Obasanjo Blasts Jonathan And The National Assembly
A former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised President Goodluck Jonathan again, saying Nigerian democracy is at risk due to the president's actions, Premium Times reports.
Obasanjo was speaking at a book launch in honour of the pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, in Abuja.
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Obasanjo, who was the Chairman of the occasion, advised President Jonathan to stop encouraging "verbal violence which may not physically hurt but has ways of degenerating into physical violence."
He cautioned the present administration not to destroy opposition of all sorts because doing so, means destroying democracy.
“Management of democracy without resorting to brute force and dictatorial tendencies must be cultivated,” the former president said.
“As a leader, you must not deliberately do evil or condone evil. You should know that you will one day give account to God, you may cover up here, but before God, there is no cover up.”
Speaking on the insecurity in the North East, Obasanjo said Boko Haram is not out to “frustrate anyone’s political efforts.” He opined that President Jonathan did not fully understand the issues involved.
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Speaking on the issue of corruption, Obasanjo said:“When the head is rotten, the whole body is useless.”
He also spoke on the economy saying, the economy “is not truly what the economy is”.
“The economy is in doldrums, if not in reverse,” he concluded.
It will be recalled that Obasanjo berated the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration recently, which attracted a strong response from Aso Rock.
Besides, the former President criticized the National Assembly, saying that it is an assemblage of looters and thieves.
“Apart from shrouding the remunerations of the National Assembly in opaqueness and without transparency, they indulge in extorting money from departments, contractors and ministries in two ways,” Obasanjo said.
He added: “They do so during visits to their projects and programmes and in the process of budget approval when they build up budgets for ministries and departments, who agree to give it back to them in contracts that they do not execute. They do similar things during their inquiries.”
Obasanjo concluded that majority of the members of the National Assembly live above the law in both misconduct and corruption and cannot in good conscience carry out oversight duties on any government ministry or department.
However, Mr. Obasanjo, noted that there are still some honourable and distinguished men and women in the National Assembly, who would not do anything to soil their hands.
Source: Legit.ng
