TheCable

As reactions continue to trail the recent statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the state of the nation, the Council of Progressive Yoruba Youths has apologized to Nigerians.

The youth group said the latest criticism  Obasanjo was off-point and should be discarded in its entirety.

Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Tuesday, Kola Salawu, national president of the group, said Nigerians needed to forgive Obasanjo for the “eight years he wasted” as a civilian president and for the wrong path he set the nation on.

He alleged that Obasanjo sowed the seed for extremism that birthed terrorism, saying he made sure the military was emasculated and unable to respond to the threat he has created.

“In Yoruba land, we take pride in answering our names. Only a bastard will deny his name. In practical terms this translates into us standing by our decisions and actions, irrespective of what outcomes they produced,” he said.

“Where the outcomes are good, we are delighted; where the results of our actions are undesirable, we accept responsibility with honour and explore how to make amends so that we remain an integral part of the society.

“Of course, in the ancient past, where the failing is too grievous and involves a king that remained recalcitrant the relevant powers will have to present him with an empty calabash.

“This is a level of honour Obasanjo has never possessed and is incapable of learning. Had he such honour he would have accepted that the current insecurity is the outcome of his misrule that is only now yielding fruits. The poverty that makes it possible for terrorists, militants and separatists to gain new recruits was first instituted under his watch as president.

“The extremism that the nation today grapple with first surfaced under him with some states declaring Sharia rule, which was the incentive that made terrorists started demanding nationwide strict implementation Sharia.

“In the entire eight years he held office, Obasanjo was in mortal fear of being overthrown because of the unpopularity of his government. His solution to this was to destroy the military in the belief that there would be no way to plot a coup against him if there is no virile military. In addition to embarking on massive sacks and purge that deprived the military establishment of crucial institutional memory, he also ensured that the military inventory was depleted without replenishment or procurement to make sure that the military was incapacitated.

“In essence, Obasanjo sowed the seed for extremism that birthed terrorism. He backed this up by ensuring that the military was emasculated and unable to respond to the threat he has created. What has saved Nigeria from Obasanjo’s evil intent was the timely turnaround being witnessed under President Buhari, who has high regards for institutional memory in the military.

“The whole of Nigeria became his enemy and he has never lost on any perceived opportunity to exact vengeance on all citizens. May we refresh our memory that Obasanjo reportedly trained 1000 killer snipers abroad with the intention of using them to assassinate those who stand in the way of his ambition. These snipers formed part of the pioneer team of killers that have remained loose in the country till date.”