Obasanjo Gives Buhari Strategies to Tackle Security, Power, Others

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday gave the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari the strategies for solving the nation’s major problems of security, power, education, economy and infrastructure. Obasanjo’s prescriptions were contained in a strategy report submitted to the former military head of state. The former president had, four months ago, set up an independent think-tank group headed by Prof. Akin Mabogunje of the Obasanjo Presidential Library with the aim of carrying out a study on the challenges facing the country. Presenting volumes of the report to Buhari on behalf of Obasanjo think-thank team at the Buhari Support Organisation Campaign Office, Wuse 2, Abuja, yesterday, the vice chairman of the committee and former minister of Finance, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, said: “The whole idea was that Obasanjo set up his own think- tank with the aim of carrying out a study on challenges facing the country in five key areas of education, power sector, economy, security and infrastructure. The study was commissioned four months ago so that the outcome will be made available to the incoming administration after the election”.

Also, Dr Christopher Kolade, who heads the power committee, gave various stages of the proposed power sector development plan to include short term, medium term and long term solutions.

He said under the short term solution, the plan seeks to raise country’s power generation to 10,000 MW within a very short period of time.

In his response, an appreciative Buhari expressed gratitude to the former president and his team, describing their intervention as a great impetus for the incoming government.

The president-elect lamented that the outgoing government that is supposed to give him tips on how to take off had done nothing so far.

He thanked Obasanjo’s team for its gesture, assuring it that his administration would be needing its advice as time goes on.

Speaking about the occasion, Prof Akin Maboguje said: “The Centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library is working on a number of critical issues for the development of this country and they have now sent a delegation of those who’ve been involved with the preparation of those policy documents to talk to the president-elect.

“We’ve looked at education, security, economy, power and infrastructure. Those are the areas we’ve made recommendations and which we hope the new administration will be able to work on.

“He (Buhari) was very happy that we’ve been thinking about how to help him hit the ground running and he expressed his appreciation for what we’ve been doing.”