Newly appointed Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation to Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sunday Dare, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of inflicting significant damage on Nigeria’s democratic foundations during his tenure.
Dare, in a statement posted on his X account on Monday, asserted that successive administrations have grappled with the lingering effects of Obasanjo’s governance, stating that President Tinubu is making strides in addressing the inherited challenges.
“Democracy suffered mortal wounds under Obasanjo’s watch, worsened by his obsession with an ill-fated third-term bid,” Dare stated. He further accused Obasanjo of lacking the moral authority to critique the current administration, calling on him to apologize for failing to lay the groundwork for Nigeria’s progress.
The adviser’s comments came in response to Obasanjo’s recent scathing critique of Nigeria’s current state under President Tinubu. Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, the former president labeled the country a “failing state” plagued by pervasive corruption and leadership failure.
Dare, however, countered the former president’s assertions, highlighting corruption under Obasanjo’s administration, particularly an allegedly unresolved $16 billion power project that he described as producing “megawatts of darkness.” He dismissed Obasanjo’s anti-corruption stance as unconvincing and criticized his remarks at Yale as insincere.
The adviser concluded by urging Obasanjo to reflect on his role in Nigeria’s challenges rather than critiquing his successors.
Philips Babatunde