Obasanjo Blames Regional Structure At Independence For Nigeria’s Challenges

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday took a retrospective look at the state of the nation, blaming the current plethora of challenges bedeviling Nigeria on the choice of the three-leader regional structure practiced by the country at independence.

Obasanjo declared that the citizens’ insistence and scheming for a Nigeria’s president from among their kinsmen as evidenced in 1960 when the country attained independence with three leaders has continued to take toll on the politics till date.

The former military leader and two-time president stated these on Tuesday when he hosted the Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau-led League of Northern Democrats at his residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

This is just as the former president also charged the League to retreat to the drawing board and rename the group the league to reflect true national status.

Obasanjo, who was responding to the encomium poured on him over his insistence on Nigeria’s unity, maintained that the country will not move forward unless all stakeholders in the country jettison politics of sentiment to putting the right person at the helm of affairs.

“Anytime I hear North, West, East; I feel frightened and that is my honest opinion because one of the things that have led us into where we are today and we haven’t gone out of it is regionalism.

“At the time of our independence, we were probably the only country or one of the few countries in Africa that did not have one leader. At independence, we had three leaders. So, we attained independence by putting three countries in one and that remains part of our problems for a long time and it hasn’t completely left us,” the former president lamented.

Earlier, chairman of the non-partisan 20-member league and former governor of Kano State, Shekarau, informed Obasanjo that they were at his residence to tap from his vast experience and wisdom towards pursuing the goals of contributing to political decision-making, leadership selection as well as national unity.

Shekerau described the League as a product of consultation and cross-fertilisation of ideas from the region’s leaders of thought from all walks of life.

He said the group would reach to other geopolitical zones to impress it upon them on the need to foster unity, put Nigeria first and ensuring competence on issues of leadership selection.

“In our efforts to contribute in our own small ways, we felt we should get together, like-minds; it’s non-partisans because in the league, we have representation of almost all the registered political parties in Nigeria.

“The sum total of our vision is to advocate righteousness in politics, in governance and our oneness as a nation. This is because when things fall apart, the centre cannot hold,” Shekarau said.

He identified insecurity, unity, youthful exuberance, education, unemployment, wealth creation and ensuring improvement of democratic process through evolving credible leadership and followership as issues bedeviling the North.

“It is our hope through this group to influence political decisions, to influence the process of recruiting leaders in our country at all levels because the argument has always been ‘Nigeria is great’, but all the rules and regulations required to move forward as a nation, the issue of credibility, righteousness in leadership has being major challenge to all of us,” he added.

Responding, Obasanjo charged the League to look beyond regional interest in their pursuit of better Nigeria, stressing that he will not hesitate in becoming a member or better still the patron of the league.

He restated his incurable optimism in the country, stressing, “I am totally committed to the goodness of this country. But I believe that if we look back and we want to be sincere with ourselves, we can see some of the mistakes of the past which we must not fall into again”.

Speaking further on national unity, the former president declared that the Igbos should not be exceptionally punished for the secession earlier experienced because all ethnic groups in Nigeria had at a time in history they attempted to break Nigeria.

“I think all of us in Nigeria have to rethink, for instance and it bleeds my heart when people say because the Igbos had carried out secession and so, an Igbo man cannot be the president of Nigeria. I say what nonsense? There is no section of Nigeria that has not planned succession. What is “Araba” in the North? The North planned to break up Nigeria. Ahmed Joda, a very good friend of mine told me that.

“What is a treasonable felony? So, who among us can say I am better than the other? None! So, let us put our heads together and build a country together”.