Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the Nigerian youths taking part within the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests are preventing a professional course and deserve a listening ear.
“What the youth (protesters) are demanding are very professional and must be listened to or why ought to they be denied what rightfully belongs to them?
“They’re annoyed, they’re hungry, they’re indignant, they’re unemployed, they should be given listening ears,” Obasanjo stated at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Obasanjo spoke whereas receiving six members of the Home of Representatives who’re co-sponsors of payments on single time period of six yr, rotation of presidency between the north and the south in addition to rotation of governorship slot among the many three senatorial districts of every of the 36 states.
The legislators have been led by Ugochinyere Ikenga representing Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State.
In his remarks, Obasanjo stated that successive administrations had
not constructed on the muse he laid whereas he was in workplace, saying that this had additionally prompted a whole lot of drawbacks for the nation.
He stated, “Greater than the rest resembling altering our system of presidency, shifting to a single time period of six or 4 years, we should change our methods of doing issues on this nation. We should decarbonise our brains, we should change our mentality and characters.
“How I want that the succeeding governments are constructing on the muse we laid even when not so quick as one would have wished it however sadly the blocks we put there are even being eliminated.
“What I Learn about Nigeria is that sure, if we get it proper, the management, the staff, as a result of one tree doesn’t make a forest, you want an excellent chief however you additionally want an excellent staff for a properly performed job.
“The purpose is that if we get this proper in about two and half years, we will get a few of the challenges behind us and in about 10 years we can have gotten a strong basis and in about 25 years we will likely be there.
“However what we’ve got at all times performed is to take one step ahead, two steps apart and 4 steps backwards and it’s why we’re the place we’re within the nation.
“For me it isn’t a lot in regards to the system however we could must rethink the liberal democracy the place we speak of loyal opposition. What we do in Africa is that we sit down and get consensus and after we’ve got performed that there isn’t any opposition. Everyone seems to be on the identical web page and we transfer collectively.
“The phrase for opposition in all African languages that I’ve seemed into is enemies. What do you do with loyal enemies? Nothing like that after you are taking it, it belongs to you, the winners take all and the opposition goes into the wilderness. That’s what we do however this isn’t good. We’d like everybody to affix palms collectively and transfer society ahead.
“The problem for me if we get it proper whether or not we’ve got a single time period of six years or two phrases of 4 years is that we should decarbonise our brains and mentality.”
Talking on the deliberate single time period agenda, he stated, “Look for those who give him (referring to any elected president) a interval of single time period of six years, he can go forward and nonetheless do the evil he would have performed in two phrases of 4 years (every). The one distinction is that he would have performed that throughout the interval of six years and never 4 years and that’s if he’s not reelected for an additional 4 years.
“To me this isn’t out downside, our primary downside is ourselves and till we handle ourselves. If we like, allow us to undertake single time period of six years, one time period of 4 years amongst others with the identical mentality and identical means of doing issues, nothing will change
“So the very starting is ourselves. Sure system, sure we’ve got to rethink our democracy however the character of individuals in authorities should change. With all due respect, most of these in authorities ought to proper now be behind bars or in gallows”.
Obasanjo stated that the three arms of the federal government, the civil service and the non-public sector should change their methods “in any other case all of us sink in the identical boat referred to as Nigeria.”
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The put up #EndBadGovernance protesters preventing professional course –Obasanjo was agrregated on Nigeria Newspapers On-line.