NewStats: 3,264,456 , 8,183,768 topics. Date: Wednesday, 11 June 2025 at 07:34 AM 81n2n

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said corrupt politicians cannot provide good governance.

He spoke virtually at the memorial lecture of Denis Joseph Slattery on “the imperative for moral rectitude in governance”, held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The memorial lecture, organised by the Old Boys’ Association of St. Finbarr’s College, was in remembrance of the late Irish-born missionary who sojourned to Ilawe-Ekiti, Nigeria in 1941.

The former president who referred to corrupt political leaders and politicians as “thieves”, said such people cannot provide just governance.

He said they should be jailed for their misconduct, adding that the most important demand of anybody involved in governance at any level is “ability”.

According to the 87-year-old statesman, government officials with “questionable” integrity cannot make fair decisions for the greater good.

“If you look clinically at the people in government today at both executive and legislative levels, some of them should be permanently behind bars for their past misdemeanour and criminal misconduct.”

"You cannot expect thieves to give good judgement in favour of the owner of the property,” he said.

The Abeokuta-born politician and one time Head of State further recalled his shocking experience with corruption, citing how a government official normalised criminal behaviour when confronted.

“The first thing that shocked me when I went into politics was the level of corruption of election officials which was taken as normal”.

The second was the level of general and criminal misbehaviour which was taken with levity and impunity. We were at a meeting and a man lied and I confronted him, and the next thing he said is ‘It is all politics, Sir’.

"Every bad thing they do is ed on as politics which means politics has no room for morality, principles, rectitude, ethics, good character and attributes.”

Obasanjo added that Nigeria needs “transformational leaders rather than transactional leaders, truth instead of lies, honesty instead of dishonesty, integrity instead of disintegrity, hope instead of despair, production instead of deduction, inclusion instead of exclusion and marginalisation”.

Daily Trust reports that the late Iris clergy in 1943 was posted to St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos, as a teacher and games master.

Slattery founded St. Finbarr’s College in January 1956 as part of his mission in Nigeria

He was also the pioneer chairman of the Nigerian Football Association and a founding member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

He was honoured with the Order of the Niger (OON) by Obasanjo in 2001. He died in July 2003.

The memorial was attended by notable persons including Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River, ex-footballer Segun Odegbami, music producer ID Cabasa, and actor Patrick Doyle.

https://dailytrust.com/thieves-cant-provide-good-governance-obasanjo/

Baba you will name the people you're referring to. We know some but let's pretend

Wikeee and tinbulu

They should have left the economy as it was before they took charge instead of making everything worse and beyond repair..... Blood sucking thieves and vampires

Baba has stopped sending letters, Na bomb Baba dey send.

No be person we dey call Thıfnubu Yoruba muslims choose as president?

When you tell them, they say all politicians are thieves, so they justify their action of picking the best of the worst set of thieves like Tinubu to lead them...

If all politicians are thieves then no nation in the world would have developed....

Sharpsharp00123:
I understand u were still in d womb when obj was ruling but just Google

Who started all these election brouhaha we are facing today?
The tinubu n wike u blame all your life gave room for election but obj through Maurice iwu will declare winner even when people are still voting on d field

Obj has been a thief since a long time ago, go n listen to the song international thief thief(ITT) by fela

Obj was the president that started money politics in Nigeria, the senate we all want their salary to b reduced now obj raised their money then so they can give him a third term through constitutional amendment

The same obj that suddenly turns Messiah today was the same person who declared war on black out by borrowing 16 billion dollars only to convert it to personal use

The farm he now parades as Obasanjo farms otta, was named operation feed d nation which was meant to save Nigeria agricultural sector but today he's a Messiah cos he's insulting tinubu n co

This same man with S M afolabi scammed Nigeria with national id card only to kolobi d money

This same man that turns Messiah today was the same person who supervised haliburton scandal with atiku, the white man who was their accomplice Peter Jefferson has been jailed in his country but today same thieves are elders state man cos they are against tinubu we love to hate

My confessions by fayose, he made it clear they wrote election results on obj bed n even yaradua itted the election that brought him in wasn't just

