The Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to listen to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s advice on issues affecting the country.
The national chairman of the association, Alhaji Sale Bayari, made the call yesterday while addressing journalists in Jos, Pateau State.
According to him, Obasanjo understands Nigeria’s problems and that if the government listens to him, the country will be better.
“In moving the nation forward, the government must listen to some elder statesmen irrespective of whatever their political view or affiliation is. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is one of them. I’ve found out that if any government in Africa is to tap one-third of what is in the brain of Obasanjo and use it, Africa will be better. Similarly, West Africa and Nigeria will be better for it. Obasanjo knows our problem. And then whenever he talks and explodes sometimes, it’s because he has made efforts to be listened to without success. He’ll then feel that posterity will judge him harshly if he does not come out to tell Nigerians and the world the truth of things.
“Undoubtedly, Obasanjo is an embodiment of knowledge, experience and he knows very well the problems of our country. There is nobody, dead or alive today, that thinks the way Obasanjo does or knows what Obasanjo knows. He knows Nigeria, Africa and the entire world like the back of his hand. That’s why I’m advising this government to tap the brains of people like Obasanjo. He is a person that can lead the government into looking critically at the problems bedevilling the nation and finding a way forward.
“We know that government can do and undo, but any government desiring to move forward will require the support of statesmen and nationalists like Obasanjo. There are other statesmen the government should listen to, like Yakubu Gowon, Ango Abdullahi, Sultan of Sokoto, Oni of Ife, Obi of Onitsha, and others. These are people that have this nation at heart and would not want it to disintegrate. If they put their machinery in place, peace and progress will be achieved. But unfortunately, nobody is mobilizing them or seeking their input in solving the national crises. These people know what to do or the right people to call, among other things in solving the problems,” he said.
