Eminent Nigerians have continued to voice out their reactions to the latest attack by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo who has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of depleting the nation’s foreign reserve and that Nigeria has no business being in its current precarious position if not for the Jonathan administration.
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Ebenezer Babatobe, had earlier in his reaction to the latest attack said the former president was only acting out a script because of his agenda and is expected to continue with such in the days ahead.
However, other Nigerians are adding their voices, with many of them accusing Obasanjo of being responsible for the nation’s woes.
Former president of the Trade Union Congress, Peter Esele sees former President, Obasanjo as the architect of the nation’s problems.
Esele said: “The President has himself to blame for what is happening because he is the leader of the country. It has shown how the oil revenue is being managed. We all knew about the existence of excess crude account. The state of the economy confirmed that they were all busy sharing the oil revenue without proper planning for the rainy day.
“Nigeria is the only country where people gather to share money monthly without making concrete plans for wealth creation. I believe the former President is responsible for our problems. He said he assisted the man in becoming the President. Since he has described the man as a failure, he is also a failure. Since he is making us believe that the president is failure, it also means that he made the wrong decision.
“There are other channels of communicating with the President rather this. However, I don’t think there is any secret in all Obasanjo said because they had all been in the public domain.
“My comment does not have anything to do with whether the President is re-elected or not. My focus is on the implications of the development on the polity.
“The question now, should be on how to get the economy work. Whoever emerges the President would have to make critical decisions on how to handle the situation. He would either borrow to finance governance or devalues the currency. But it is going to be tough for whoever that is elected president because these are not the best of times.”
For the spokesman of the Yoruba Social Cultural group, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Obasanjo has become a nuisance that is not worth the media attention he is getting.
Odumakin said: “It is the media that has been giving Obasanjo undue relevance. You are not helping this country by giving him that kind of attention. He is a man who spent all his years in government encouraging corruption.
“During his administration, N560 billion was not remitted into the federation account and people are not asking questions. Nigerians must continue to hold their leaders accountable and they must continue to ask questions but with due respect, Obasanjo is turning himself into a public nuisance. He should spare us.
“It is very clear to Nigerians that Obasanjo wants this country to be in a crisis so that they will call on him again to come and save the country. That is what he is playing out.”
For Chief Ayo Opadokun, a frontline leader of NADECO, President Jonathan has institutionalized corruption, contending that former President Obasanjo merely spoke the minds of Nigerians.
Opadokun said: “I will not want to throw the baby away with the bath water just as I do not want to pontificate over the genuineness of ex-President Obasanjo but I believe strongly that he has spoken the minds of every Nigerian.
“I am not saying that Obasanjo is the best man to make such statements but these allegations are evident that Jonathan’s administration is a failure when it comes to corruption compared to other past administrations.
“Ex-President Ibrahim Babangida administration whom many of us labeled the most corrupt government has come out to say he should be regarded a saint, a situation that has further confirmed that corruption has been institutionalised by the Jonathan administration.
“The Jonathan-led administration has been making a fool of Nigerians and one begins to wonder what kind of society we are living in. But without mincing words, what Obasanjo has said in that regard is very accurate and it further confirmed that the Jonathan administration has failed.”
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