria to corruption.

The Presidency then went on to mock him by asking Obasanjo why he failed to handle all of Nigeria’s problems when he had the opportunity to do so. Obasanjo, aside from being Nigeria’s Military Head of State, was also Nigeria’s Civilian President for eight years. But the Presidency pointed out in its response that he wasted that opportunity and wasted Nigeria’s then abundant resources without addressing Nigeria’s problems.

The Presidency: “While it is common for many elder statesmen to write books aimed at sanctifying their days as the leader of the country despite obvious flaws, another elder statesman, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has just published a memoir containing claims that would further relegate his integrity as the leader who opened Nigeria to the canker worms of corruption by neglecting important projects that could have changed the trajectory of this country if he had focused on what mattered in his days.

“By underplaying the importance of the Lagos-Calabar project in his latest book, President OBJ has not only affirmed to those who witnessed his administration’s several failures to address the needs of the country when he had the opportunity, but he has also put in written form, a position which generations to come will indeed question when the road that will end up as one of the most significant endeavours of any Federal Government in the history of the country, finally becomes a reality.

“Despite spending 8 years in government and failing in his attempt to force himself on Nigerians for a further four years as President, Baba Obasanjo failed woefully in addressing the infrastructural needs of his state; indeed, it took former President Buhari just three years to deliver the first modern rail to pass through baba’s backyard in Abeokuta. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway was southwest and indeed one of Nigeria’s most important road projects in recent times, both baba and the PDP spent 16 years without getting the project beyond 30% completion until Buhari happened.

“What about the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway that has now been inherited by Governor Abiodun in 2024 because the President who hailed from the state failed to make it a reality despite having all the power and goodwill to do so?

“Should we delve into the corruption that brought Nigeria’s power sector to its knees despite the claims of spending billions of dollars to fix the same under his administration? Or his failure to revive our refineries, killing our steel industry and fraudulent privatization of NITEL among others?

“President Obasanjo must emulate others before him by returning to his writing board to at least attempt to explain to Nigerians why he failed to help Nigeria transition into a proper country under his leadership despite emerging at a time when the goodwill was at an all-time high compared to these days when President Tinubu now has to take all the decisions they failed to take,” the statement read.

Importance Of Lagos-Calabar Project

The presidency highlighted that the Lagos-Calabar highway project and other major infrastructural projects embarked upon by the Tinubu government are to open up the economy for the benefit of Nigerians.

The statement added that the future generation would judge who the better president is between Tinubu and Obasanjo.

“Like the Sokoto-Badagry Highway and Lagos-Abuja Highway, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road is projects that will change the economic landscape of our country FOR LIFE and former President OBJ must pretend not to be jealous of the master strategist who is rewriting the history of the southwestern presidency by fixing all that needs to be fixed across the country.

“The future generations will laugh when the time comes, just like our generation has done at his self-aggrandizement because Baba has refused to see beyond himself as the righteous one who understands Nigeria and its needs.

“President Tinubu will not be deterred by distractions such as these and believe me, Nigerians who understand development will not be distracted at this point.”