Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that no Nigerian leader can create a new Nigeria overnight.
Obasanjo stated this in his address at The International Conference On ‘Deepening Democratic Culture and Institutions for Sustainable Development and Security in Nigeria’ in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
According to Obasanjo, ascension to political offices does not empower incumbents to destroy the policies and programmes of their predecessors.
The former president said while it does not matter the party a predecessor belonged to, new leaders should sustain the policies and projects of their predecessors in as much as the programmes are in the interest of the people.
Obasanjo said, “In Nigeria, each new government behaves as if Nigeria is a newly found country,” he said during his speech titled, ‘Respecting The Principles Of Democracy.
“In fact, during campaigns, some leaders sound as if they plan to reinvent Nigeria and create new Nigerians overnight. That is because they miss the aspect of democracy that emphasizes continuity, stability and predictability.
“One regime can lay the foundation but it requires many regimes to continue to build positively and constructively on the foundation.
“It is largely because we overlook and often disregard the basic principles of democracy. And somehow, we do not appreciate the damage that we do, individually and collectively, to the fabric of the nation,” he said.
Obasanjo stressed that democracy is not a one-day wonder, noting that there must be continuity and predictability of policies despite changes in leadership.
