Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the imprisonment of corrupt politicians, asserting that "thieves cannot provide just governance." The 87-year-old made this statement during a virtual address at a memorial lecture for the late cleric Denis Joseph Slattery in Lagos.
In his speech, titled The Imperative for Moral Rectitude in Governance, Obasanjo highlighted that accountability is essential for anyone in governance. He argued that officials with "questionable" integrity are incapable of making decisions that serve the public good.
"Upon examining the current government officials at both executive and legislative levels, it's clear that some should be incarcerated for their past misdeeds and criminal activities," stated Obasanjo, who led Nigeria from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1999 to 2007. "You cannot expect thieves to make sound judgments on behalf of the rightful owners."
Reflecting on his own experiences with corruption, Obasanjo expressed his dismay at how dishonesty has become normalized in politics. "What shocked me first when I entered politics was the widespread corruption among election officials, which was considered standard," he noted. "Equally alarming was the general acceptance of criminal behavior. In one meeting, when I confronted a man for lying, he dismissed it by saying, 'It is all politics, Sir.'"
He lamented how politics has been misused to justify unethical actions, stating, "Every wrongdoing is brushed off as politics, suggesting that there is no place for morality, principles, ethics, and good character in politics."
Obasanjo concluded by urging Nigeria to pursue "transformational leaders rather than transactional leaders, truth over lies, honesty over dishonesty, integrity over disintegration, hope over despair, production over deduction, and inclusion over exclusion and marginalization."