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“Corruption Must Be A Consistent and Continual Fight” – Olusegun Obasanjo
To tackle corruption effectively in Nigeria and promote genuine leadership, former President Olusegun Obasanjo emphasized that the fight must begin with those in leadership positions.
According to him, without addressing corruption at the highest levels of power, achieving meaningful progress will remain difficult.
Obasanjo shared these thoughts during an interactive Zoom session on Sunday night titled Boiling Point Arena.
The discussion, which was broadcast on several private radio stations in Abeokuta, Ogun State, focused on his political legacies and his perspective on contemporary Nigerian challenges.
Addressing the deeply rooted nature of corruption, Obasanjo described it as a multifaceted problem that has deeply infiltrated Nigerian society.
He blamed those in positions of authority for perpetuating this issue, noting that corruption has become so entrenched that it resists simple or short-term solutions.
To illustrate his point, Obasanjo referenced a saying attributed to the late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Siddiq Abubakar III, the father of the current Sultan, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.
The saying likens corruption to a babariga—a traditional flowing garment worn by men in the northern part of Nigeria.
The metaphor captures the difficulty of managing corruption; If you try to fold the garment on one side, it unravels on the other side.
If you try to hold it together on both sides, you can’t keep your hands up for long, and as soon as you let go, it falls apart again.
He explained that corruption is not a challenge that can be tackled within a single government term.
It’s not a one-day affair, nor is it limited to one or two administrations, Obasanjo noted.
He stressed that the fight against corruption must be consistent and ongoing, warning that once one government relaxes its efforts, the problem spreads further and becomes harder to control.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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