Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized Nigerian leaders, accusing many of seeking public office solely for personal gain while leaving the country in a worse state. He claimed that these individuals take massive loans, assuming they can repay them using public funds once elected.  

Obasanjo made these remarks in his new book, *Nigeria: Past and Future*, where he examined the leadership character of federal and state executives.  

The book was one of two unveiled to celebrate his 88th birthday last week.  

He described most past and present leaders—including governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners, and local government chairpersons—as unprepared, self-serving, and corrupt, prioritizing personal wealth over national development.  

According to him, many aspiring leaders are only interested in enriching themselves and their allies, disregarding the country’s progress.

He said, “How do you explain the situation of a chief executive, a governor, whose business was owing the banks billions of naira and millions of dollars before becoming a governor and within two years of becoming governor, without his company doing any business, he paid all that his businesses owed the banks.

“You are left to guess where the money came from. Having got away with that in the first term, he consigned to himself almost half of the state resources in the second term. He was a typical example of the goings-on at that level almost universally in the country with only a few exceptions.

“State resources are captured and appropriated to themselves with a pittance to staff and associates to close the mouths of those that could blow the whistle or raise alarm against them while in office and when they are out of office.’’

He further said, “The ones that are criminally ridiculous are the chief executives that deceive, lie and try to cover up on the realities and truth of action and inaction on contract awards, agreements, treaties, borrowings and forward sales of national assets. Such chief executives are unfit for the job they find themselves in.”