Obasanjo: Self-made, Satan enthroned leaders bound to fail
Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
By Ayorinde Oluokun
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said self-made or leaders enthroned by Satan are bound to fail.
Obasanjo said this on Sunday night while speaking on a Zoom programme tagged “Boiling Point Arena,” hosted by a radio station in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.
The former President also spoke on anti-corruption war in the country, his legacies in government and current events in Nigeria, Channels TV reports.
Hr insisted that only leader ordained by God makes will succeed, while dismissing claims that every leader is ordained by God.
“So I will say most leaders are prepared by God and they put in place by God and when that happens the chances of success are higher than when you make yourself a leader which may not be the act of God.
“And again people saying all leaders are made by God, I don’t accept that. A leader can also be made by Satan. In the case of Job, you can remember Satan was going up and down and went before God and God was commending Job but Satan said Job was upright to God because he has gotten from God.
“We must accept that Satan is real and he has power, he has no salvation but he has power and the power of Satan must not be underrated.”
On the war against corruption, Obasanjo said the fight must begin from the top to be successful.
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According to him, tackling corruption at the highest levels of leadership would set an example for others and demonstrate the government’s commitment to transparency and integrity.
The former President said corruption is an hydra-headed problem that has eaten deep into the fabric of Nigerian society.
He therefore said the fight against corruption must start with leadership for it to succeed.
“The best way of fighting corruption is starting from the head, that is where corruption has to be fought from,” he said.
The former President also submitted that the fight against corruption must be a consistent and daily affair to nip it in the bud.
, “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 ‘babariga’, 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.”
Obasanjo also advocates that recruitment and appointment of leaders into public offices must be made on merit rather than political or tribal basis for the country to move forward.