Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has extolled the current Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari, saying the latter has not disappointed him since assuming office in 2015—despite the challenges facing the Nigerian economy.
“Whatever anybody says, President Buhari has not disappointed me from what I know of him,” said Obasanjo in a recent interview at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta.
According to him, Buhari has delivered on his core strength; that is fighting corruption and the destructive Boko Haram insurgency.
“He has actually done his best in the areas where we know him to be strong,”said the elder statesman, adding: “Whatever you might see as bad in Nigeria, other societies have gone through the same at some period in their history. “
He thus called on Nigerians to join hands together and support the Buhari administration to succeed, indicating that the challenges facing the Nigerian economy is a “passing phase and we need to be resilient to ensure that we are not consumed by it.”
He continued: “I will be the first to admit that we have not been where we should have been, but note that we have also been far from where we could have been because it could have been worse.
“It is the height of ingratitude for people to say Nigeria has not achieved anything or much as a nation. The generation before mine fought for Nigeria’s independence, which is great. My own generation, which is the next, fought to sustain the unity of Nigeria. Since 1999, Nigeria had enjoyed 18 years of unbroken democracy.
“We witnessed in 2007 a transition of power from one individual to another in the same party. We witnessed in 2015 a transition of power from an individual in the ruling party to another individual in the opposition party. “All these should not be taken for granted.”
Buhari had departed Nigeria on January 19 for a 10-day vacation, during which he would undergo medical treatment. He transmitted a letter to the National Assembly to extend his vacation on February 5, fueling speculation that his health had deteriorated.
But top officials of his government maintained the president’s health was sound.
