Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a blistering attack on the administration of President Bola Tinubu, declaring that any government unable to protect the lives and property of its citizens has no justification to remain in power.
Speaking in an interview with News Central that aired over the weekend, Obasanjo did not mince words as he reacted to the worsening security crisis across the country, which has led to the deaths of many citizens and the abduction of several others. "Let me tell you, the government that cannot give security of life and property of its citizen has no right of existence," the former leader said, his voice steady but his words carrying the weight of a man who once sat at the nation's helm.
Obasanjo, who ruled Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 and remains an influential voice on national affairs, did not limit his criticism to the executive branch. He also took aim at the National Assembly, faulting lawmakers for determining their own salaries and allowances. "The elected members of our National Assembly have no right to fix their own salary and their own emolument," he said. "It's not in our constitution for them to do that. It's the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission that should do it."
The former president argued that the current practice is a violation of the constitution and undermines the principle of checks and balances.
The interview, which was monitored in Lagos on Monday, covered a range of issues, but Obasanjo's most pointed remarks were reserved for the state of security. In recent weeks, Nigeria has witnessed a wave of attacks, including the abduction of nearly 300 schoolchildren in Borno State, the killing of dozens in Plateau State, and a series of bandit raids in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna.
The former president expressed particular concern about the psychological impact of insecurity on ordinary Nigerians, noting that fear has become a constant companion for millions. "When a government cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens, it has failed in its primary responsibility," Obasanjo said. "No amount of economic progress or infrastructure development can compensate for the loss of a single innocent life."
Obasanjo's outburst comes at a time when President Tinubu's administration has been grappling with a multifaceted security crisis since assuming office in May 2023. While the government has launched military operations across the North-West and North-East, including Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the results have been mixed. Bandits continue to raid villages, kidnap travelers, and demand ransoms, while Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have stepped up attacks on military formations. The former president's criticism is likely to resonate with a frustrated public that has grown tired of official assurances that do not translate into tangible safety.
Obasanjo's comments also tapped into a simmering debate over the structure of governance. His insistence that the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission, not the National Assembly, should determine lawmakers' remuneration is rooted in a strict interpretation of the 1999 Constitution. However, successive administrations have looked the other way, allowing legislators to set their own pay packages, which include generous allowances, furniture grants, and travel budgets. The former president argued that this practice breeds corruption and entrenches a sense of entitlement among elected officials. "They are there to serve the people, not to enrich themselves," he said.
The interview has elicited mixed reactions. Supporters of the Tinubu administration have dismissed Obasanjo's remarks as the rantings of a man who has become a perennial critic of every government after his own tenure. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, in a brief statement, said the current administration was making progress in containing the security challenges and that the former president's comments were "uninformed and unhelpful." Others, however, have welcomed Obasanjo's intervention, seeing it as a necessary reality check. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has seized on the comments, calling on the president to heed what it described as "the voice of a statesman."
Obasanjo's critique of the National Assembly is not new. In the past, he had clashed with lawmakers over their remuneration and the cost of governance. His latest remarks may, however, carry more weight as the country heads into the 2027 election cycle. The former president is known for his dramatic interventions in politics, including his famous letter to former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013 and his public tearing of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card in 2015. Whether his words will shake the Tinubu administration into action or simply add to the noise of opposition remains to be seen.
What is clear is that Obasanjo's statement has once again placed the issue of security and governance reform at the centre of public discourse. For millions of Nigerians who have lost loved ones to bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers, the former president's declaration that a government that cannot protect its citizens has no right to exist is not just rhetoric; it is a demand for accountability. The ball is now in President Tinubu's court, and the nation is watching to see how he responds.
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