In an exclusive interview on Tuesday with the UK guardian, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo said fighting corruption in Nigeria is not a one night affair.
In his usual manner, when the journalist who interviewed him was trying to down play the issue of corruption among Nigeria leaders, the former president told him to hit the nail on the head and call a spade by its name.
“You are being euphemistic when you say lack of accountability. Call it corruption,” he said.
“There is no part of the world where corruption is absolutely eliminated. But [in other countries] corruption has not been a way of life. When you are found, you are dealt with. And that’s what we need,” he added
Chief Obasanjo who was in the UK to promote investment in Nigeria disclosed that “Fighting corruption is not a one-night affair.”
“The givers of most of the corruption in Africa are from outside Africa,” he said. “They do in Africa, they would not do in their own countries. In my part of the world, we have a saying that the man who carries a pot of palm oil from the ceiling is not the only thief.
He has an accomplice in the man who helps him to bring it down. The giver and the taker are criminals, and they should be treated as such.”
Former President Obasanjo is now working as a roving ambassador, facilitating companies’ entry into the country and the rest of Africa. He said he believes that positive examples of business success will encourage avaricious minds to look for more legitimate routes to wealth.
“I still believe in the opportunities that Africa affords to make legitimate money. Africa is one place I believe that if you are courageous enough, you get the money, you can invest and get 25% return on your investment annually. There aren’t many places in the world where you can get that return,” he said
