Economic Hardship: Obasanjo breaks silence

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has proposed solutions to address the ongoing economic hardship facing the nation under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking at the public presentation of the book “Court and Politics” by Dr. Umar Ardo, Obasanjo, represented by former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, highlighted the root causes of the hardship as a lack of productivity among Nigerians and mismanagement of resources.

Obasanjo emphasized the need for devolution of power and resources from the federal government to state and local governments to facilitate better management of available resources.

He stressed that decentralization would reduce competition at the central level, leading to more effective resource management at the local level.

“The important thing is to devolve power and resources to the states and certain jobs from the federal to state and local governments,” stated Obasanjo, advocating for a shift from the presidential system.

Addressing the issue of Nigeria’s political and electoral challenges, Shehu Musa Gabam, Chairman of the committee for the book launch and National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), expressed concerns about the judiciary’s reliance on technicalities rather than factual issues in their judgments.

Gabam attributed part of Nigeria’s current situation to the discrepancy between the Independent National Electoral Commission’s role in conducting elections and the judiciary’s role in determining elected officials.

Gabam urged Nigerians to unite and demand accountability from authorities, emphasizing that timidity was not the solution to the nation’s problems.