Former President Olusegun Obasanjo stated that one of the reasons why Nigeria’s economy is in ruins is that while other oil-producing countries have records of their oil production, Nigeria cannot account for hers due to theft.
This is coming as a former Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and ex-Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has passed a judgment on Nigeria’s leadership, saying it has failed the people.
Abdullahi added that there was a need for the country to be rescued from the leadership deficit.
They spoke yesterday in Abuja during the launching of a book titled, ‘Court and Politics,’ written by Dr. Umar Ardo, a former associate of the ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Obasanjo, who was represented by a former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, wondered why the Nigerian economy would not be in ruins when, according to him, over 80 percent of her crude oil is stolen.
Obasanjo said while the crude oil quota is about two million barrels per day, over 1.7 million are stolen.
On whether Nigeria should go back to the parliamentary system, or continue with the presidential system, Obasanjo said there is nothing wrong with the presidential system, only that Nigerians do not play by the rules.
He called for a proper political culture, adding that no system is cast in gold.
Speaking as the chairman of the occasion, Abdullahi said: “Enough of our failures. Something else must give way to our failures. We have failed this country. This must stop”.
He also said: “Time has come for us to go back to the drawing boards to rescue this country.
The former chairman NEF lamented that Nigeria with a population of over 200 million people is struggling to generate 4,000 megawatts of power.
Narrating his encounter with an elder statesman, Aminu Dantata, Abdullahi said Dantata was angry with northerners because they failed the North.
According to him, “Enough is enough of our failure; we must agree that we failed enough.
“I visited Dantata and he was very angry with me, saying the people of the North have failed the North and Nigeria. Until the North accepts that they have failed the North and sit together to discuss the way forward, there won’t be progress.
“We gathered in 1978 when we wanted to return to civilian rule. We were to discuss why the system of 1961 failed but we were shocked when they said the parliamentary system of government was not going to be discussed and that we should go for the federal system of government. And they gave us two options: that of the French and America. And now we have practised the presidential system for 24 years and it has failed and I will score it F9.
“Time has come for us to go back to the drawing board so that we can save this country,” Abdullahi stated.
In his remarks, the former National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Secondus, called for judicial reforms in political activities so that elections would be decided by the people and not the courts.
But in his response, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi (SAN), insisted that the judiciary saved Nigeria from disintegration.
In comments, the former national chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo said the powers that be removed him from office because he was preaching internal democracy in the party.
Nwodo explained that with internal democracy in political parties, the courts would have little or no role to play in the affairs of political parties.