Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has accused his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, of fostering corruption, mainly through the 2022 state pardons granted to two convicted former governors.

In his newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future, Obasanjo claimed that Buhari’s administration presided over “the most atrocious waste” and that “corruption was at its peak” under his watch.

The book, unveiled during Obasanjo’s 88th birthday celebration, also targeted Abubakar Malami, the former attorney-general of the federation, whom Obasanjo described as a “devil’s workshop.”

“The most atrocious waste, the entrenchment of corruption, and the suppression of officials fighting it occurred under President Buhari’s watch and his attorney general, Abubakar Malami, whom he turned into a devil’s workshop,” PUNCH quoted Obasanjo as alleging.

Controversial pardons

In 2022, Buhari granted pardons to Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, and Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba State.

Nyame was serving a 12-year prison sentence for diverting N1.64 billion, while Dariye had been jailed for 10 years over N1.126 billion fraud. The former governors were among 159 inmates pardoned by the Council of State on the grounds of age and ill health.

Obasanjo alleged that Malami “strongly” advised Buhari to approve the pardons, claiming the process was corrupt and that the ex-governors “were not actually terminally ill, as initially claimed.”

“It was all part of Malami’s financial shenanigans, and he played many such schemes to his advantage,” Obasanjo wrote.

“His principal concurred, condoned, turned a blind eye and a deaf ear, and paid lip service to fighting corruption while cohabiting comfortably with corruption in multifarious ways.”

At the time, the decision sparked widespread criticism, with many arguing it undermined Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts. However, Buhari’s administration defended the move, insisting it was made in the interest of fairness. (BusinessDay)