Speaking at his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta when officials of the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS) paid him a visit on Friday, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo stated that in just two months, Nigerians are witnessing the country they never dreamed about, due to Buhari’s administration.
According to This Day, he stated: “In the last two and a half months, Nigerians have started to witness a Nigeria of their dreams, noting that the country had tottered towards the precipice so many times but God had not allowed it to tumble. When one takes a look at everything, the most crucial and vital conclusion is that God loves Nigeria. We thank God for peace even after the election. No single individual is a paragon of perfection. There is no Messiah except Jesus Christ. But there are people who still stick out their neck for the good of Nigerians. Thank God we have such as a leader now. What we have witnessed in the last two and a half months is that our dreams are coming true. We must give unalloyed support to the government. Many had thought after the 2015 general elections, Nigeria would be no more. Some had sent their families abroad. Some know the NADECO route. I don’t know the NADECO route. I don’t have anywhere to go. But to the surprise of many of them, God did it in a miraculous way. The election took place, though some did not want it to take place. But let us thank God it took place. We must also thank those who conducted the elections. No matter what the critics of President Buhari might be saying, I will work for the success of this current dispensation.”
Obasanjo stated that criticisms that are objective and positive will always be welcome. Furthermore, he made it clear that there was no alternative to democracy, reminding the students that he fought the same battle which resulted in Abacha imprisoning him. Obasanjo also praised Buhari for giving the military a deadline in terms of eradicating ISWAP from the nation, stating that the same procedures were taken during the Biafran War and although the deadline was not met, it still helped the military to strategise.
The students responded and pleaded for greater youth civic engagement and inclusion in politics, further stating that they would like to see Buhari’s administration extend its anti corruption and war agenda to the educational sector in the country.