ABUJA, Nigeria — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has lashed out at the economic policies and governance style of his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, characterizing his administration as one marked by “reckless spending.”
The remarks were made during an interview with journalists on Monday, September 4, 2023, where Obasanjo also addressed the troubling increase in military coups across Africa.
His criticism comes on the heels of a similar rebuke from Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the former Emir of Kano and ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Sanusi accused Buhari of disregarding expert advice and surrounding himself with sycophants during his eight-year tenure, saying that an “inexperienced boy” even managed to own a jet under the administration.
Obasanjo echoed Sanusi’s sentiments, specifically concerning the alarming rate at which the Buhari administration borrowed money.
“Tinubu said the other day that it was unacceptable that he would spend 90% of his revenue to service debts. I wasn’t spending 90% when I went worldwide to get debt relief. Do you think that anybody would give you debt relief today?” Obasanjo said.
“Buhari was spending money recklessly. I know Buhari didn’t understand economics. I put that in my book. But that he could also be so reckless, I didn’t know.”
The issue of Nigeria’s economy wasn’t the only topic Obasanjo touched upon; he also delved into the rising wave of military coups across Africa.
Obasanjo called this a “new phenomenon,” suggesting that the liberal democracy model adopted from Western nations may not be suited for the African context.
“When I noticed this, I went to Addis Ababa to meet the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. I told him that maybe he had not seen what I was seeing,” Obasanjo said. “So we have a situation where we have a continent where we have to rethink democracy. The liberal democracy we are copying from settled societies in the West won’t work for us.”
The former President’s comments draw attention to ongoing debates about governance, economic stability, and the future of democracy in Nigeria and Africa more broadly.
Obasanjo’s statements may very well fuel discussions that challenge longstanding norms, potentially leading to a reevaluation of what effective governance should look like on the continent.
The Nigerian government has not yet officially responded to the former President’s critiques.
