Obasanjo’s Leadership Legacy Marred By Corruption, Failures - Presidency

The Presidency has issued a scathing response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of hypocrisy and a flawed leadership legacy.

In a statement released on Monday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, lambasted Obasanjo for his repeated criticisms of successive administrations, describing him as “not an ideal leader to emulate.”

The response came after Obasanjo delivered a lecture at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, where he criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, referred to as “Baba Go Slow,” and President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, dismissively tagged “Emilokan.”

He also described Nigeria as a failing country.

“Unfortunately, the former leader’s habit of casting aspersions on every subsequent administration has devolved into a recurring pastime,” the statement read, adding that his comments overshadow his duty as an elder statesman to promote constructive dialogue.

The Presidency highlighted several incidents during Obasanjo’s tenure, which it argued disqualify him from sermonizing on good governance.

“The irony of Chief Obasanjo using a platform celebrating Chinua Achebe to lecture on leadership and morality is not lost on discerning minds,” the statement said.

Achebe, widely regarded as a moral and cultural icon, had publicly rejected a national honour from Obasanjo’s administration in 2004, citing “abuse of power, corruption, poor leadership,” and state-sponsored political violence in Anambra State.

Achebe’s rejection came after the abduction of Governor Chris Ngige by non-state actors with alleged support from Obasanjo’s government.

The statement also recalled unconstitutional impeachments of four state governors—Joshua Dariye of Plateau, Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti, and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa—during Obasanjo’s administration.

“A man under whose watch these egregious infractions occurred should not be taken seriously as he reeks of profound hypocrisy,” Onanuga stated.

While Obasanjo has often touted his economic record, the Presidency dismissed these claims as overstated.

“He left unresolved many of Nigeria’s problems,” the statement noted, pointing to his admission of neglecting gas development during his tenure.

Obasanjo’s much-celebrated repayment of $15 billion to the Paris Club was criticized as “not a wise decision,” with Onanuga arguing that the funds could have been better spent on critical infrastructure.

“Despite oil revenues, Obasanjo failed to repair deplorable federal roads, including those leading to his hometown, or expand the national road network.”

The statement also highlighted underinvestment in education, pointing out that both Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, prioritized establishing private universities while Nigeria’s tertiary institutions languished.

On matters of integrity, the Presidency described Obasanjo as a flawed figure, citing allegations of using public funds for personal gains.

“Nigerians still remember the Senate Public Hearing in 2004, where Obasanjo was accused of instructing his Vice President to buy SUVs for his mistresses using PTDF funds,” the statement alleged.

The administration also referenced the Halliburton bribery scandal and the $16 billion spent on electricity projects that yielded no tangible results.

“The colossal amount spent on power was so embarrassing that President Yar’Adua ordered a probe,” Onanuga said, adding that the privatisation programme under Obasanjo’s watch was riddled with cronyism.

On security, the Presidency accused Obasanjo of failing to modernize the armed forces or address growing threats like militancy in the Niger Delta.

He said “for eight years, the Obasanjo administration made no significant investment in security by modernising the Armed Forces. He did not redesign the national security architecture or change the military doctrine.

“The most critical investment in our armed forces, especially the military, since the administration of President Shehu Shagari in 1980 was made by the APC-led administration of President Buhari from 2015-2023. When President Buhari assumed office in 2015, the Air Force had fewer than three serviceable fighter jets, and the Navy barely had one serviceable vessel.

“Within eight years, President Buhari acquired over 40 new fighter jets of different capabilities, including 12 Tucano jets. He also acquired naval ships to strengthen the Navy.

“The APC administration of Buhari developed the air wings of the Army and Navy and changed the entire Armed Forces into one of the most potent fighting forces in the world.

“President Tinubu has continued to sustain the same support and funding to the military and other security agencies. It is the reason the country is winning in the multi-pronged fight against Boko Haram terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other perpetrators of violent crimes.

“ In the last year, over 400 terror and bandit kingpins have been eliminated, and thousands of Nigerians have been freed from their abductors.

The insecurity that engulfed Nigeria started under the Obasanjo administration with militancy and kidnapping of expatriate oil workers in the Niger Delta, which later became a festering wound from which the nation has not recovered. Boko Haram, which became a violent movement in 2009, began its build-up under Obasanjo’s regime.

“On matters of integrity, honesty, and morality in public leadership, Chief Obasanjo is certainly not a paragon of virtue for anyone to model after.

“ Nigerians can still remember the messy public spat between Chief Obasanjo and his then-vice president, Atiku Abubakar, over PTDF money that led to a Senate Public Hearing in 2004.

“The sordid details of the public hearing included unsettling evidence of how Obasanjo instructed his Vice President to buy Sport Utility Vehicles for his mistresses with PTDF funds. There was also the Halliburton bribe scandal, which the US Congress probe revealed. Bribe payments were made to the highest political authorities at the Villa while Obasanjo was in charge.

The statement also criticized the controversial 2007 election that brought President Umaru Yar’Adua to power.

“It was the most fraudulent election in Nigeria since independence,” Onanuga remarked, calling Obasanjo’s demand for reforms at the Independent National Electoral Commission “hypocrisy writ large.”

The Presidency advised Obasanjo to reflect on his leadership failures. “If Chief Obasanjo had addressed the problems he critiqued in his Yale lecture during his eight years in power, Presidents Buhari and Tinubu would have had a much lighter burden in fixing the country,” the statement said.

It added that while the Tinubu administration works to overcome Nigeria’s challenges, Obasanjo should “temper his self-righteousness” and focus on reflecting on missed opportunities during his own tenure.