……… says he will turn Nigerians dreams into reality
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for giving the ultimatum to the Service Chiefs to end the Boko Haram insurgency by November.
Obasanjo gave the commendation on Saturday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while addressing officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students, who paid him a courtesy visit at his hilltop residence.
He described Buhari’s decision as “right and timely”. Buhari took the right decision by telling the military to end the Boko Haram insurgency by November. It is not good to just leave everything open-ended.
“It is a strategy in the military to set target for any operation. This will enable those concerned to work hard. Having a target is necessary. Even if that target is not met, the people concerned will have something to work with.”
Obasanjo, who also pledged support for Buhari’s administration, pointed out that “no system of government can be compared with democracy”.
He noted that there is no any other government that can serve as an alternative to democracy,hence his resolve to support Buhari’s success,as the fourth democratically elected president of Nigeria.
The former president while recalling his ordeal in the hands of late military head of state,General Sani Abacha, said he would have been sentenced to death under democracy, unlike what it obtained under Abacha’s regime,after he was found guilty by the military tribunal.
He said: “I will work for the success of this current dispensation because there is no alternative to democracy.”
“The alternative to democracy is worse than democracy. I experienced that. Abacha put me in prison and I was about to be killed. If it was under democracy (democratic rule) that would not happen.”
The former president, who noted that Nigeria had started to witness positive changes since the inception of the new administration, called for support for the government.
Obasanjo said: “Nigeria in the last two and half months under the current dispensation has started witnessing positive changes.
“We thank God that we have such a leader that is helping us to translate our dreams to reality. We must give unalloyed support to him.”
Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the students’ body, Oluwatosin Ogunkuade, said their visit was informed by the contributions of Obasanjo to the development of Nigeria.
Ogunkuade said: “Your fatherly contributions to the development of Nigeria are noticeable and we have come to encourage you not to relent.”
“We need your contribution to move Nigeria to Nigeria of our dreams. We want student-youth inclusion in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”