At the Slattery Memorial Lecture, former President Olusegun Obasanjo delivered a fiery speech criticizing the moral failures in Nigeria’s current government, asserting that some individuals in both the executive and legislative branches should be “permanently behind bars” due to past misdemeanours and criminal misconduct.
Obasanjo’s remarks were made at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island during the event organized by the Old Boys’ Association of St. Finbarr’s College, Lagos, in honor of the late Reverend Father Slattery, a key figure in Nigeria’s educational and sports development.
The lecture, attended by prominent figures such as Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross River, ex-footballer Segun Odegbami, music producer ID Cabasa, and actor Patrick Doyle, centered on the theme of “The Imperative for Moral Rectitude in Governance.” Obasanjo emphasized that accountability is the most fundamental demand of governance, stressing that the country’s political leadership is failing to meet this basic expectation.
“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 misdemeanors and criminal misconduct,” Obasanjo declared. “You cannot expect thieves to give good judgement in favor of the owner of the property.”
Obasanjo also shared a personal experience that exposed the deep-rooted normalization of corruption in Nigerian politics. He recalled a meeting where a government official casually dismissed dishonesty as “just politics.” This, he said, reflects a widespread belief that politics is devoid of morality and ethical principles.
“Every bad thing they do is passed on as politics which means politics has no room for morality, principles, rectitude, ethics, good character and attributes,” Obasanjo added.
In his call for reform, Obasanjo urged the nation to embrace transformational leaders who prioritize integrity, truth, and hope, over transactional leaders who perpetuate dishonesty, exclusion, and corruption.
The Slattery Memorial Lecture honored Reverend Father Dennis Joseph Slattery, an Irish missionary and educator who founded St. Finbarr’s College in Lagos in 1956. Slattery was a pivotal figure in the development of sports and journalism in Nigeria and was honored with the Order of the Niger (OON) by Obasanjo in 2001. He passed away in 2003.
Obasanjo’s speech serves as a clarion call for greater transparency and accountability in governance, challenging the status quo and demanding a higher moral standard for Nigerian leaders.
