FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Nigeria’s declining state under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership is a testament to the nation’s retrogression.
In a statement released by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Saturday, November 16, Obasanjo was quoted as referring to President Tinubu as “Baba-go-slow” and “Emilokan” (It’s my turn) during his keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
“As we can see and understand, Nigeria’s situation is bad. The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, discord, division, disunity, depression, youth restiveness, confusion, violence, and
underdevelopment.
“That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan. The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see through the consequences of the level of our pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, perversion, injustice, incompetence and all other forms of iniquity. But yes, there is hope,” part of the statement read.
Obasanjo, referencing Chinua Achebe’s 1983 classic, The Trouble with Nigeria, acknowledged the assertion that Nigeria’s crises stem from leadership failure, not from any inherent flaws in its people, land, or resources.
He emphasised Achebe’s argument that the country’s problem lay in its leaders’ unwillingness or inability to embrace responsibility and set an example of true leadership.
Reflecting on this, Obasanjo described Achebe’s 41-year-old analysis as moderate and relevant to the country’s present state.
He contrasted it with the harsher views of U.S. intellectuals Robert Rotberg and John Campbell, the latter being a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, who described Nigeria as a failed state unable to ensure the safety of its citizens, posing critical geopolitical concerns with implications for Africa’s stability and global security.
Obasanjo, drawing on definitions from the World Bank and Transparency International, described state capture as a deeply entrenched form of corruption.
He further likened it to a scenario where influential individuals, institutions, companies, or groups—either domestic or foreign—manipulate a nation’s policies, legal framework, and economy through corrupt practices to serve their interests.
“What is happening in Nigeria – right before our eyes – is state capture: the purchase of National assets by political elites – and their family members – at bargain prices, the allocation of national resources – minerals, land, and even human resources – to local, regional, and international actors. It must be prohibited and prevented through local and international laws,” he said.
Obasanjo remarked that Chinua Achebe had been recognised for his contributions and values throughout Nigeria’s history, describing him as a great and distinguished Nigerian.
The ICIR reported that Obasanjo had previously described Nigeria as a burial ground for policies and had widely condemned the poor policies of presidents who led the nation after him, including Muhammadu Buhari and Tinubu.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org