Sunday Dare slams Ex-President Obasanjo for running ‘most corrupt presidency in Nigeria’s history’

Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation to President Bola Tinubu, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of presiding over the most corrupt administration in Nigeria’s history.

Obasanjo, who served as president from 1999 to 2007, recently claimed that Nigeria’s current state of decline is due to “widespread corruption, poor leadership, and immorality” under President Tinubu’s government.

However, Dare hit back, accusing Obasanjo of failing to lay the necessary infrastructure foundation during his time in office. He also criticised the former president’s comments, calling them insincere.

On his X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, Dare wrote, “Former President Obasanjo is a man with a tremendous capacity for mischief, and Nigerians know it. His journey along the path of hallucinations has never been in doubt. So is his descent into muddling facts, forgetting that he ran a Presidency on record as the most corrupt. His recent diatribe at Yale University lacks sincerity.”

Dare continued, stating, “It is actually laughable that Obasanjo’s pretentiousness about fighting corruption is not cutting any ice with the public. We all know what happened under his watch, and to this day, there has been no explanation as to how he wasted a staggering $16bn meant for generating electricity, yet failed to bring power to the country. But that is not even the main issue.”

He added that democracy suffered under Obasanjo’s leadership, particularly due to his push for a controversial third term, which he described as a “murderous rage”. Dare further pointed out that successive governments, including President Tinubu’s, have had to clean up the mess Obasanjo left behind.

“Obasanjo has lost any moral right to condemn any government. He should apologise to Nigerians for not laying the foundational infrastructure Nigeria needed to progress,” Dare said.

He concluded with a Yoruba proverb: “A o ki n wo ariwo oja, eniti a anba na oja ni a n wo,” meaning “You should not pay attention to the market noise; rather, focus on the person you are negotiating with.” He explained that in the “market” of Nigeria, President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda is what truly matters.

“Obasanjo should stop pulling down leaders, especially his successors,” Dare urged. “He needs to reflect on how his own actions contributed to Nigeria’s parlous state, which President Tinubu is now working hard to put back on track. We thank him for agreeing that ‘Yes, there is hope’. That is the Renewed Hope Agenda, and it’s on track.”