Corruption must be fought from top, says Obasanjo

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo said the fight against corruption must start with leadership for it to succeed.

He described corruption as hydra-headed and one that has eaten deep into the fabric of Nigerian society.

Obasanjo spoke on Sunday night during an interactive session on Zoom tagged “Boiling Point Arena.”

The conversation focused on Obasanjo’s legacies in government and his assessment of today’s Nigeria.

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The former president also submitted that the fight against corruption must be a consistent and daily affair to nip it in the bud.

He lashed out at those in government for “creating poverty” in the country.

He said “Corruption is very hydra-headed and eats deep. I think it was the Sultan of Sokoto, the father of the present Sultan, who said corruption is like a babanriga, if you are folding it on one side, it’s falling apart on the other side. When you carry it on both sides, you cannot hold your hands up and as soon as you put your hands down, it’s falling apart. And that’s corruption.

“It’s not a one-day affair. It’s not a one-regime affair. It’s not even a two-regime affair. It has to be consistent. It has to be continual. It has to be a daily affair. Once one regime is let off, it spreads.”

Speaking on leadership, he said self-made leaders or those enthroned by Satan are bound to fail.

He insisted that only God makes a leader and whoever he enthrones will succeed.