Former President Olusegun Obasanjo faced widespread criticism on Friday after accusing the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari administrations of corruption.
In his latest book, Nigeria: Past and Future, Obasanjo claimed that Buhari’s government oversaw “the most atrocious waste” and that “corruption was at its peak” during his tenure. He further alleged that Tinubu’s administration appears to be following the same path and may even surpass Buhari’s record in misgovernance and corruption.
Reacting to these accusations, prominent figures across the country dismissed Obasanjo’s claims, arguing that his own administration was riddled with corruption.
Obasanjo Lacks Credibility to Accuse Others – Girei
Senator Abubakar Girei, a former lawmaker from Adamawa State, stated that Obasanjo was in no position to label any government as corrupt, given the level of fraud that characterized his own tenure.
Girei, who represented Adamawa Central Senatorial District between 1999 and 2003, claimed he had firsthand knowledge of Obasanjo’s alleged corrupt dealings.
“Obasanjo is the least qualified of all past presidents to accuse Buhari or anyone of corruption,” Girei said.
He recalled how Obasanjo allegedly manipulated the Senate to impose Evans Enwerem as Senate President, only for the lawmakers to later impeach him and replace him with Chuba Okadigbo.
Girei further challenged Obasanjo to explain how his administration spent ₦16 billion on a failed electricity project.
He said: “Buhari might have had some people around him who might not have been so upright, but till today, Buhari remains a man of integrity.”
On Obasanjo’s criticism of Tinubu’s administration, Girei dismissed the claims as baseless and urged the former president to allow Tinubu to focus on governance.
“Obasanjo, who did eight years as president and could hardly show any results, should leave Tinubu alone to continue concentrating on the job he was elected for,” he said.
Sani to Obasanjo: Provide Evidence for Your Allegations
Anthony Sani, a former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), accused Obasanjo of consistently undermining every Nigerian leader except himself.
“When former President Obasanjo alleges that corruption under President Buhari was worse, and that under President Bola Tinubu is also worse than their predecessors, many Nigerians would expect the former President to back up his claims with evidence through some trend analyses,” he said.
He added that as a former president, Obasanjo should not make “allegations with a sleight of hand” and should provide concrete proof to support his claims.
Regarding concerns over the ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project, Sani said Nigerians were worried about the cost due to “competing demands on limited resources“, but stressed that Obasanjo should offer more details on why he considers the project wasteful.
Odili to Obasanjo: The Halliburton Scandal Happened Under Your Watch
Dr. Ifeanyi Odili, National President of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), dismissed Obasanjo’s claims, reminding him that the Halliburton scandal, one of Nigeria’s worst corruption cases, occurred during his presidency.
He said: “I don’t believe that Buhari’s administration is the most corrupt government in Nigeria so far. What about Obasanjo’s government? Can he claim he was a saint throughout his government?”
Odili further argued that Obasanjo’s administration had more corruption cases than Buhari’s, adding: “The Campaign for Democracy has written to him once to leave Nigerian politics. He should stop imposing people. He is old enough to retire. He is so restless. He just wants to be heard all the time. He wants to control the presidency, he wants to control everybody. He cannot continue like that. He should go and rest.”
The Halliburton bribery scandal, which involved illegal payments to Nigerian officials between 1994 and 2004, led to a $382 million settlement between Halliburton and the U.S. Department of Justice. While some individuals were prosecuted, no top official in Nigeria was held accountable.
Adebayo: Obasanjo Conducted Nigeria’s Worst Election
Hon. Adewale Adebayo, Osun State Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), accused Obasanjo of overseeing “the worst election in Nigeria’s history” and running a government filled with corruption and political persecution.
He said: “Apart from conducting the worst election in Nigeria’s history, the Obasanjo government was also neck-deep in greed, corruption, witch-hunting, and most tragic to us, his administration killed Bola Ige, our own.”
He described Obasanjo as self-serving and called on him to stop criticizing sitting presidents.
Adebayo also defended the Lagos-Calabar Highway project, calling it a “game changer” that will boost Nigeria’s regional connectivity.
He said: “Obasanjo should stop all this wailing and focus on God to seek forgiveness for all his misdeeds as a fortunate leader who mismanaged the mandate given to him.”
Buhari’s Administration Had Corruption Issues – Ruwagodia
Dr. Bashir Ruwagodia, a Katsina-based civil rights activist, acknowledged that while Buhari himself was incorruptible, his administration failed to properly tackle corruption.
Ruwagodia, who served as Special Adviser on Higher Education under ex-Governor Aminu Bello Masari, noted that Buhari’s government failed to hold some corrupt officials accountable.
Former Minister of Communication, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, also echoed similar sentiments.
He said: “Even though the EFCC has not gone to probe the entire government, we do know that the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, is currently facing trial at the behest of EFCC.
“The crisis with Emefiele’s multidimensional corruption is also a case in point, and I don’t see former President Buhari’s government coming completely clean of it.”
Shittu maintained that while Buhari himself was “absolutely incorruptible,” his failure to properly supervise his ministers allowed corruption to thrive.
He said: “No matter how incorruptible a leader is, once there are cases of approving projects for ministers without ensuring effective supervision, then one is indirectly responsible for their misdeeds.”
He specifically mentioned that former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele had insiders within the presidency who enabled him to obtain multiple approvals for controversial policies.
He said: “I can’t recall any specific effort done to re-launch the erstwhile War Against Corruption in Nigeria. I think Buhari performed better as a military head of state in the fight against corruption than he did as a civilian President.”
Shittu called on the Tinubu administration to learn from Buhari’s shortcomings and implement stronger anti-corruption measures.
