What has Obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria?

LET ME start by congratulating former
President Olusegun Obasanjo on his newest
title of Baba Onigbagbo Ogun (Leader of
Christians in Ogun State) conferred on him
by the Christian Association of Nigeria,
Ogun State Branch on Sunday, February 26,
2017 in celebration of his 80th birthday. This
is a position that should make the former
President speak the truth no matter the
condition he finds himself but alas it wasn’t
so.
On Monday, February 27, 2017 at a
programme organised by the Kaduna State
Chamber of Mines and Commerce, Obasanjo
challenged Nigerian youths by asking them
what their generation would do for Nigeria.
He stated that his generation fought for the
unity of Nigeria and laid the foundation for
democracy but forgot that his generation
also undid the two things they did for
Nigeria. His generation fought for the unity
of Nigeria and still introduced disunity in
like manner. The democracy that was given
to Nigeria by his generation was a fake one
as it is “lootocracy”, a democracy that is
based on looting, looting and looting.
The evil done to Nigeria by Obasanjo’s
generation is unequalled and unparalleled.
Obasanjo and his contemporaries like Gen
Sani Abacha, Gen Ibrahim Babangida,
immediate past government and
Muhammadu Buhari among others are the reason why Nigeria is at the zero point we
are today.
Nigeria gained independence in 1960.
That independence was truncated by
Obasanjo’s fellow military men when we
had the first coup and Maj. Gen. J.T.U.
Aguiyi Ironsi emerged as the Head of
State. The casualties of the coup included
the Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa; the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir
Ahmadu Bello; the Premier of the Western
Region, Samuel Akintola; and finance
minister Festus Okotie-Eboh, among
others. These shining stars were lost to the
coup plotted and executed by Obasanjo’s
generation and Nigeria has not been the
same since then.
After this, there were coups and countercoups
including the one involving
Obasanjo in 1975 that saw to the removal
of Gen. Yakubu Gowon from office and the
circus continued until “democracy” came
back fully in 1999 with the same Obasanjo
as President of the Federal Republic.
The military coups were the first actions
that created division in our country. The
same unity that Obasanjo’s generation
claimed they fought for. The coups were
plotted and executed based on religion and
ethnic coloration and till today, the fruits
of those ignoble actions are being reaped
by Nigerians. Apart from the coups, this
generation destroyed the commonwealth
of Nigeria and positioned us for the
breaking point of today.
The military governments headed by
Obasanjo’s generation were characterised
by looting, state sponsored assassinations,
mysterious disappearance of people from
the country and other evil vices. When
Buhari as a military officer toppled the
democratically elected president Shehu
Shagari from office in a bloodless coup
in 1983 and took over the reins of power
with his deputy, Brig. Tunde Idiagbon,
they succeeded in leading the country
into its worst economic mess, the value
of the naira dropped and there was
hardship everywhere coupled with the 52
suitcases issue too. So, what has Obasanjo’s
generation done for Nigeria?
After a period of time, Buhari was
removed in a palace coup by Babangida
in 1985. Babangida’s tenure was a
continuation of the maladministration of
the Buhari regime, from assassinations
to looting and other vices including
the introduction of the failed Structural
Adjustment Programme; this tenure
stood out. Under the leadership of the
Evil Genius (as fondly called), Dele Giwa
was killed in a parcel bomb on a Black
Sunday. That was the first and only time
that a Nigerian had died by parcel bomb
and this was long before Boko Haram
started deploying bombs everywhere.
Under Babangida, the June 12 election
which was adjudged the freest and fairest
election in Nigeria’s history was annulled
for no reason. Till today, what happened
to the $12bn Gulf War oil windfall under
Babangida remains a mystery. So, what has
Obasanjo’s generation done for Nigeria?
The maladministration of Obasanjo’s
generation continued with the government
of Yar’Adua/Jonathan. The government
of the day will be in competition with
Abacha’s tenure based on corruption
perception index. It was all about looting,
looting and looting. We can’t forget so soon
the alleged missing $20bn among other
looted funds as was revealed by the EFCC.
So, what has Obasanjo’s generation done
for Nigeria?
The same Buhari that was a beneficiary
of a coup that removed Shagari from office
in 1985 is now the President of Nigeria
after winning the 2015 presidential election
and as it was in 1983, so it is in 2017. The
Nigerian economy is experiencing its worst
recession in 25 years courtesy of the Buhariled
government. The security situation is
still a mounting challenge.
From the north to the south, it’s all
shades of civil unrest and terrorist attacks
and our President is currently in London
on medical vacation after campaigning
against foreign medical treatment. All
because Obasanjo’s generation didn’t build
a world class health system for Nigeria. So,
what has his generation done for Nigeria?