Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has been overwhelmed by insecurity as evidenced by the bomb attack on a Kaduna-bound train last week.
The former President said this at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving a Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Dr Ugochukwu Williams, and his team.
This is just as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, expressed shock over the bombing of the train.
Eight persons were confirmed dead in the attack while 184 are still unaccounted for.
Reacting to the incident, Obasanjo said the development had shown that Nigerians were not safe anywhere, whether on the road, in the train or at the airport, adding that the country was in a very serious situation.
He expressed concern that Nigerians “are no longer safe on the road, in the train and at the airport,” and called for concerted effort by stakeholders to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.
Buhari govt overwhelmed, Nigerians no longer safe on roads, train, airports, says ex-President
The former President said the Buhari regime had been overwhelmed by the situation, but urged Nigerians not allow the situation to overwhelm the country.
He also cautioned Nigerians to not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the security challenges.
Obasanjo stated, “So, if anybody comes to say I want to see you, I want to talk to you, I will say, ‘You’re welcome’. This is because I believe very strongly, and I have said it publicly and I will say it again, that the situation we are in this country is not a situation where one man will say yes, he has a solution, unless we are deceiving ourselves. I believe that we need to sit down collectively and look at the situation.
“A situation where you are not safe on the road, you are not safe on the train, you are not safe at the airport, shows a very serious situation.
“I believe that all right-thinking Nigerians must know that we have a situation that has overwhelmed the present administration, but we should not allow that situation to overwhelm Nigeria.”
He, however, wished Williams well in the pursuit of his presidential ambition.
In his remarks, Williams, who was accompanied by House of Representatives aspirants from Plateau and Imo states, said he visited Obasanjo for consultation on his presidential ambition.
He described Obasanjo as a leader who was passionate about peace and unity of Nigeria.
The young presidential aspirant stated that he was on a mission to “rescue Nigeria,” which he said had been bedevilled by insecurity and other socio-economic challenges.
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On his part, Adeboye said he was still unsure if the 2023 general elections would take place, stressing that there were myriads of issues that were of interest to God concerning the country than to be fixed on an activity scheduled for about a year’s time.
He said this on Sunday shortly before preaching on the topic, ‘Waiting without wasting’, during his monthly telecast.
“Talking about myself, as I’m standing before you, I still don’t know whether or not there will be elections next year. The last time there was an election, God spoke to me in June; I don’t know yet about 2023,” he stated.
Adeboye lamented the security challenges bedevilling Kaduna State and the financial issues of the country, warning that generations unborn might bear the consequences if not tackled.
He said, “You can’t go to Kaduna by road or air because you may be attacked; why Kaduna? Who is trying to isolate Kaduna? From reports, more than 80 per cent of our crude oil is being stolen, who is stealing the oil and where is the money going to? What will they want to do with the money? Who are the foreign nations buying the oil?
“More than 90 per cent of our income is used to pay interest on the money we have borrowed. We are borrowing more; we are moving steadily towards bankruptcy and your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren will be paying debts.”
He revealed that he would continue to pray for politicians, noting that he had a single prayer point for them whenever they came for intercession.
“I will pray and I have only one prayer point for everyone; father, let your perfect will for this fellow be done,” Adeboye added.
According to him, he does not vote because it will be an act of injustice to the rest of his political children if he votes for one.
Adeboye, who urged his congregation to participate in politics by registering with any party of their choice and ensuring that their votes were counted, said he was not a politician but one whose assignment was to pray for his country and his children.
The cleric also dispelled rumours that he was supporting a candidate in next year’s elections, stating that he neither votes nor endorses candidates or political parties, because his congregation was composed of people of different political leanings.
He stated, “My assignment has nothing to do with partisan politics. I have never told you the candidate to vote for or the party to belong, because every party is heavily represented here. The only reason I have never voted is that if I vote for anyone, I will be unjust to the rest of my children and I’m the father of all.
“You are first a Nigerian before a member of a party; you have a duty to register, vote and make sure your vote counts, you have a duty to belong to a party. You can’t refuse to vote and begin to complain about the government.