Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet
Obasanjo warns: “Any government that is deaf, dumb and blind will not last”
As Nigerians continue to suffer under the escalating, bloody consequences of insecurity and violence across almost all regions/sections of the country, the country’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has cautioned the leader(s) of government in Nigeria to pay more attention and be sensitive to what the citizens/people say they need.
Obasanjo, a retired army General, said pointedly and clearly:
“Any government that is deaf, dumb and blind is a government that will not last. As a government, you need to listen to the people. If you fail to listen to the people, the day of reckoning will come for you and it will come soon. We can see it all around us; it has come.”
Chief Obasanjo made those comments earlier today Friday, October 29, 2021 at the 78th anniversary of the Island Club, in Lagos — where he delivered a brief lecture on ‘Social responsibility in nation building.’
He added that he does to the dangerous realities of speaking up. “You have to realize that there is an element of hazard in life itself. What would make you not talk? Fear? There is a Yoruba proverb that says, ‘You talk, you die; you don’t talk, you’ll still die.’ Death is inevitable. As I am here, I am not afraid of death.
“It is painful what we are seeing. There are currently over four million out-of-school children in Nigeria. That is a fact. They cannot hide that. No Nigerian should bury their faces because they are scared of death. State the fact; if they want to deny it let them deny it.”
He condemned nepotism and discrimination in appointments into positions of power and authority in Nigeria, arguing that “Diversity is of God; sameness is of the devil. We, as Nigerians, must learn to manage our diversity so that we can have one goal – the Nigerian dream. A nation is not formed until there is a stake and mutual dignity and responsibility and purpose for every component.”
Obasanjo mentioned an important component and solution to the problem of insecurity will be the establishment of state police: “I have said it before and I will say it again. Nigeria should have state police in all the states so that they can adequately tackle insecurity. Guaranteeing citizens a safe environment and round security is one thing a government must do. No nation can be built where peace, security and stability are not assured or guaranteed and with reasonable predictability of the President and the future not enthroned.”
USAfricaonline.com notes that the man, Obasanjo, who led Nigeria as a military dictator in 1976 until he held elections and handed power back to civilians in 1979, was later elected president in 1999. He is outspoken and blunt. By Chido Nwangwu
