Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says President Muhammadu Buhari has not disappointed him since he assumed office in 2015, though he admitted that Buhari “is not strong on the economy”.
Obasanjo said this in an interview with NAN at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.
He said the president had done his best to move the country forward, commending Buhari for “delivering” on his core areas of strength and ability, particularly in the anti-corruption crusade and the war against insurgency.
“Whatever anybody says, President Buhari has not disappointed me from what I know of him,” he said.
“In my book, I have said that Buhari is not strong on the economy and I did not write this to run him down.
“I also used to think that he is not strong in the area of foreign affairs, but I have realised that he has improved very well. He has actually done his best in the areas where we know him to be strong.”
The former president urged Nigerians not to relent in their support for Buhari and not to give up on Nigeria.
“Whatever you might see as bad in Nigeria, other societies have gone through the same at some period in their history,” he said.
“It is not for us to begin to condemn but to begin to join hands together and consider how we can make the best out of our present.
“Our present situation is a passing phase and we need to be resilient to ensure that we are not consumed by it.
“I will be the first to admit that we have not been where we should have been, but note that we have also been far from where we could have been because it could have been worse.
“It is the height of ingratitude for people to say Nigeria has not achieved anything or much as a nation.
“The generation before mine fought for Nigeria’s independence, that is great. My own generation, which is the next, fought to sustain the unity of Nigeria.
“Since 1999, Nigeria has enjoyed 18 years of unbroken democracy. We witnessed in 2007 a transition of power from one individual to another in the same party.
“We witnessed in 2015 a transition of power from an individual in the ruling party to another individual in the opposition party. All these should not be taken for granted.”
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