2023 Presidency: No Leader Can Transform Nigeria Overnight – Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president, asserted that no Nigerian leader could overnight transform the country. 

This was said by Obasanjo in his speech at the Thursday conference in Port Harcourt on deepening democratic institutions for security and development in Nigeria.

Obasanjo contends that holding political office does not give incumbents the authority to renege on the policies and initiatives of their forerunners. 

According to the previous president, it is irrelevant to new leaders whether political party their predecessors belonged to as long as the policies and initiatives are carried out in the best interests of the populace.

Obasanjo said, “In Nigeria, each new government behaves as if Nigeria is a newly found country,” he said during his speech titled, ‘Respecting The Principles Of Democracy.

“In fact, during campaigns, some leaders sound as if they plan to reinvent Nigeria and create new Nigerians overnight. That is because they miss the aspect of democracy that emphasizes continuity, stability and predictability.

“One regime can lay the foundation but it requires many regimes to continue to build positively and constructively on the foundation.

“It is largely because we overlook and often disregard the basic principles of democracy. And somehow, we do not appreciate the damage that we do, individually and collectively, to the fabric of the nation,” he said.

Obasanjo emphasized that democracy is not a one-day phenomenon and that, despite changes in leadership, there must be continuity and predictability in policy.