The obj u are praising today, I am sure if your obi contested against him then obj won't even supply election materials to d east

Brendaniel,with all you obi mumus now I can attest to d fact that hate reduce d brain cells

It is only a mad man that will insult tinubu n praise obj, it's just like praising a thief that stole 1 million but since he's now In your good book hes telling u to go after a thief that stole 100 thousand

I wish I can reverse d hand of time n allow your Messiah obi to contest against obj then u will know he won't even allow u Igbos vote let alone counting

He would have been rated poorly if only most of the presidents after him performed better than him, especially Buhari and Tinubu that you both ed , everything you wrote here is all about election and not performance, nobody is calling any person a saint not even Obi, but can you compare Nigeria today as it was in OBJ's time, you guys just come out and spew nonsense because of tribal hate and dirty politics, look at the data below, you can't even compare OBJ and Jonathan.

Then setting the record straight, I witnessed 3 military governments before democracy in 1999 and I was in secondary school already, you guys have been so blinded with tribal hate towards the Igbos that anything the Igbos say or do, you guys are ready to oppose it.

Is OBJ not better than both of them in performance ?

There is no hate here, what Nigerians want is performance, any person who speaks the truth to you people is a hater

KingPure

Kurugu92

We know.
The few people that voted them knew.
We are just waiting for next election, maybe we will do better as voters

DonBenny77:
Wikeee and tinbulu

I understand u were still in d womb when obj was ruling but just Google

Who started all these election brouhaha we are facing today?
The tinubu n wike u blame all your life gave room for election but obj through Maurice iwu will declare winner even when people are still voting on d field

Obj has been a thief since a long time ago, go n listen to the song international thief thief(ITT) by fela

Obj was the president that started money politics in Nigeria, the senate we all want their salary to b reduced now obj raised their money then so they can give him a third term through constitutional amendment

The same obj that suddenly turns Messiah today was the same person who declared war on black out by borrowing 16 billion dollars only to convert it to personal use

The farm he now parades as Obasanjo farms otta, was named operation feed d nation which was meant to save Nigeria agricultural sector but today he's a Messiah cos he's insulting tinubu n co

This same man with S M afolabi scammed Nigeria with national id card only to kolobi d money

This same man that turns Messiah today was the same person who supervised haliburton scandal with atiku, the white man who was their accomplice Peter Jefferson has been jailed in his country but today same thieves are elders state man cos they are against tinubu we love to hate

My confessions by fayose, he made it clear they wrote election results on obj bed n even yaradua itted the election that brought him in wasn't just

The obj u are praising today, I am sure if your obi contested against him then obj won't even supply election materials to d east

Brendaniel,with all you obi mumus now I can attest to d fact that hate reduce d brain cells

It is only a mad man that will insult tinubu n praise obj, it's just like praising a thief that stole 1 million but since he's now In your good book hes telling u to go after a thief that stole 100 thousand

I wish I can reverse d hand of time n allow your Messiah obi to contest against obj then u will know he won't even allow u Igbos vote let alone counting

Subtle jabs, guilty conscience will kpai some people now

Shots fired. No-holds-barred from OBJ.

Baba is referring to Tinubu.

Rice

obj rest. all of you are cut throats and intergalactic multidimensional draconian bandits who have hijacked human bodies . masks. egungun

Brendaniel:
When you tell them, they say all politicians are thieves, so they justify their action of picking best of the worst set of thieves like Tinubu to lead them...

If all politicians are thieves then no nation in the world would have developed....

if your obi contested against obj when he made Maurice iwu inec chairman

U Igbos won't even see ballot box but today the same man who destroyed Nigeria by starting useless policies with democracy is now your hero

Hate has blinded u to the extent that even if the devil insults tinubu u people will b willing to hug him

Only this man and yar adua especially ya adua meant well for this country yar adua even reduced fuel price as at 2008/2009. What pains me most is that the evil and useless people who protested against Jonathan then while fuel was 157 were the same fools selling at #1300 God pls lemme Japan abeg.

