That this nationalist looked corruption, especially in the oil industry, eyeball to eyeball and blinked, then looked the other way, and anointed some of the present day fuel subsidy thieves is the greatest leadership failure of all time for Nigeria.
Obasanjo was oil Minister for almost all of his eight year tenure.
He chose not to repair our refineries. He could have built four refineries in eight years, but he chose not to. Rather he created a bureaucracy, PPPRA, to superintend a fraud called fuel subsidy. And a bunch of ruthless cowboys who organised presidential birthday parties ran riot on the economy while Obasanjo’s EFCC chased shadows.
Today, Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida who so bastardised the economy so much that he wondered why it had not collapsed are panicking. Last week fretted about the threatening collapse of Nigeria! Obasanjo and IBB represent the tiny elite for whom Nigeria works. When they claim that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable, on whose behalf are they speaking? If Nigeria breaks their tiny club will be the losers.
Things will not be worse for us the downtrodden. They better put on their military fatigues again “to fight” for the survival of Nigeria and, maybe, atone for their sins and in the process, if lucky, with only their sweat and nothing else. Nigerians are really, really angry.
President Jonathan must hasten not to continue on the economic path trod by Obasanjo. The National Assembly must realise that whining over constituency projects, insisting on legislating for us the way only they deem fit, summoning and throwing out Ministers, conducting probes that expose their clay footing and dismissing us as “a vocal minority” do not impress hungry Nigerians and do not ease the sufferings of the children trafficked into slavery by poverty.
Let me sound a note of warning; if nothing urgent and convincing is done to wean Nigeria of impunity and obsessive corruption, Nigerians will take to the streets again and when they do, the January 2012 outing will just be a mere rehearsal!
He chose not to repair our refineries. He could have built four refineries in eight years, but he chose not to. Rather he created a bureaucracy, PPPRA, to superintend a fraud called fuel subsidy. And a bunch of ruthless cowboys who organised presidential birthday parties ran riot on the economy while Obasanjo’s EFCC chased shadows.
Today, Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida who so bastardised the economy so much that he wondered why it had not collapsed are panicking. Last week fretted about the threatening collapse of Nigeria! Obasanjo and IBB represent the tiny elite for whom Nigeria works. When they claim that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable, on whose behalf are they speaking? If Nigeria breaks their tiny club will be the losers.
Things will not be worse for us the downtrodden. They better put on their military fatigues again “to fight” for the survival of Nigeria and, maybe, atone for their sins and in the process, if lucky, with only their sweat and nothing else. Nigerians are really, really angry.
President Jonathan must hasten not to continue on the economic path trod by Obasanjo. The National Assembly must realise that whining over constituency projects, insisting on legislating for us the way only they deem fit, summoning and throwing out Ministers, conducting probes that expose their clay footing and dismissing us as “a vocal minority” do not impress hungry Nigerians and do not ease the sufferings of the children trafficked into slavery by poverty.
Let me sound a note of warning; if nothing urgent and convincing is done to wean Nigeria of impunity and obsessive corruption, Nigerians will take to the streets again and when they do, the January 2012 outing will just be a mere rehearsal!
