James Uche
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a scathing criticism of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, declaring that it is the only administration competing with that of the late President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of inefficiency.
Obasanjo made the remarks in his new book, Nigeria: Past and Future, one of two works he released in March to mark his 88th birthday. The second book, Lest We Forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Emancipation and Reparation, explores Africa’s history of enslavement and the ongoing call for reparations.
In the opening chapter of Nigeria: Past and Future titled From the Beginning Till Now: The Missing Key, Obasanjo reflected on the country’s leadership since independence. He described Buhari’s administration as the “worst civil administration regime” in Nigeria’s history.
“Only Bola Tinubu’s administration seems to be competing with Buhari’s for now,” he wrote.
The former president recalled how Buhari had once condemned the Shehu Shagari government as corrupt and rudderless, only to return as a democratically elected leader in 2015 without solving the very problems he criticized.
“Words are cheap, and what needed to be done was left undone during Buhari’s civil administration from 2015 to 2023 – the worst civil administration so far in Nigeria’s history. Maybe those ideas and thoughts were not his; he just read them as written for him. Otherwise, how do you explain the gulf between what he said then and how he governed later?” Obasanjo queried.
Reflecting on his long involvement in Nigeria’s political and developmental journey, Obasanjo noted that all his writings are aimed at inspiring national progress.
“I have had the honour of serving this country as a military Head of State and later as President. So, it might be said that I have sat on both sides of the fence. Now, I am getting close to my departure lounge, maybe without picking my boarding pass yet,” he remarked.
Obasanjo also brushed aside criticisms that branded him hypocritical, insisting that his conscience remains clear.
The presidency, however, dismissed his remarks on Sunday, accusing him of playing to the gallery and questioning his moral authority to judge successive administrations.