FORMER president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to be patient with president-elect General Muhammadu Buhari saying he is not a magician and cannot be expected to fix all of Nigeria's problems within eight years.
Speaking yesterday while addressing a delegation of southwest women leaders who paid him a visit in his Abeokuta country home, Chief Obasanjo said General Buhari will not be able to repair eight years of bad governance overnight. He urged Nigerians not to expect miracles from the president-elect, who he in turn advises not to take Nigerians for granted when he assumes office on May 29.
Led by the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson, the women leaders included the Iyaloja General of Lagos Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, Iyalode Otan-Ayegbaju and Stella Olubunmi. They begged Chief Obasanjo not to abandon the president-elect when he assumes office later this month.
Chief Lawson said: “We are aware that you took over the reins of power of this country at a critical time and with the help of the Almighty, you were able to bring us back from the brink. The same goes for now, so we, therefore appeal to you not to leave the incoming government alone.
"Although we are confident in the time proven abilities of our incoming president, Muhammadu Buhari, we also believe that two heads are better than one. Where there is a gathering of wise ones, wisdom will issue forth from there.”
In response, Chief Obasanjo said the country had been poorly managed over the last eight years, maintaining that it will take some time for General Buhari’s government to transform the country owing to the level of havoc that had been caused. He who described General Buhari as an experienced leader but added that the challenge facing him is daunting.
Chief Obasanjo said: “The situation was like this when I took over in 1999, no light and no fuel but it didn’t take us so long before the issues of light and fuel were resolved. The incoming president has a lot of experience, he’s not a green horn and it is not as if he hasn’t been in power before, he is experienced.
“He knows what we did to turn things around, even when we were there together during the military regime, we did it together and it was as a result of our performance that we were invited to do it again. What I would say is that we should all put our minds at rest, he’s someone that would perform but we must exercise patience because what has been destroyed for eight years cannot be done overnight."
Quoting a Chinese proverb, Chief Obasanjo said the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. He added that what is important is not only the first step but the first step in the right direction because if the wrong step is taken, you are not likely to get to the destination.
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