Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has decried the growing insecurity situation in the country, wondering how Nigeria had deteriorated to the point where citizens could no longer travel safely across the country.
He called for urgent action to address insecurity, unemployment and poverty in Nigeria, warning that leadership failures were forcing citizens to seek better opportunities abroad, often through dangerous migration routes.
Obasanjo spoke on Saturday during a panel session themed “Lest We Forget” at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend 2026, organised by the African Export-Import Bank in Lagos State.
The former president, who reflected on Nigeria’s security situation since independence, said the country must confront the governance failures responsible for declining safety and economic opportunities.
“We just have to do what we should do to provide job opportunities, to stem the tide of impunity, to stem the tide of poverty, to stem the tide of kidnapping and insecurity,” he said.
Obasanjo recalled returning to Nigeria in 1959 after completing his military training in Britain, noting that he could travel freely across the country without fear of attacks or kidnapping.
“I came back to this country after my commission as an officer in Britain in 1959. And I could go anywhere; I was posted to the North; I could go anywhere in the North, by myself alone, by day, by night,” he said.
Contrasting that experience with the current security situation, he questioned how Nigeria had deteriorated to the point where citizens could no longer travel safely across several parts of the country.
“Now, if you can’t do that, what has gone wrong? We have to correct what has gone wrong,” he stated.
He argued that unemployment, particularly among university graduates, had become a major source of economic desperation, making it difficult to discourage young Africans from leaving their countries in search of opportunities.
According to him, governments cannot continue producing graduates without creating sufficient employment opportunities and expect them to remain economically productive.
Obasanjo recalled an encounter with Nigerians arrested for drug-related offences, explaining that one of the suspects had attributed his involvement in the illegal trade to the loss of legitimate employment.
He said the encounter demonstrated how economic hardship could push otherwise productive individuals towards desperate decisions, although he stopped short of justifying criminal activities.
Addressing irregular migration, Obasanjo said he had interacted with Africans who attempted to reach Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, describing their experiences as distressing.
“I have got those people who have attempted to cross, and the story they told me is pathetic. Some die in the Sahara, some die in the Mediterranean,” he said.
The former president maintained that improving governance and creating economic opportunities would reduce the pressure on Africans to undertake life-threatening journeys abroad.
“We have to improve our leadership to deliver, and once our leadership delivers, what does any man want in the world?
“But if they have nothing here, they will look for whatever they can get anywhere else, and you can’t blame them,” he said.
Responding to concerns about corruption, poor governance and Africa’s development challenges, Obasanjo placed substantial responsibility for the continent’s underdevelopment on its political leadership.
“Africa is not where it should be, and that Africa is not where it should be is substantially the responsibility of our leaders. It’s as simple as that,” he declared.
(Ripples)