FORMER Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has sharply criticized the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, describing the country’s current state under his administration as one of “chaos, insecurity, and disunity.”
In a keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, Connecticut, Obasanjo emphasized that the problems facing Nigeria are glaringly evident to all who are “honest.”
Obasanjo, who has been a vocal critic of the current administration, did not hold back in his assessment of Tinubu’s leadership, referring to him by the derogatory monikers “Baba-go-slow” and “Emilokan”—terms often used by critics to highlight Tinubu’s perceived lack of urgency and entitlement to the presidency.
According to the former president, the nation is sinking deeper into a state of dysfunction as a result of pervasive corruption and poor governance.
“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,” Obasanjo stated. “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 for every honest person to see.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s long-standing leadership crisis, Obasanjo referenced Chinua Achebe’s 1983 treatise The Trouble with Nigeria, where Achebe attributed the nation’s challenges to a failure of leadership. Obasanjo echoed this sentiment, saying, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility.”
Obasanjo also highlighted the issue of state capture—where political elites use corruption to control national resources and policies for personal gain.
“What is happening in Nigeria—right before our eyes—is state capture,” Obasanjo said. “The purchase of national assets by political elites and their families at bargain prices, the allocation of national resources—minerals, land, and even human resources—to specific actors at the expense of the public.”
The former president warned that state capture not only damages Nigeria’s economic development but also undermines public services, education, healthcare, and even the environment. He called for both local and international laws to prevent such practices and protect the country’s future.
