Obasanjo Makes Demands From Incoming Government

A Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday made demands from the incoming government in the country.

The elder statesman charged the administration to work to facilitate national moral rearmament and reconciliation.

Obasanjo stated this in reaction to how voting of preferred candidates turned out during the just concluded general elections.

He noted that working to achieve moral rearmament would bring about healing and assuage Nigerian youths.

The former president further stated that the youths are angered by the shortcomings of the elections.

Obasanjo stated this while delivering his speech at a Conference in Abuja, organized by Nextier and the Ibadan School of Governance and Public Policy themed, “From Elections to Governance and Performance”.

He added that governance in Nigeria now required thinking outside the box, to rescue the nation, in terms of its plunging economy and huge national debt burden.

Obasanjo in his statement said there must also be the political will and action, as well as administrative efforts, to reform the public service, and turn it into a capability-ready unit.

Obasanjo noted that in light of the challenges facing the country, he is now too old to keep quiet.

He vowed to continue to voice concerns for the benefit of the nation.

Obasanjo said: “One, given what we saw during the election, Nigeria is now even more divided and more corroded than we thought. This places a deep onus on any administration following the current one, to urgently facilitate the process of national moral rearmament and national reconciliation for the aggrieved and will lead us across Nigeria and to assuage the youth.

“This must be done in sync with the imperative of national value orientation that Nigeria requires to build a collective sense of enduring and local values and national belonging.

“Two, governance in Nigeria now calls for thinking outside the box in terms of development financing, this has become inevitable in the face of Nigeria’s dwindling fortune, in oil revenue, Nigeria’s huge foreign indebtedness and the urgency of diversifying Nigeria’s neo cultural economy.

“We cannot be spending like a drunken sailor on frivolities and corruption and expect development and growth. such a situation cannot take us into the fourth industrial revolution already underway or be fair also defeat.

“My experience and understanding, however, is that the money to develop and grow our economy is out there if we provide a conducive environment for it to come and stay.

“Three political will, political action and administrative efforts must be invested on reforming the public service into a capability ready institution that could enable Nigeria 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.

“Let me conclude by stating clearly that I am now too old to keep quiet and watch Nigeria seemingly clueless launch into dystopia. All efforts are now required from all well many and committed patriots to rescue the nation from the precipice. And when I look at the audience I have a feeling that among the people who can do it and who must do it are some of you here.

“It has become my own personal obligation, continuing in my relentless service as letterman, dedicated in my twilight years to say the truth, as I see it, so as to push Nigeria, in the direction of our collective aspirations. What is our collective aspiration? a better society where all Nigerian can become what the Almighty God destined to be.

“At times like this, some of us have to adopt the attitude of being known to be blind and not being afraidof the dark. But we must continuall work for the light of all.

“Once again, congratulate you, Tunji for your continuing labour on behalf of the Nigerian public service and most importantly, for adding this significant intellectual memoir to your huge collection of publications and to the annals of administrative reforms in Nigeria, at this defining and auspicious moment like this.

“This memoir must find its way into all federal and state Ministries as well as the National Labraries in Nigeria. Of course, it must become one item in the fundamental reading list of all serious minded Nigerian, development worker, public manager, policymakers, development theorists and planners and administrative scholars.”