Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has launched a sweeping attack on Nigeria’s governance system, accusing the National Assembly of fixing its own salaries and emoluments, decrying worsening insecurity, alleging massive corruption in refinery rehabilitation and warning that any government that fails to protect its citizens has forfeited its right to exist.
Obasanjo, who spoke in an interview with News Central Television yesterday, addressed a range of national issues spanning security, corruption and democratic accountability, painting a grim picture of the country’s current state.
He faulted the National Assembly for determining its own salary and emoluments, insisting that such responsibility lies solely with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), which is constitutionally mandated to handle remuneration for public office holders.
“The National Assembly members are fixing their own salaries and emoluments, which is not supposed to be their duty but that of the National Salaries and Wages Commission,” he said.
The former president also decried what he described as entrenched corruption in Nigeria’s refinery system, revealing that over $16 billion had been spent on repairs without commensurate results.
“I learnt there is too much corruption around the refineries. Over $16 billion has been spent, yet nothing to show for it,” he said, expressing concern over the lack of transparency and accountability in the management of such huge public resources.
He contrasted the situation with the achievement of the Dangote Group, which he noted built a refinery with $20 billion, a comparison that, according to him, raises serious questions about efficiency and governance in public sector projects.
On fears of Nigeria sliding into a one-party state, Obasanjo said he would hold President Bola Tinubu to his word, noting that Tinubu had assured Nigerians he would not allow such a development.
“I will take him at his word,” Obasanjo stated, while underscoring the need for a vibrant multi-party system to sustain democratic ideals.
Reinforcing his stance on governance, the elder statesman stressed that security remained the bedrock of any functional state, adding that the primary duty of government is the protection of lives and property.
“The government that cannot guarantee security of life and property of its citizens has forfeited the right of existence,” he said.
His comments came amid persistent insecurity across Nigeria, with banditry, kidnappings and insurgency continuing to pose serious challenges nationwide, raising renewed concerns among citizens over the capacity of the state to safeguard lives and maintain order.
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