Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again stated that a revolution akin to the Middle East’s Arab Spring will happen in Nigeria and other African countries if leaders failed to address corrosive
corruption, high unemployment rate and increasing illiteracy.
Obasanjo also said that he would not assess the performance of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan until he has spent quite a reasonable time of his tenure as the third civilian President of Nigeria since the country returned to the civilian system in 1999.
Obasanjo, who spoke in a BBC Hausa service report monitored in Kaduna at the weekend, insisted that Nigerians will assess Jonathan before him as a former president.
On what will necessitate a revolution in countries like Nigeria, Obasanjo opined, “If we neglect education and make sure that all Nigerian children have quality education; if we don’t work against the present increasing rate of unemployment, and also fight corruption sincerely and truthfully in the right manner it is supposed to be. Then revolution will come and not only in Nigeria but in all the countries. Although we don’t have leaders that are staying in power until they die, that is not the problem in Nigeria, though they are in other countries of Africa.”
Absolving his own government which was in power from 1999 to 2007, the former president said, “When I was there I did all I could in all these areas. When I was military Head of State I brought about UPE on the premise that all Nigerian children must have compulsory and good primary education. And when I was elected president I brought about UBE and some people went to court and they won the case against the federal government, aside other good works of my government.”
On his stand on the Jonathan government, Obasanjo said, “Well, I will not want to comment on President Goodluck Jonathan now. He has been there for just one year and half. Let us just give him time, everything about him will tell and that may not even require me to say something. It is the people of the country that will even do that when the time comes without me even assess his government.”
Obasanjo also said that he would not assess the performance of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan until he has spent quite a reasonable time of his tenure as the third civilian President of Nigeria since the country returned to the civilian system in 1999.
Obasanjo, who spoke in a BBC Hausa service report monitored in Kaduna at the weekend, insisted that Nigerians will assess Jonathan before him as a former president.
On what will necessitate a revolution in countries like Nigeria, Obasanjo opined, “If we neglect education and make sure that all Nigerian children have quality education; if we don’t work against the present increasing rate of unemployment, and also fight corruption sincerely and truthfully in the right manner it is supposed to be. Then revolution will come and not only in Nigeria but in all the countries. Although we don’t have leaders that are staying in power until they die, that is not the problem in Nigeria, though they are in other countries of Africa.”
Absolving his own government which was in power from 1999 to 2007, the former president said, “When I was there I did all I could in all these areas. When I was military Head of State I brought about UPE on the premise that all Nigerian children must have compulsory and good primary education. And when I was elected president I brought about UBE and some people went to court and they won the case against the federal government, aside other good works of my government.”
On his stand on the Jonathan government, Obasanjo said, “Well, I will not want to comment on President Goodluck Jonathan now. He has been there for just one year and half. Let us just give him time, everything about him will tell and that may not even require me to say something. It is the people of the country that will even do that when the time comes without me even assess his government.”
Source: Blueprint
