The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CCSOs) Thursday faulted and countered statements made by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo on President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that Nigeria was fast becoming a failed state.
This was contained in a speech read by leader of the coalition, Abraham Egbor, in which the CCSOs called for a probe of alleged spending of $16 billion by the Obasanjo-led administration for the power sector without anything to show.
The group said the state of the nation under Obasanjo’s government was autocratic and traumatising, which many perceived political enemies were blackmailed, arrested and imprisoned without giving them fair hearing.
The coalition also asserted that the Buhari-led administration has fought corruption to a level that the international community is applauding efforts of the government. Those that made themselves untouchable while they were neck-dip in corruption have been made to face the wrath of the law.
The Buhari-led administration has brought inclusiveness of Nigerians in participatory governance, and a sense of belonging. This government has recovered loot that was stolen by politicians of previous administrations, and the fight is still ongoing.
It further stated that on security, the Buhari-led administration has put in enormous resources to fight all forms terrorists to standstill and the effort on this is glaring for Nigerians to see.
That there is massive infrastructural development ongoing across the country despite the dwindling prices of oil and the economy has witnessed enormous growth from the diversification effort by the Buhari-led administration.
It also added that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the economy, this administration is still working to keep developmental projects and programmes going on.
He said: “We the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations today make our stand known to Nigerians over the recent unfounded statements made by former President Obasanjo against President Buhari, who claimed that Nigeria is slowly becoming a failed state and heading to outright collapse.
“This is a statement that Obasanjo made to cause disaffection among the citizenry which we as a coalition stand to condemn in its entirety. It is outright falsehood that cannot be defended by himself who created pain for Nigerians when he was the president of this country for eight years.
“Obasanjo does not have the moral standing to make such an assertion because he has been the architect of division of our great country when he inhumanely deployed soldiers to kill and maim innocent Nigerians in Odi town and Zaki Biam in Bayelsa and Benue states, respectively. Till this hour, these communities are yet to recover from this trauma and devastation.
“Many assassinations of perceived enemies were carried out under the government of Obasanjo, and witch-hunting of political enemies and civil society leaders and members.”
“He also used his position to stampede the development of some parts of the country and failed to run a government that prioritised the unity of Nigerians, but was intimidating some sections of the country, which as a result, their leaders who opposed his policies and autocratic actions were imprisoned without fair hearing.
“This self-acclaimed ‘holy man’ called Obasanjo under his watch privatised our common patrimony and till date nothing is to show for the billions raked out of them, neither are they functional, but rather caused pain in the lives of Nigerians who were laid off and many died prematurely.”
