Obasanjo: Next Govt Must Strive to End Nation’s Ethnic Division

*Believes such moves may heal, assuage enraged Nigerian youths 

*Says he’s too old to keep quiet as his letterman obligation demands truth

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, assumed that the work of the next administration in the country was already cut out as it must ensure that it closed the division caused in the country as a result of the last general election.

Obasanjo, who spoke in Abuja at a conference themed: “From Elections to Governance and Performance,” organised by Nextier and the Ibadan School of Governance and Public Policy, believed such moves could help in healing and assuaging Nigerian youths, who were angered by the shortcomings of the elections.
Obasanjo, who insisted the next administration must explore all avenues at ending ethnic division that emanated from the recent elections and work to facilitate national moral rearmament and reconciliation, following the divisiveness occasioned by the elections, however, told his audience that he would always speak in the overall interest of the country, because “I am too old to keep quiet.”

This, he said, has the potential to bring about healing and to assuage Nigerian youths who were angered by the shortcomings of the elections.
According to him, governance in Nigeria now required thinking outside the box, to rescue the nation, in terms of its plunging economy and huge national debt burden, adding that there must also be the political will and action, as well as administrative efforts, to reform the public service, and turn it into a capability-ready unit.

The former president also emphasised the need for national healing and reconciliation to address the anger of Nigerian youths who were let down by the shortcomings of the elections, insisting the incoming administration must take appropriate steps to further heal and assuage concerns of the citizens.
Suggesting three ideas to enrich conversations at the event, he said, “One, given what we saw during the election, Nigeria is now even more divided and more corroded than we thought. This places a deep onus on any administration following the current one, to urgently facilitate the process of national moral rearmament and national reconciliation for the aggrieved and will lead us across Nigeria and to assuage the youth.

“This must be done in sync with the imperative of national value orientation that Nigeria requires to build a collective sense of enduring local values and national belonging. Two, governance in Nigeria now calls for thinking outside the box in terms of development financing. This has become inevitable in the face of Nigeria’s dwindling fortune, in oil revenue, Nigeria’s huge foreign indebtedness and the urgency of diversifying the Nigerian neo-cultural economy.

“We cannot be spending like drunken sailor on frivolities and corruption and expect development and growth. Such situation cannot take us into the fourth industrial revolution already underway. My experience and understanding, however, is that the money to develop and grow our economy is out there if we provide conducive environment for it to come and stay.

“Three, political will, political action and administrative efforts must be invested on reforming the public service into a capability ready institution that could enable Nigeria’s development agenda beyond 2023. All of these and more are necessary to correct and not to repeat the sickening and painful show of shame, which the elections of 2023 generated into.

“Let me conclude by stating clearly that I am now too old to keep quiet and watch Nigeria’s seemingly clueless launch into dystopia. All efforts are now required from all, well, many and committed patriots to rescue the nation from the precipice. And when I look at the audience, I have a feeling that among the people, who can do it and who must do it are some of you here.

“It has become my own personal obligation, continuing in my relentless service as letterman, dedicated in my twilight years to say the truth, as I see it, so as to push Nigeria, in the direction of our collective aspirations. What is our collective aspiration? A better society, where all Nigeria can become what the Almighty God destined it to be.

“In times like this, some of us have to adopt the attitude of being known to be blind and not being afraid of the dark. But we must continue to work for the light of all,” Obasanjo stated.