Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has cautioned that Nigerian youths are increasingly discontented with the nation’s prolonged misgovernance.
He warned that unless leaders made necessary adjustments, a revolution fueled by frustrated and hungry youths would be inevitable.
Obasanjo emphasized that while Nigeria is rich in talented and hardworking young people, many feel disillusioned by widespread corruption, mismanagement of national resources, and incompetent leadership.
He made these remarks in his newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future, unveiled last week.
The former president stressed that African leaders cannot continue to rule through blatant corruption, deception, and insensitivity to the people’s struggles without facing consequences or resistance.
He said, “Current trends on the continent portray a more assertive, younger population, intolerant of abuses of power and in search of the dividends of good governance, such that whether or not we accept it, an inevitable shake-up is in the offing.
“In what manner that happens is left for the current operatives of government to decide or fashion out. That is why my clarion call for a domesticated system of governance that reflects our temperament, context, content, culture, and exigencies is urgent.
“We are currently sitting on a ticking time bomb partly because of the system we practise, how corruptly we practise it, and how exclusively we practise it with impunity, callousness, brazen outrage and total disregard for any element of righteousness, integrity, accountability, sensitivity, compassion, inclusiveness and the fear of God.
“If the incumbent leaders do not shape up and satisfy the yearnings and demands of their people, especially the youths, who are disappointed, dissatisfied, bitter, hungry, angry, unemployed and unempowered, then the future is indeed very bleak, with no light at the end of the tunnel.
“These young people watch helplessly as their leaders tell them blatant lies unabashedly, while continuing their orgies of vulgar and ostentatious lifestyles rather than investing the money from the nation’s commonwealth in SMEs to create jobs and generate wealth.
“Should we have the misfortune of pushing these young people to the point of crossing the Rubicon, the country will pay a very high cost because a chain of events will be unleashed, the end of which no one can predict.
“We have no better time for change than now before change is forced upon us. It was JF Kennedy, former president of the United States of America, who, in 1962, said that those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable. I am not calling for violent change, but it will become a reality if we continue on the present trajectory.
“Let us set aside lies, illusions, delusions, dishonesty and scapegoatism. Let us face reality and deal sincerely with ourselves, among ourselves, by ourselves and for ourselves.
“Sadly, for Africa, this grave and worrying concern is not just a Nigerian phenomenon but an entire African malady.
“It is now in its autumn of incubation, and if it does not receive serious attention, it will metamorphose into a destructive pandemic in its winter and spread across the continent.
“To ignore the warning and the writing on the wall is to continue to dance slow foxtrot while our trousers are burning. The day of reckoning may not be too far, but like the Biblical second coming of Jesus Christ, who can tell when that will happen?”
Former President Obasanjo also expressed regret that, despite the crucial role traditional rulers play as key stakeholders in national development, their institution has been severely degraded over the years.
In Chapter 14 of his new book, he remarked that beyond the growing proliferation of various monarchs, the traditional system of training and apprenticeship within palaces has largely been abandoned.
He said, “Today, there are criminals, drug addicts, vagabonds, bandits and kidnappers as so-called traditional rulers.
“This is a great pity, and it has greatly contributed to the problems of Nigeria by traditional rulers. How do we account for a traditional ruler snatching a ballot box at an election polling station and running away with it?
“The class of traditional rulers with their distinction, honour and dignity, as we knew them in the colonial days and early post-independence days, has been diluted and polluted.
“That dignity, aura and respect should be brought back and traditional rulers should be an asset to Nigeria’s development and greatness and not a liability.
“There is a need for moral re-armament among the traditional rulers – the ancient and historic ones. And they can and should make meaningful contributions to the Nigeria of our dreams that will serve the purpose and interest of all”.
In Chapter 11 of the book, Obasanjo discusses the military, noting that while the civil war (1967–1970) was concluded in 30 months, efforts to combat Boko Haram for nearly two decades have been hindered by internal challenges such as banditry, kidnappings, cattle rustling, and the herder-farmer crisis, as well as external threats from ISWAP, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda.
According to Obasanjo, a major factor in this military failure is corruption, as government officials have entrusted their associates with procuring substandard equipment for the Army.
“With poor equipment for the military by the executive, the military would appear to be handicapped by the quality of equipment invariably procured for it by either the kith and kin of the executive or someone related or associated in other ways.
“It became an industry where the executive or those close to them were made the procurer of inferior, second-hand refurbished, obsolete equipment and armament and made money while jeopardising the limbs and lives of those facing Boko Haram, who, because of the treachery of buyers employed by the government, may be able to outgun the Army and by outgunning the military, they will also outmanoeuvre them.”
The former President also claimed that Muhammadu Buhari was selective in choosing which criminal groups the military should combat, asserting that this significantly worsened the nation’s security crisis.
He said, “The Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and all the paramilitary is the President.
“Under President Buhari, serious and seemingly undeniable allegations were made that the military were not even-handed in dealing with criminals and criminal groups in the country.
“There were favourite criminals and criminal groups of the President Buhari administration who must be treated with velvet knuckles and those who must be treated with hammer knuckles.
“When a person of the calibre of General T. Y. Danjuma, a man who is not known for flippancy, made such an accusation, it must be taken seriously. It would then appear that the order given to the military to engage the criminal elements to ensure peace, order, security, stability, development and progress was selective in location and quantum of force, including utilisation of armament
“That would be the greatest undermining of peace and security from the highest level and that would make all other exercises fruitless and abortive. What a great and monumental tragedy!”
(Punch Newspaper)
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