Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has questioned the integrity of Nigeria’s leaders, suggesting that many individuals in public office should be imprisoned.
He made these remarks on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while meeting with six members of the House of Representatives who are co-sponsors of the bill proposing a single six-year term and rotation between the North and South.
The delegation, led by former House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Downstream Petroleum Ugo Chinyere, visited the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
“So, the very beginning is ourselves, yes system, yes we have to rethink our democracy but the character of people in government must change. With all due respect, most of those in government should right now be behind bars or in gallows,” he said.
To the former President, succeeding governments had also not built on the foundation he laid while he was in power.
“The issue for me if we get it right whether we have a single term of six years or two terms of four years is that we must decarbonise our brains and mentality.
“Look if you give him a period of a single term of six years, he can go ahead and still do the evil he would have done in a case of two terms of four years. The only difference is that he would have done that within the period of six years and not four years and that is if he is not reelected for another four years.
“To me, this is not our problem. Our main problem is ourselves and until we take care of ourselves, if we like let us adopt a single term of six years, one term of four years among others with the same mentality and same way of doing things, nothing will change,” Obasanjo stated.