Obasanjo Criticizes Nigeria’s Leadership, Labels It A “Failed State”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared Nigeria a “failed state,” attributing this decline to the leadership of former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, Mr. Obasanjo presented a pre-recorded keynote titled Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria. He claimed Nigeria had descended into “chaos, insecurity, and underdevelopment” under both administrations.
Though not directly naming them, Obasanjo used popular monikers—“Baba-go-slow” for Mr. Buhari and “Emilokan” for Mr. Tinubu—to underscore his point. He cited systemic corruption, mediocrity, and incompetence as core issues plunging Nigeria into disarray.
Obasanjo also alleged that the judiciary has been co-opted by political interests, criticizing the phrase “go to court” as an indicator of compromised justice. “Politicians…openly ask their rivals to ‘go to court’…because they have completely compromised the Judiciary system,” he asserted.
The former president condemned the political elite’s economic sabotage, including the acquisition of national assets at undervalued prices and resource misallocation. He also highlighted that some former governors continue to wield influence long after leaving office, an apparent nod to President Tinubu’s enduring control in Lagos State.
Obasanjo called for the eradication of practices like “stomach infrastructure,” where politicians exploit voters’ poverty with food handouts during elections. He urged Nigeria to adopt the virtues that propelled Southeast Asian nations toward progress.
Notable attendees at the event included Peter Obi, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, and former Minister Obi Ezekwesili.