Dear Jagaban lovers,

What is the progress update on Tinubu’s eight point agenda he promised Nigerians in 2023? This is over one year now. How far?

1. food security;
2. poverty eradication;
3. growth,
4. job creation;
5. access to capital;
6. inclusion;
7. rule of law; and
8. fighting corruption

https://punchng.com/translating-tinubus-8-point-agenda-to-recovery/?amp

What about the 50 million jobs promised between 2023 to 2026? How many has Tinubu and his government created?

https://nairaland.macsoftware.info/7821154/tinubu-sets-3-year-economic-revival

Brendaniel:
When you tell them, they say all politicians are thieves, so they justify their action of picking best of the worst set of thieves like Tinubu to lead them...

If all politicians are thieves then no nation in the world would have developed....

We should therefore learn to differentiate the thieves from the caring and competent politicians and vote accordingly.

A story.

I once donated a container of books to my local government library. The Chairman asked me to bring them to the local government (The library is in a different location). I asked why, and was told so they can access the value and compensate me accordingly, but I told them I am donating the books for free and need no compensation.

I was later informed that they would like me to sign a contract for a ₦100m and pay me like half and they will keep the rest. I was so angry that I ordered the books to be taken to the library and we shelved them. This made me a pariah in my community. I am told I'd never be considered for a government post, which I don't want in the first place, because neither will I steal but would stop them from stealing too.

This has always been my submission,you surely can't give what u don't have

Sharpsharp00123:
I understand u were still in d womb when obj was ruling but just Google

Who started all these election brouhaha we are facing today?
The tinubu n wike u blame all your life gave room for election but obj through Maurice iwu will declare winner even when people are still voting on d field

Obj has been a thief since a long time ago, go n listen to the song international thief thief(ITT) by fela

Obj was the president that started money politics in Nigeria, the senate we all want their salary to b reduced now obj raised their money then so they can give him a third term through constitutional amendment

The same obj that suddenly turns Messiah today was the same person who declared war on black out by borrowing 16 billion dollars only to convert it to personal use

The farm he now parades as Obasanjo farms otta, was named operation feed d nation which was meant to save Nigeria agricultural sector but today he's a Messiah cos he's insulting tinubu n co

This same man with S M afolabi scammed Nigeria with national id card only to kolobi d money

This same man that turns Messiah today was the same person who supervised haliburton scandal with atiku, the white man who was their accomplice Peter Jefferson has been jailed in his country but today same thieves are elders state man cos they are against tinubu we love to hate

My confessions by fayose, he made it clear they wrote election results on obj bed n even yaradua itted the election that brought him in wasn't just

The obj u are praising today, I am sure if your obi contested against him then obj won't even supply election materials to d east

Brendaniel,with all you obi mumus now I can attest to d fact that hate reduce d brain cells

It is only a mad man that will insult tinubu n praise obj, it's just like praising a thief that stole 1 million but since he's now In your good book hes telling u to go after a thief that stole 100 thousand

I wish I can reverse d hand of time n allow your Messiah obi to contest against obj then u will know he won't even allow u Igbos vote let alone counting

He would have been rated poorly if only most of the presidents after him performed better than him, especially Buhari and Tinubu that you both ed , everything you wrote here is all about election and not performance, nobody is calling any person a saint not even Obi, but can you compare Nigeria today as it was in OBJ's time, you guys just come out and spew nonsense because of tribal hate and dirty politics, look at the data below, you can't even compare OBJ and Jonathan.

Then setting the record straight, I witnessed 3 military governments before democracy in 1999 and I was in secondary school already, you guys have been so blinded with tribal hate towards the Igbos that anything the Igbos say or do, you guys ready to oppise it.

Is OBJ not better than both of them in performance ?

There is no hate here, what Nigerians want is performance, any person who speaks the truth to you people is a hater

budaatum:


We should therefore learn to differentiate the thieves from the caring and competent politicians and vote accordingly.

A story.

I once donated a container of books to my local government library. The Chairman asked me to bring them to the local government (The library is in a different location). I asked why, and was told so they can access the value and compensate me accordingly, but I told them I am donating the books for free and need no compensation.

