A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Citizens Action for Good Governance (CAGG), Friday, condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on statement made over President Muhammadu, on the ongoing EndSARS protests in the country.

This was contained in a statement signed by the National Coordinator, CAGG, Nazir Galadanchi, where Obasanjo’s statement was described as hypocritical and self-serving as it is not in the interest of Nigerians and young people based on his past brutality against young people in the country.

According to Galadanchi, Obasanjo has not been fair to young people and not this time can he have the moral standing to perpetuate himself on them as he was part of the challenges young people are facing in the country today.

He further stated that the track record of the Former President shows various oppressive approaches he has used to silence young people, hence should not use his inciting statement to cajole young people in the country.

The statement reads in part, “It is unfortunate that when some people does things that have caused unending pains in the lives of many people they tend to forget the inhuman decisions and actions they took at that material point with no apology to the attacked, maimed and killed.

But if others people with human feeling shows concern and listen to the demands of people who are in need the same persons whose actions and attitudes stink would like to malign the people with good intention by making hypocritical and derogatory statements in order to portray themselves as better or best persons while their past still hunts them.

We in Citizens Action for Good Governance, (CAGG) have taken time to read through the lines of statements made by some present and past leaders of this country over the ongoing violent #EndSARS protests, and when their past actions are weighed and assessed while they were in political positions only used their political powers to oppress and silence voices that rose up to correct them or agitate for their rights and that of their people.

There is no gainsaying at this point that the Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was one major character that wielded such enormity of oppression and attacks that led to the killings of harmless young Nigerians, with orders as “shoot at sight” peaceful protesters.

“So, we make bold to say that the statement from Former President Obasanjo is inciting, unhelpful and hypocritical, and Nigerians should discard it. Had it been he means well and supports the Buhari-led administration he will not be making the noise he did on the media but would have met with the President on what should be done to address the issues presented by the protesting youths.

“It will be recalled and the records are there, in November 1999, Obasanjo categorically ordered the police to shoot at sight protesting then OPC members during a media chat. He can still remember this fact. This order was directly against his kinsmen and children of the same descent.

“This is what Obasanjo said, “But in November 1999 then President Obasanjo categorically ordered the police to shoot at sight protesting then OPC members during a media chat.

“He said, “The police have acted according to the instructions they have been given, that any criminal should be shot at sight.

“But now they have even gotten additional instructions. Anybody, who calls himself OPC should be arrested or if he doesn’t give himself to be arrested, he should be shoot at sight.

“We cannot allow this country to be taken over by hoodlums and criminal.”

“Obasanjo’s reaction in 2020; “It is clear that Mr President and his lieutenants did not exhaust the opportunities for dialogue with the protesters before resorting to the use of force.

“It is worse that there is a denial of wrongdoing in spite of overwhelming visual evidence. Great harm has been done but it can be stopped before it completely spirals out of control.

“We are at a critical moment in this crisis and the President must act now before it is too late. This time demands leadership and mature leadership at such.

“It is imperative that leaders at all levels, starting with Mr President, must demonstrate meekness, humanity and sincerity in meeting the legitimate demands of the protesters and ensuring that justice is served where it must be served. These are the potent ways of ending this crisis now.”

“It is also on record how Obasanjo used his powers to kill innocent young men and women including infants, children and aged in Odi town of Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in 1999. That was the height of a bloody massacre after the Nigerian Civil War. The destruction was on a massive scale that he inflicted on innocent Nigerians then, and the people still nurse their pains.

“What moral standing does he (Obasanjo) have to say President Muhammadu Buhari did not exhaust opportunities for dialogue with protesters before resorting to the use of force? Did President Buhari order any shot at sight or has he unleashed military personnel on innocent Nigerians as he has done?

“We know that his statement is to simply discredit the dialogue process President Buhari has opened for aggrieved young Nigerians to explore and to paint himself the good man that cares about youths.

“Or Obasanjo is not aware of the appeal made by President Buhari to Nigerian youths to allow him tackle all their demands, which he (Buhari) gave orders to dissolve F-SARS as the starting point?”

The statement also mentioned that, “Nigerians should know that President Buhari’s intention is to secure the lives of Nigerians, which he has initiated and thousands of young people have benefited.

“The Buhari-led administration also has given attention to youths than any other administrations in Nigeria with various social interventions in education, skills, entrepreneurship, job creation, sports and others.

“It is important to state that the current challenges of youths did not start from now but is as a result of past administrations that did not prioritise the issues of young.”