Apologize to Nigerians for your corruption – Presidency fires back at Obasanjo

On Monday, November 18, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, sharply criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo for recent comments about President Tinubu. Obasanjo had called Tinubu ‘baba-go slow’ during a speech at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the USA, where he described Nigeria’s situation as being in crisis.

Dare responded with a strong statement, accusing Obasanjo of being “the most corrupt” president in Nigerian history. He also called on Obasanjo to apologize to Nigerians, arguing that Obasanjo had lost all moral authority to criticize any government after his own time in office.

In a post on social media platform X, Dare said: “Former President Obasanjo is a man with a tremendous capacity for mischief and Nigerians know it. His journey along the path of hallucinations has never been in doubt. So is his descent into muddling facts, forgetting that he ran a Presidency on record as the most corrupt.”

Dare went on to remind Obasanjo of the massive $16 billion spent on power projects during his administration, which, according to Dare, resulted in “megawatts of darkness” instead of reliable electricity for Nigeria. He also mentioned Obasanjo’s failed attempt at seeking a third term in office, which he said caused “mortal wounds” to Nigerian democracy.

“Democracy suffered mortal wounds under his watch, capped by his murderous rage for an ill-fated 3rd term,” Dare wrote. “Successive administrations struggled to clean up the mess Obasanjo left behind, which President Tinubu is now making progress with. Obasanjo has lost any moral right to condemn any government. He should apologize to Nigerians for not laying the foundational infrastructure Nigeria needed to advance.”

Dare wrapped up his message with a Yoruba proverb that encourages people to ignore the noise and focus on meaningful actions. “In this market called Nigeria, the man with the renewed hope agenda is the one that matters and indeed Nigerians,” he said, reaffirming President Tinubu’s commitment to ongoing reforms and progress.

Despite the back-and-forth, the message was clear: the Tinubu administration intends to stay focused on improving Nigeria, regardless of the noise around them.