A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and ex-presidential candidate, Prof Kingsley Moghalu has termed Olusegun Obasanjo as Nigeria’s best president since 1999.
Moghalu said Obasanjo, a former military Head of State who led the country as a civilian president from 1999 – 2007 succeeded because he was focused on Nigeria as his constituency, rather than his ethnic group.
This was contained in a statement issued on social media just days after Obasanjo marked his 84th birthday.
He said, “OBJ, faults and all, is our best President since 1999. One key reason for his success is that he was focused on Nigeria as his constituency not his ethnic group. All his career was federal/international – nation-building, national security, economy, foreign affairs.
“So he thought like a president of Nigeria, not a provincial politician. Nigeria is a unique place. In advanced democracies, it is often the case that politicians start local and move upward. Because they have a real nation with a unity of purpose and destiny.
“Here, the presidency requires transcendence of mind and action in order to provide the kind of leadership we need. Strong experience in federal and international institutions provides that necessary perspective for effective leadership of a country like ours.”