I was later informed that they would like me to sign a contract for a ₦100m and pay me like half and they will keep the rest. I was so angry that I ordered the books to be taken to the library and we shelved them. This made me a pariah in my community. I am told I'd never be considered for a government post, which I don't want in the first place, because neither will I steal but would stop them from stealing too.

Good of you ...

Sharpsharp00123:
if your obi contested against obj when he made Maurice iwu inec chairman

U Igbos won't even see ballot box but today the same man who destroyed Nigeria by starting useless policies with democracy is now your hero

Hate has blinded u to the extent that even if the devil insults tinubu u people will b willing to hug him

We should keep on destroying Nigeria then.

This is the exact same thing I have been hammering on.

No one grabs, snatch and run away with it and use it for the good of the people. It doesn't work and has never worked

This one na head kick

Brutal punch line

Ronu Muslims are even tired

We need a revolution in this country to clear corrupt leaders.

Brendaniel:


He would have been rated poorly if only most of the presidents after him performed better than him, especially Buhari and Tinubu that you both ed ....

Is he not better than both of them in performance ?

There is no hate here, what Nigerians want is performance, any person who speaks the truth to you people is a hater

if Nigeria's current inflation rate is 33% , then you do not know the true definition of inflation! The actual inflation rate is well over 60%......

As the Chief thief, Obasanjo definitely knows.

Thanks a bunch...,

I shouldn't have quoted this much from your fact-filled and factful epistle, but you highlighted and pinpointed all that was rushing through my mind regarding this man called Baba Iyabo. As a matter of fact, the advent of Android and iOS phones actually gave a lot of thin minds the effontery to tell naked lies, worst still they believe everybody else is living with their selective amnesia. How can someone who diverted $18B as at 03/07 suddenly become the holy grail of incorruptible truth advocate if not mischievous madness that has built a mansion in the shallow minds of "sudden & overnight lovers of Nigeria".

Imagine someone whose daughter publicly disown for his evil and wicked lifestyle, and then all of a sudden, that same man is now a saint. Nigerians can be really studied as a special case.

Again, thank you for reminding us that not all men are blind and deaf.

Sharpsharp00123:
I understand u were still in d womb when obj was ruling but just Google

Who started all these election brouhaha we are facing today?
The tinubu n wike u blame all your life gave room for election but obj through Maurice iwu will declare winner even when people are still voting on d field

Obj has been a thief since a long time ago, go n listen to the song international thief thief(ITT) by fela

Obj was the president that started money politics in Nigeria, the senate we all want their salary to b reduced now obj raised their money then so they can give him a third term through constitutional amendment

The same obj that suddenly turns Messiah today was the same person who declared war on black out by borrowing 16 billion dollars only to convert it to personal use

The farm he now parades as Obasanjo farms otta, was named operation feed d nation which was meant to save Nigeria agricultural sector but today he's a Messiah cos he's insulting tinubu n co

This same man with S M afolabi scammed Nigeria with national id card only to kolobi d money

This same man that turns Messiah today was the same person who supervised haliburton scandal with atiku, the white man who was their accomplice Peter Jefferson has been jailed in his country but today same thieves are elders state man cos they are against tinubu we love to hate

My confessions by fayose, he made it clear they wrote election results on obj bed n even yaradua itted the election that brought him in wasn't just

The obj u are praising today, I am sure if your obi contested against him then obj won't even supply election materials to d east

Brendaniel,with all you obi mumus now I can attest to d fact that hate reduce d brain cells

It is only a mad man that will insult tinubu n praise obj, it's just like praising a thief that stole 1 million but since he's now In your good book hes telling u to go after a thief that stole 100 thousand

I wish I can reverse d hand of time n allow your Messiah obi to contest against obj then u will know he won't even allow u Igbos vote let alone counting

dinomalaiye:
Baba you will name the people you're referring to. We know some but pretend

Tinubu and his ronu thieves...

MMempire:
We need a revolution in this country to clear corrupt leaders.

True but it must consume you and your family first because charity begins at home.

Tinubu ronu