Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to refrain from using divisive language that undermines Nigeria’s progress.
Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South Senatorial District, made this statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The senator was responding to Obasanjo’s recent comments at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University.
In his keynote address, Obasanjo criticized Nigeria’s leadership, describing the nation as being in a state of “state capture” and urging Nigerians to focus on credible leadership for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“I have a lot of respect for former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but the language of the war on peacetime is a disaster,” Ibrahim remarked.
He accused Obasanjo of using inflammatory language, which he argued was counterproductive in a peaceful environment.
“Everybody knows that developing countries are failed states. How do you define developing countries in international relations? Failed states,” he added.
The senator expressed doubts about Obasanjo’s understanding of the challenges faced by the current administration under President Bola Tinubu.
“Is Obasanjo’s interest more than my interest? I employed over 4,000 Nigerians. Baba himself knows that if Nigeria at this time is a failed state, then what do we talk about Ghana?”
Ibrahim praised Tinubu’s reforms, stating that the administration is taking the country in a positive direction.
“Nigeria is working under this government,” he said.
He highlighted three key aspects of international relations – authority, influence, and independence – that he believes Tinubu’s administration has successfully managed.
“I have been in the IMF now for over nine years. IMF is going to like Tinubu for some of the reforms that he is pioneering,” he stated.
He pointed out that the government’s policies are independent of foreign influence, especially from countries like the United States and China.
“Tinubu’s administration knows from the beginning what problems they are going to give by trying to be independent,” he asserted.
Ibrahim dismissed Obasanjo’s claim that Nigeria is a failed state.
He further criticized the former president for not acknowledging improvements in the country’s security situation.
“Why is Obasanjo not talking about Boko Haram? Why is Obasanjo not telling us that the security situation in the country has improved under Tinubu?” he questioned.
He also rejected using the exchange rate between the naira and the dollar as a measure of the government’s performance.
“Is the dollar-to-naira ratio now the yardstick to measure government performance?” he asked.
Ibrahim urged Obasanjo to adopt a constructive tone in addressing national issues.
“When you use the language of war in peacetime, you are doing a disservice to the nation,” he concluded.
