–Unlike Tinubu, Obasanjo had presence of mind to govern, says Adebayo

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has attributed the hardships currently faced by Nigerians to President Bola Tinubu’s failure to focus adequately on governance.

He lamented that part of the President’s shortcomings is his refusal to communicate effectively with Nigerians or seek consultations before making major policy decisions. This, according to him, has resulted in the appointment of ministers who contribute little to the administration’s effectiveness.

“The only thing many of the ministers know about is the route to their offices; to engage an issue on their mandate is difficult. Apart from going to the weekly executive council meeting and somebody is asked to address the media, try to track decisions they make in the federal executive council, and you will see that the majority of it are mere approvals, not policy. They are like a tender’s board. They have turned themselves into a tender’s board, where contracts are taken to them,” he said.

Prince Adebayo further criticised the administration for its failure to secure the lives and property of Nigerians, making daily life increasingly challenging for citizens.

Insisting that there is currently no effective governance in Nigeria, he stated:
“When life and property are safe, governance is taking place even if the president doesn’t talk. If the civil servants are delivering on services and they are meeting their targets; if people have better electricity and better healthcare; if the rule of law is working through the judiciary; if the industry is working, and industry this time, is in two branches – professionals like lawyers, nurses, and productive industry like manufacturing, agriculture, and extractive industry; if those ones are working, whether people like your face or not, the evidence will be clear that governance is taking place. But, these are not there at present.”

Commenting on former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent remarks about the current government, Prince Adebayo noted that while Obasanjo did not get everything right during his tenure, he had the courage to bring talented Nigerians into his administration.

“The difference is that Obasanjo had efficiency, but he knew how to govern even when he had bad policy. He had the presence of mind to govern, compared to those who are there now who don’t have the presence of mind to govern. Obasanjo has the time to consult. He has the ability to explain; he was not too afraid of bringing talents to his government.

“That doesn’t mean you will agree with him on all his policies. After all, if he was successful, many of the problems the subsequent administrations met on ground wouldn’t have been met. But, that doesn’t disqualify him from pointing out what is wrong. More so, he has been in that office a number of times. Even if you are doing what he has done before, that is not an excuse,” he submitted.