Any govt that fails to secure lives has lost right to exist – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said any government that cannot protect the lives and property of its citizens has forfeited its moral and constitutional right to remain in power.

Mr Obasanjo made the remarks during an interview on Sonia Irabor Live on News Central, where he also lamented Nigeria’s declining influence in global affairs.

According to him, the country is no longer “at the table” in international decision-making, attributing this to a broader leadership deficit and inability to shape events beyond its borders.

He stressed that the primary responsibility of any administration is to guarantee the safety of its citizens, warning that the growing normalisation of kidnapping and violent crime reflects a dangerous breakdown of state responsibility.

“A government that cannot give security of life and property to its citizens has forfeited the right of existence,” he said.

The former president expressed concern that insecurity had reached alarming levels, with abductions increasingly treated as routine occurrences.

Reflecting on earlier decades, Mr Obasanjo noted that Nigerians once moved freely across the country without fear, particularly in the North, adding that the current security challenges developed over time.

He attributed the deterioration to years of poor governance, the proliferation of arms following the civil war, and the failure to address emerging threats early.

Mr Obasanjo also warned that the rising number of out-of-school children—estimated at about 20 million—poses a significant long-term security risk, describing the situation as a potential recruitment pool for extremist groups.

He further questioned whether the government has the political will to implement recommendations from policy research institutions such as the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, which have been tasked with examining the root causes of insecurity.

Lamenting the growing acceptance of kidnapping, he cautioned against treating it as a normal part of daily life, insisting that such a trend must be firmly resisted.