Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria, has stated that many persons in President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government “should currently be behind bars or on the gallows.”

The former president also emphasised the need for “moral rearmament” among leaders and citizens to achieve Nigeria’s goals.

He warned that the country is on the brink of explosion due to its numerous challenges and urged courageous and decisive action.

Obasanjo described Nigeria’s progress as two steps forward, one step aside, and four steps backward.

The former president who himself had a tumultuous control of the country between 1999 and 2007, made the remarks while receiving six members of the House of Representatives who are co-sponsoring bills aimed at single-term presidencies, rotational presidency, and governorship rotation.

According to The PUNCH, the lawmakers’ who visited Obasanjo at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta on Friday are, Abdulmalik Danga from Kogi, Dr Usman Midala from Borno, Matthew Nwogu from Imo, Peter Aniekwe from Anambra, Kama Nkemkanma from Ebonyi, and Ugochinyere Ikenga from Imo.

During the meeting, Obasanjo said, “If we get it right in about two and a half years, we could overcome some challenges, and in about 10 years, we will have a solid foundation. In about 25 years, we could be there.

“But we always take one step forward, two steps aside, and four steps backward, which is why we are where we are.

“For me, it is not just about the system; we may need to rethink our liberal democracy. In Africa, we often talk about loyal opposition, but what we do is reach a consensus, and then there is no opposition; everyone is on the same page and moves together.

“In many African languages, the word for opposition translates to ‘enemies.’ What do you do with loyal enemies? Once you take power, you claim everything, and the opposition is left in the wilderness. This approach is not beneficial. We need everyone to join hands to advance society.

“The real issue is ourselves. Yes, the system needs rethinking, but the character of people in government must change. With all due respect, many in government should currently be behind bars or on the gallows.”