The presidency has labelled former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a man who is jealous of the achievements of President Bola Tinubu for doing what he failed to do as the leader of Nigeria.
The presidency, in a statement released via X on Thursday by Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, said Obasanjo fancies himself as a self-righteous man who understands all the problems of Nigeria and knows the solution.
He, however, criticized Obasanjo and accused him of failing to address the needs of the country when he had the opportunity to do so but instead chose to waste the nation’s resources.
Henzodaily reports that the position of the presidency follows Obasanjo’s recent open criticism of President Tinubu’s ₦15.6 trillion spent on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.
Obasanjo described the project as a misplaced priority.
In chapter six of his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’ unveiled to mark his 88th birthday last week, Obasanjo described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project as wasteful, corrupt and a misplaced priority.
In response, the presidency said President Tinubu would not be distracted, adding that Obasanjo must explain to Nigerians why he failed to transform Nigeria into a proper country during his time in power despite the abundance of resources at his disposal.
“While it is common for many elder statesmen to write books aimed at sanctifying their days as the leader of the country despite obvious flaws, another elder statesman, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has just published a memoir containing claims that would further relegate his integrity as the leader who opened Nigeria to the canker worms of corruption by neglecting important projects that could have changed the trajectory of this country if he had focused on what mattered in his days.
“By underplaying the importance of the Lagos-Calabar project in his latest book, President OBJ has not only affirmed to those who witnessed his administration’s several failures to address the needs of the country when he had the opportunity, but he has also put in written form, a position which generations to come will indeed question when the road that will end up as one of the most significant endeavours of any Federal Government in the history of the country, finally becomes a reality.
“Despite spending 8 years in government and failing in his attempt to force himself on Nigerians for a further four years as President, Baba Obasanjo failed woefully in addressing the infrastructural needs of his state; indeed, it took former President Buhari just three years to deliver the first modern rail to pass through baba’s backyard in Abeokuta. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway was southwest and indeed one of Nigeria’s most important road projects in recent times, both baba and the PDP spent 16 years without getting the project beyond 30% completion until Buhari happened.
“What about the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway that has now been inherited by Governor Abiodun in 2024 because the President who hailed from the state failed to make it a reality despite having all the power and goodwill to do so?
“Should we delve into the corruption that brought Nigeria’s power sector to its knees despite the claims of spending billions of dollars to fix the same under his administration? Or his failure to revive our refineries, killing our steel industry and fraudulent privatization of NITEL among others?
“President Obasanjo must emulate others before him by returning to his writing board to at least attempt to explain to Nigerians why he failed to help Nigeria transition into a proper country under his leadership despite emerging at a time when the goodwill was at an all-time high compared to these days when President Tinubu now has to take all the decisions they failed to take,” the statement read.
Importance Of Lagos-Calabar Project
The presidency highlighted that the Lagos-Calabar highway project and other major infrastructural projects embarked upon by the Tinubu government are to open up the economy for the benefit of Nigerians.
The statement added that the future generation would judge who the better president is between Tinubu and Obasanjo.
“Like the Sokoto-Badagry Highway and Lagos-Abuja Highway, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road is projects that will change the economic landscape of our country FOR LIFE and former President OBJ must pretend not to be jealous of the master strategist who is rewriting the history of the southwestern presidency by fixing all that needs to be fixed across the country.
“The future generations will laugh when the time comes, just like our generation has done at his self-aggrandizement because Baba has refused to see beyond himself as the righteous one who understands Nigeria and its needs.
“President Tinubu will not be deterred by distractions such as these and believe me, Nigerians who understand development will not be distracted at this point,” the statement concluded.