A Coalition of Northern Youths under the umbrella of Arewa Youths Parliament, has criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for declaring Nigeria a failed state and trying to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Abdurrahman Umar, the secretary of the coalition said at a news conference on Thursday in Sokoto, that Obasanjo’s criticisms were his usual attacks on governments that failed to succumb to his self centered manipulations.
”We view the recent attacks by Obasanjo on Buhari’s leadership as another attempt to bring out his previous government failures.
”There was nothing tangible done by Obasanjo as a President then that was not self serving and disadvantageous to national interests as he could not corroborate his allegations with facts.
”Obasanjo has many things unto himself, his recent contributions to political discourse wherein he alleged that Nigeria is divided under the leadership of Buhari is an indication that he suffers from exceedingly faulty memory.
”He made fiery allegations against Buhari and did not offer corroborating evidences as he only presented reams of words portraying his past misconducts,” Umar said.
According to Umar, Obasanjo should ordinarily be the last to complain about state of the nation, because his past administration perpetrated unalloyed miscarriage of justice and best aspirations of the Nigerian people.
The coalition advised the former president to position himself to be the father of the nation.
”The global economy wanted to fuel Nigeria’s growth, everybody wanted Nigeria to succeed after emerging from years of obnoxious military rule.
”Instead of being a unifying figure as the Commander-in-Chief, he lowered himself to be divisive, vindictive conniver as there was no one who came to his company for a period with whom he did not fall out if he expressed divergent issue contrary to his mind.
”Obasanjo’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boasted that it will rule for 60 years, never did they boasted to govern Nigeria well during even one year.
”He could have placed the economy on the path of durable growth and shared prosperity through diversification, industrialisation and creation of a societal safety to the benefit of the poor as being done by the present government,” he added.
He urged Nigerians to be wary of the former president and his fake love and patriotism for the country, stressing that Nigeria’s redemption from the past inherited from Obasanjo and his cronies was still very much on course.
”We shall not allow these yesterday’s men to distract the journey to a greater Nigeria,”Umar said.
