Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has attacked President Bola Tinubu, saying he came into power without a plan for the country.
Speaking in an interview with News Central monitored by Intel Region.
According to him, leadership was beyond opening the mouth to make a pronouncement especially when such a pronouncement had not been studied.
He said; “What do you say of a president who came to office without a plan? Came to the office without a plan and then you woke up and just said three-point plan. What is the three-point plan? What are they going to achieve? Who are the people who have worked on it? You come and just open your mouth and make a pronouncement on something that has not been studied.
“Let me give you an example. When I was military head of state we decided to really be part of the frontline states to fight the last vestiges of colonialism and apartheid.
“We were determined and as a result of our policy, our pronouncement, and determination we became known as a member of the frontline states though we were thousands of kilometers from the frontline. We decided that we would do what needed to be done and then we worked with the frontline states and where we needed to go the whole hog with them we did and at the end of the day we succeeded.
“But it cost us something but what it cost us could have been wasted on anything but our commitment made African countries and the international community respect us and they respected us for it. And that is leadership.”
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Meanwhile, in similar development, Obasanjo has blamed lack of continuity and policy somersault as one of the major hindrances to achieving food security in Africa and the continent’s overall development.
Obasanjo said that the government should also stay away from getting involved in the business of production but rather provide the enabling environment that could make the private sector drive the economy of the country.
The former President said that the hunger crisis the nation and the continent are currently battling with would not have been this worse if the culture of continuity in developmental and food production efforts had been sustained.
Obasanjo revealed this on Thursday at the unveiling of Okun Rice held at Asero, Abeokuta.
Obasanjo said that it was bad that successive governments do not encourage the culture of continuity and that this has significantly impacted food production and agricultural practices in the country.
The former President said “Part of our problem in Nigeria and Africa as a whole is lack of continuity and this is very bad for every development at family level, state level, national level and continental.
“What I found so ridiculous is that because there has been no continuity in so many things we are doing, you will hear people saying “for the first time ever” as if Nigeria is just beginning today, whereas the problem is lack of continuity.
“When you go back you will find out that some people have done that which they are talking about in the past and if we had continued, our situation wouldn’t have been as bad as it is, particularly in the area of food production.
“I have always said it that the government has no business in production, the primary duty of the government is to provide the enabling environment for agricultural production and other business enterprises to thrive so as to achieve food security.”
He added, “So, I am saying that for us to achieve increased food production and achieve food sufficiency at the state, national and continental level, the government must be ready to provide the enabling environment and ensure continuity of assisted agricultural policies to enhance food production.”
