Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described politics in the country as one dominated by people who have stolen money, ThisDay reports.
Obasanjo said this as part of a speech titled “Leadership in the African Context – How to Drive Transformational Change in African Countries” delivered at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
The event was organized by the Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG), of which Obasanjo is the Chairman, Panel of Advisors.
The former president, describing corruption in Africa, and how to rid the continent of it, said fighting it has to be an all-inclusive affair.
He gave Nigeria as an example, saying corruption is a hydra-headed monster, deeply entrenched in the system. He said:
The man on top must be above board and be seen to fight corruption. Those around him must also be upright and various institutions such as the police, judiciary, the executive and other bodies must make it an all-inclusive affair because it is an endless process.
He also lamented the amount of money needed in politics, saying something must be done about it.
He described the National Assembly in Nigeria as consisting of godfathers and “even drug barons,” and the youths will have to pull resources together to become politically active. He said:
Politics in Nigeria has been dominated by people that have stolen money, that have godfathers or even drug barons, the type we have now at the National Assembly. So youths should pool resources to become politically active in order to replace the present crop of leaders and provide better alternative.
The former president was after the event asked by ThisDay if he would be putting his weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari for a reelection in Nigeria, and was said to have retorted that the time is not ripe to answer such a question.
