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Okurounmu blames Obasanjo for Nigeria's problem
- Senator Femi Okurounmu says the army brought about the death of true federalism
- He said Olusegun Obasanjo enriched the senate for his own gain
- The Yoruba chieftain said the former president is responsible for most of the problems in the country
Senator Femi Okurounmu has accused former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of being responsible for 80per cent of the problems in the country.
In an interview with New Telegraph, the Afenifere chieftain said when Obasanjo was elected in 1999, he was expected to restructure the country and amend the constitution but failed to do so.
Okurounmu said in 2005, Obasanjo organised the National Political Reform Conference solely with the aim of working out a third term agenda for himself thereby enriching the national assembly for his own gain.
He said: "We got it wrong from the time army took over governance in this country in January 1966. That was when Nigeria started going in the wrong direction.
Secondly, the inexperienced army officers, who have no slightest idea on how to run a nation, took over governance. And more fundamentally, they began to run a unitary system of government, which is peculiar to the army in order to maintain control over the entire army.
“They changed from the federal system, which we had from 1960 to a unitary system, and by the time they were leaving, it was this unitary system they handed over and we have been operating that unitary system since then.
It is that unitary system that has crippled the country as well as made us to be on reverse gear. Since January 1966, Nigeria has been moving backward.
“You will remember that before the 1999 election, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) insisted that there must be a National Conference and a new constitution before we go back to civil rule.
“It was one of the major points, which NADECO remained adamant on but General Abdulsalami Abubakar conceded so many things by cancelling the previous parties General Sani Abacha was running.
He cancelled Abacha’s transition programme, started a new one and prevailed on us to participate in the new transition programme.
“But NADECO was divided; some felt we should not take part in the election until we had a National Conference and new constitution, while some felt that people will see us as too adamant and demanding, that after all, the man has made so many concessions.
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“So, reluctantly we took part in the 1999 election with an understanding. And the understanding we reached with General Abubakar was that as soon as a new government was formed, the first order of the day would be a National Conference.
“That was where Chief Olusegun Obasanjo began to let Nigerians down. When we turned to Obasanjo to have the National Conference, he turned deaf ears. For all the eight years he was president, he turned deaf ears.
“The only time he thought of having something that resembled a conference was in 2005, when he had the National Political Reform Conference and the only reason he did that was to have a third term.
His principal goal of organising that conference was to get a third term; to get the constitution amended, so that he could have a third term. It was purely for a selfish interest."
On how the current senate seems to be living affluently, the Yoruba leader blamed it on Obasanjo who enriched the senate for his own political gain.
He said: “Again that was part of the problems Obasanjo created for the country. When we were in office during Obasanjo’s first term, he put up his best hands.
It was then that we had the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) bill, and that was when we started fighting corruption.
“Even in the Senate, we fought corruption by removing the Senate president, Chuba Okadigbo for anticipatory approval of money under N500 million. We removed him from office because we believed Obasanjo really wanted to fight corruption.
“As soon as we left, and he got his second term, he began to prepare the ground for his third term and he began to spoil the legislators. That was when the legislator started having what we called fantastic quarterly allowances.
“Obasanjo knew that he needed them, so, he couldn’t fight them. People are afraid to tell him the truth. I read in the papers that since he left PDP, the party has been going down.
That is typical Obasanjo, he will make you feel everything is good because of him, and everything is bad is because of others.
If you look at the situation of things in this country today, Obasanjo is responsible for 80 percent of our problems.”
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