…warns of dire consequences if right steps are not taken
..indifference to a single term tenure for elected political office holders
…Nigeria has to rethink her democracy
The former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday, insisted that the country won’t move close to achieving her goals except the citizens, both the led and leaders embrace what he called “moral rearmament”.
Obasanjo also described Nigeria as a nation where we take two steps forward, one step aside and four steps backwards warning that the country is sitting on a keg of gun powder that could explode anytime if it fails to take courageous and decisive steps to address its several challenges.
The former President has equally described demands of #EndBadGovernance protesters as very legitimate saying that the government should listen to the cry of the masses and stop carrying on as if all is well.
Obasanjo said that it will be wrong for those in government to continue to enjoy while it will be telling suffering masses to be patient.
The former President spoke when he received six members of the House of Representatives who are co-sponsors of bills on single term of six year, rotation of presidency between the north and the south as well as rotation of governorship slot among the three senatorial districts of each of the 36 states.
Obasanjo received the legislators inside his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
The lawmakers entourage include Abdulmalik Danga from Kogi, Dr Usman Midala from Borno, Matthew Nwogu from Imo, Peter Aniekwe from Anambra, Kama Nkemkanma from Ebonyi and Ugochinyere Ikenga from Imo.
.
The former President regretted that succeeding government have also not built on the foundation he laid while he was in power saying that this has also caused a lot of drawback for the country.
Obasanjo said “more than anything else such as changing our system of government, moving to a single term of six or four years, we must change our ways of doing things in this country, we must decarbonise our brains, we must change our mentality and characters
“How I wish that the succeeding governments are building on the foundation we laid even if not so fast as one would have wanted it but sadly the blocks we put there are even being removed
“What I Know about Nigeria is that yes, if we get it right, the leadership, the team because one tree does not make a forest, you need a good leader but you also need a good team for well done job.
“The point is that if we get this right in about two and half years, we shall get some of the challenges behind us and in about 10 years we would have gotten a solid foundation and about 25 years we are there.
“But we have always do is to take one step forward, two steps aside and four steps backwards and it is why we are where we are in the country
“For me it is not so much about the system but we may need to rethink the Liberal democracy where we talk of loyal opposition . What we do in Africa is that we sit down and get consensus and after we have done that there is no opposition, everyone is on the same page and we move together.
“The word for opposition in all African languages that I have looked into is enemies. What do you do with loyal enemies? Nothing like that Once you take it, it belongs to you, the winners take all and the opposition goes into the wilderness. That is what we do but this is not good . We need everyone to join hands together and move the society forward.
“The issue for me if we get it right whether we have a single term of six years or two terms of four years is that we must decarbonise our brains and mentality.
“Look if you give him a period of single term of six years he can go ahead and still do the evil he would have done in a case of two terms of four years, the only difference is that he would have done that within the period of six years and not four years and that is if he is not reelected for another four years
“To me this is not our problem, our main problem is ourselves and until we take care of ourselves, if we like let us adopt a single term of six years, one term of four years among others with the same mentality and same way of doing things, nothing will change
“So the very beginning is ourselves, yes system, yes we have to rethink our democracy but the character of people in government must change, with all due respect, most of those in government should right now be behind bars or in gallows”.
Obasanjo said that the three arms of the government, that is, the legislature, the executive, the judiciary ; the civil service and the private sector must change their ways “otherwise we all sink in the same boat called Nigeria”.
He said “like I have warned earlier, we should know that we are all sitting on a keg of gun powder if we we fail to begin to do the right thing…for instance, what the youth are demanding are very legitimate and should be listened to or why should they be denied of what rightfully belong to them?
“They are frustrated, they are hungry, they are angry, they are unemployed, they deserved to be given listening ears”.
The President also warned that the huge corruption in the oil sector will never make our refinery work saying that the Shell Company he contacted to take over running the refineries when in government turned the offer down citing unimaginable corruption.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Ugochinyere Ikenga representing Ideato North/Imo South federal constituency, Imo State, said that the legislators came to see the former President to draw from his wealth of knowledge and experience being one of the highly respected voices in Africa.
Ikenga said that for fairness, equality and justice, the lawmakers in a Bill are canvassing for a single term of six year and rotational presidency between the south and the north as well as rotation of governorship slot among the three senatorial districts of each 36 states of the Federation.
