Presidency: Obasanjo’s poor performance left Buhari, Tinubu with heavy burden

By Kunle Sanni

The Presidency has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of leaving behind a legacy of unresolved national issues that continue to weigh heavily on Nigeria’s progress.

In a statement released on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, argued that successive administrations under the All Progressives Congress (APC) have had to grapple with challenges stemming from poor economic and governance decisions made during Obasanjo’s tenure.

Onanuga stated that many of the problems left unaddressed during Obasanjo’s eight years as president have significantly contributed to the country’s current difficulties.

“If Chief Obasanjo had tackled the numerous issues he highlighted in his poorly written Yale lecture during his time in office, Presidents Buhari and Tinubu would have faced a much lighter burden in fixing the nation,” Onanuga remarked.

This statement was in response to Obasanjo’s recent critique of the Tinubu administration during the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University. Obasanjo reportedly described Nigeria as a failing state and labeled both former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Tinubu as ineffective leaders.

However, Onanuga dismissed these remarks, asserting that many of the challenges Obasanjo mentioned originated during his own presidency.

“On matters of integrity, honesty, and morality in public leadership, Chief Obasanjo is far from being a model,” Onanuga stated.

He recalled the public dispute between Obasanjo and his then-vice president, Atiku Abubakar, over alleged mismanagement of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) money, which led to a Senate public hearing in 2004.

“The Senate hearing revealed unsettling details, including evidence that Obasanjo instructed his vice president to purchase Sport Utility Vehicles for his mistresses using PTDF funds,” Onanuga added.

He also referenced the Halliburton bribery scandal, noting that a U.S. Congressional probe implicated high-ranking officials in Nigeria’s government at the time, including figures in Obasanjo’s administration.