Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the country was fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state.
Obasanjo, who blamed the situation on recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of the country, also lamented that economically, Nigeria was becoming a basket case.
He spoke at a consultative dialogue on Thursday attended by members of Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum.
In his speech at the event entitled ‘Moving Nigeria away from tipping over’ Obasanjo said:
“Today, Nigeria is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state; economically our country is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world, and socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country.
“And these manifestations are the products of recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country.
“Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere.”
The former president called on those beating drums of war and calling for secession not to forget that should Nigeria break up, the pieces would still remain neighbours and would still have to relate with one another.
Obasanjo, who was among Nigerians that played major parts in President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015, has since become a fierce critic of the incumbent administration.
He was opposed to Buhari’s second term and had written several letters condemning perceived failures of the current government.
