Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has berated the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission for watching on as President Muhammadu Buhari carries in with uneven distribution of public offices.
He said this on Thursday while registering as a member of his Coalition for Nigeria Movement at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oke Ilewo area of Abeokuta, where the movement was launched in Ogun.
The former President accused Buhari of violating the ethos of nation building through even distribution of public offices had been abused.
He said, “Let me emphasise important areas, programmes, priorities or processes for improved attention. To start with, we seem to have taken nation building for granted. Nation building must be given continued attention to give every citizen a feeling of belonging and a stake in his or her country.
“For instance, the Federal Character principle, as espoused in our constitution, was to guide the leadership to search for competent holders of major offices to be distributed within the entire nation, and avoid concentration in a few ethnic hands or geographical places, as we currently have in the leadership of our security apparatus.
The National Security Council has nine members, including Buhari, V.P. Yemi Osinbajo (Southwest), Chief of Defence Staff Gabriel Olinosakin(Southwest), IGP Ibrahim Idris(North), Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazzau (North), Foreign Affairs Minister Goffrey Onyeama (Southeast), Defence Minister Monsur Dan Alli (North), and NSA Babagana Monguno (North).
But many have complained about the lop-sidedness of these and many other appointments.
“To avoid such non-integrative situation, we have the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission, both institutions which must raise the alarm or call for correction of actions by the executive that violates the spirit of our constitution,” said Obasanjo.
The former President, while addressing scores of potential members who had gathered at the venue, said he was surprised that many Nigerians were worried that he exchanged pleasantries with President Buhari at the African Unity summit in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, few days after he wrote the open letter to the President.
“That’s my own upbringing as a well born and bred Yoruba boy.”
He noted that he never condemned Buhari in totality but commended him in areas where he had performed well.
“That doesn’t mean that what I have said about the President, was said out of bitterness and hatred. It is evident that the President has performed, in some areas, good enough.
“In other areas not good and a proper advice was given which he may take and he may not take.
“I didn’t do that out of malice or out of ‘bad belle.’ I did it out of my respect for that office and my interest, and I hope, in your interest and the interest of Buhari in Nigeria.
“I went to him just before the beginning of the opening of the AU summit. I had gone round to greet some few other Presidents, should I ignore him? So, I went to my President, greeted him and we joked before General Abdulsalami (Abubakar) said we should have a group photograph.
“I had wanted him (Buhari) to stand in the middle before he said I am the most senior and the photograph went viral on the social media.”
Obasanjo further said the spate of violence, and other forms of criminality had not received sufficient proactive ameliorative responses through transformational leadership.
Obasanjo later led the gathering to sing a chorus titled, ‘I see a new Nigeria, in the hands of God.’
Others at the event included a former deputy governor in Oyo State, Taofeek Arapaja, a two-time governorship candidate in Ogun State, Prince Gboyega Isiaka and some other politicians in the state.