FORMER President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that the incoming administration must work to facilitate national moral rearmament and reconciliation, following the divisiveness occasioned by the just concluded general elections.
This he said had the potential to bring about healing and to assuage Nigerian youths who were angered by the shortcomings of the elections.
He further advocated national reconciliation in order to enhance the healing needed for national peace and cohesion.
Obasanjo said this on Thursday at the Yaradua Centre in Abuja during a book presentation, ‘The Unending Quest For Reform: An Intellectual Memoir’ authored by Dr Tunji Olaopa.
The ex-President’s comment comes about two days after a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, said Nigeria is currently more divided than it was during the civil war between July 1967 and January 1970.
Obasanjo added that governance in Nigeria now required thinking outside the box, to rescue the nation, in terms of its plunging economy and huge national debt burden, adding that there must also be the political will and action, as well as administrative efforts, to reform the public service, and turn it into a capability-ready unit.
He then noted that in light of the challenges facing the country, he was now “too old to keep quiet”, stating that he would continue to voice concerns for the benefit of the nation.