'Those in power lack focus, knowledge of economy,' Ex-President says

He said for Nigeria to make significant progress, the issue of poor leadership must urgently be fixed.

Obasanjo stated this at a seminar in Kaduna state on Monday, February 27.

He said if the country does not resolve the issue to bad leadership, it would just be a case of taking "one step forward and another step backward."

"Nigerian leaders must be tough and ready to bite the bullet, because Nigeria cannot have it easy and until we get the right leadership, the problem will continue.

"Some leaders lack focus, commitment, and continuity, hence we have not been able to achieve meaningful result," he said.

On the inconsistency in policies, Obasanjo said, as military head of state, his administration banned the importation of toothpick in 1977, because it is the "most stupid thing to import when we can produce it here."

However, Obasanjo expressed shock at the listing of the embargo about 40 years later. He said one of the presidents who succeeded him reversed the ban.

He said: "One of the presidents that came after me, I won’t mention his name, unbanned toothpick. Then, I put on my Babanriga (a native attire) and went to Abuja to express my shock about the policy, but to my greatest surprise, the president told me, he signed the document unbanning toothpick without reading it.

"Another thing is that, he came in saying he will generate additional 30,000 megawatts to the 3,500megawatts we left behind, and I told him, ‘don’t trouble yourself, if you can add 3,000 megawatts to the one we left behind, you will receive the best of awards’. But, to my greatest shock, he couldn’t add one megawatt before leaving office."

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The elder statesman added that lack of synergy in public and private sectors is responsible for the setback in the nation’s economic growth.

He said the public sector and the private sector are "two legs that when brought together can accelerate development in all sectors of the economy."

On the privatisation of the oil sector, which was revoked by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, he said: "When we were in office, we privatised NNPC and sold to Dangote and partners, but the government that succeeded me revoked it and that is why till today, NNPC cannot work optimally.

"But, today the same Dangote that was denied ownership of NNPC is building a refinery that can produce in excess of what NNPC can produce and what Nigeria can consume. So, it means he will even export."