In a scathing critique of Nigeria’s political landscape, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has delivered a damning verdict: that the majority of Nigerians who pursue public office do so with the primary intention of lining their own pockets and enriching their loyal cronies, rather than serving the greater good of the nation. This stark assessment underscores the pervasive culture of corruption and self-interest that has long plagued Nigerian politics, and raises urgent questions about the need for systemic reform and a renewed commitment to transparency and accountability.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that many Nigerians seek public office primarily to amass wealth for themselves and their associates, ultimately leaving the country in a worse state than they found it.

The former President remarked that these individuals take out loans worth billions of naira, confident that repaying them with public funds after being elected will not be an issue.

In his new book, Nigeria: Past and Future, former President Olusegun Obasanjo portrayed the character of chief executives at both the federal and state levels.

The book, one of two unveiled last week to commemorate Obasanjo’s 88th birthday, offers a critical assessment of Nigeria’s leadership.

According to Obasanjo, the majority of those who have had the opportunity to hold leadership positions—including governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners, and local government chairpersons—were ill-prepared, self-serving, and corrupt. He described them as “satanic” individuals whose primary goal was personal enrichment at the nation’s expense, leaving Nigeria trapped in poverty and underdevelopment.

He further stated that many of those aspiring to become governors or hold other leadership roles are merely interested in using public office to benefit themselves and their associates, ultimately leaving the country in a worse state than they found it.

He stated, “How do you explain the situation of a chief executive, a governor, whose business was owing the banks billions of naira and millions of dollars before becoming a governor and within two years of becoming governor, without his company doing any business, he paid all that his businesses owed the banks.

“You are left to guess where the money came from. Having got away with that in the first term, he consigned to himself almost half of the state resources in the second term. He was a typical example of the goings-on at that level almost universally in the country with only a few exceptions.

“State resources are captured and appropriated to themselves with a pittance to staff and associates to close the mouths of those that could blow the whistle or raise alarm against them while in office and when they are out of office.’’

“The ones that are criminally ridiculous are the chief executives that deceive, lie and try to cover up on the realities and truth of action and inaction on contract awards, agreements, treaties, borrowings and forward sales of national assets. Such chief executives are unfit for the job they find themselves in.” he added.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized the N15.6tn Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, calling it wasteful and corrupt.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, previously disclosed that the 700km highway would cost N4.93bn per kilometer, clarifying that the contract was awarded on a counterpart-funding basis rather than through a Public-Private Partnership.

For the pilot phase—covering just six percent of the project—about N1.06tn has already been released. This phase begins at Eko Atlantic and is set to end at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

Several prominent Nigerians, including Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, have raised concerns over the Federal Government’s decision to award the contract to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company without a competitive bidding process.

Gilbert Chagoury is widely believed to be a long-time business associate and friend of President Bola Tinubu.

Reflecting on the two years of Tinubu’s administration, former President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed concern that the trend of short-changing Nigeria’s over 230 million citizens appears to be continuing. He remarked that “everything is said to be transactional, and the slogan is ‘it is my turn to chop.’”

Obasanjo cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project as a prime example of waste, corruption, and misplaced priorities, criticizing the President for ignoring public outcry over the project. He also condemned the construction of a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima at a cost of N21bn, particularly during a period of economic hardship, calling it an attempt to create the illusion of an administration that is “hitting the ground running” and emphasizing the Vice President’s office. “What small minds!” he added.

Additionally, Obasanjo accused the federal government of using the N21bn residence as a means to siphon public funds, labeling it a blatant case of financial mismanagement.

To address the country’s pressing challenges, the former President suggested that Nigeria must critically examine its practice of Western liberal democracy and explore ways to adapt it to better suit African realities.

“If the West, from where the liberal democracy started should complain about it not working well for them, we should be wise enough at this stage to interrogate, carry out introspection, internal analysis and realise that Western liberal democracy is not working for us and is not delivering apart from the shortcomings of the operators.

“We should seek democracy within African history, culture, attributes and characteristics, one that will take necessary African factors into consideration. Until we can get a better word or description for it, let us call it Afrodemocracy.

“It is from Afrodemocracy that we will draw up an African people’s constitution for any African that chooses to go the way of Afrodemocracy, which will avoid most, to all, the faults we have found in Western liberal democracy,” he concluded.