By Sadiq Umar – Barely 3months after his damning letter condemning the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressive Congress (APC) government, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has again criticized the government, warning Nigerians against “reinforcing failure in the next election.”
Mr. Obasanjo faulted the Buhari government wondering why it continues to give excuses for its failure whereas Nigerians are victims of his incompetence.
“Stop giving excuses; we met challenges. If there were no challenges, then we wouldn’t need you to come,” the former president said while addressing a youth group that paid him a courtesy call at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State on Monday.
He reminded Mr. Buhari saying, “You came in because you know there were challenges… stop giving us excuse that you have many challenges, that is why you haven’t achieved results,” Mr. Obasanjo retorted.
“The first lesson I learnt in my military training is to never reinforce failure. What we have now is a failure,” he said.
“Never you reinforce failure. Let failure be failure. And if you do not see what you should see, you will then be a victim of what you don’t like because it’s only when you see what you should see and you do what you should do that you put away what you do not like.
“Those of you who are into business know that by now you could have been better if we have an effective government. The truth is this – when you have an ineffective and incompetent government, we are all victims and don’t let anybody deceive you.”
“I have publicly said and I mean it, that as a party, neither PDP nor APC can get us there as they have been. Never mind about reforms and apology and all that.
He asked youth in the country to rise up to the challenge of providing the much needed new generation of leadership for the development of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political development.
Recalled that Mr. Obasanjo wrote a damning letter to President Buhari in January accusing him of incompetence, divisiveness and of condoning corruption within his government.
He had warned Nigerians not to vote for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) promising a what he described as a third force that would be alternative to the two..
