Obasanjo's Administration Took Corruption To A Greater Height - Chief Olu Falae

The presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy during the 1999 elections, Chief Olu Falae, has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration from 1999 to 2007 took corruption to an unprecedented level.

Falae, who is the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, said this during an interview with our correspondent at the official presentation of the party’s constitution and manifesto in Lagos on Thursday.

When asked what he felt about Obasanjo’s criticism of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration as regards corruption, Falae said corruption under Obasanjo was worse than all of his predecessors.

Falae, who lost to Obasanjo in the 1999 election, however, said he could not distinguish between corruption under Jonathan and corruption under Obasanjo.

He said, “Corruption must die for Nigeria to live, the two cannot coexist. And it was Obasanjo’s regime that reintroduced corruption in Nigeria. Yes, he motivated the passing of the anti-corruption law; he set up anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission but his regime showed the highest degree of corruption since independence.

“It was during his time that Ghana-must-go bags of money were shared on the floor of the National Assembly during the third term agenda debacle. It was during his time that public officers were accused of stealing billions of naira.

“So, there must have been something in his regime that encouraged corruption on that scale. However, he might now be repentant but it was during his regime that corruption was reintroduced on a mega scale.”

Also speaking at the event, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said only the SDP could save Nigeria from collapse.

Adebanjo said the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party lacked ideology, adding that Nigerians would shun them at the polls next year.