Buhari is Overwhelmed, Nigeria in Serious Situation, Obasanjo Says

By Derrick Bangura

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday, said Nigeria’s security crisis was reaching a tipping point, stressing that the situation is made even more serious as President Muhammadu Buhari seems overwhelmed by the country’s problems. Obasanjo, who spoke in Abeokuta, was reacting to the recent bomb attack on an Abuja-Kaduna train, which killed eight persons, with many other passengers kidnapped or missing.
The former president agreed with the position of some members of the House of Representatives, who declared last week that nowhere was safe in the country.
That was as the foremost northern socio-political body, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere; and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cautioned against the proposal to use mercenaries in the fight against terrorists in the country.
The idea of resorting to mercenaries was mooted recently by the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, after confessing he was “angry, frustrated and felt totally helpless” over the activities of terrorists.

But, in a welcome development, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), on Sunday, said it had successfully re-railed seven out of the 11 coaches that were affected on the Kaduna-bound AK9 train, when it was attacked by terrorists. NRC also said 80 metres of the affected rail tracks had been repaired.

Obasanjo said recent happenings had shown that Nigerians were no longer safe anywhere in the country, whether in vehicles, on the train or at the airport.
Speaking at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, inside his residence, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while receiving a PDP presidential aspirant, Dr. Ugochukwu Williams, and his team, Obasanjo lamented that Nigerians “are no longer safe on the road, on the train and at the airport.” He called for a concerted effort by stakeholders to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.

The former president said the present government was overwhelmed by the situation, cautioning, however, that Nigerians must not allow the problem to overcome the country.
He said, “So, if anybody comes to say I want to see you, I want to talk to you, I will say ‘you’re welcome’. This is because I believe very strongly, and I have said it publicly and I will say it again that the situation we are in this country is not a situation, where one man will say, yes, he has a solution, unless we are deceiving ourselves. I believe we need to sit down collectively and look at the situation.

“A situation where you are not safe on the road, you are not safe on the train, you are not safe at the airport, shows a very serious situation. I believe that all right-thinking Nigerians must know that we have a situation that has overwhelmed the present administration, but we should not allow that situation to overwhelm Nigeria.”
Obasanjo wished Williams well in the pursuit of his presidential ambition.

In his remarks, Williams, flanked by House of Representatives aspirants from Plateau and Imo states, said he had, with regard to his presidential ambition, visited Obasanjo for consultation. The presidential hopeful described the former president as a leader, who was passionate about the peace and unity of Nigeria.
Williams said he was on a mission to “rescue Nigeria.”