Sowore Slams Obasanjo, Blames Him for Decline of Nigeria’s Education System

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has openly criticized former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of initiating the decline of Nigeria’s education system and declaring that he “cannot stand” the former leader.

Sowore made the remarks during an interview on an X programme titled ‘Nix: Outside the Box’, where he responded to questions about his perception of past Nigerian presidents.

The former presidential candidate stated that his resentment toward Obasanjo dates back to his university days, a period he described as the beginning of systemic decay in Nigeria’s higher education sector. According to him, it was during Obasanjo’s administration that the country’s academic standards started to deteriorate.

Obasanjo, who first ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, later returned as a civilian President from 1999 to 2007.

Sowore, however, emphasized that he has never had any personal interaction with the former President. “I have never been to Aso Rock before. I have never met any President in power before, not even Obasanjo,” he said.

Expressing strong disapproval, Sowore added, “Obasanjo is probably one of the people I can’t even stand because of what we knew about him before we went to the university.”

He further referenced the historic “Ali Must Go” student protests, which erupted during Obasanjo’s military era, insisting that the policies and atmosphere of that period marked the beginning of a downward spiral in Nigeria’s education system.

“Part of the reasons we were rushing to the university was that ‘Ali Must Go,’ and it was Obasanjo’s period. It was from that period that he started destroying the education system,” Sowore stated.

Despite his criticism, Sowore maintained that he has never met Obasanjo in person. “To come back to the nature of power, I don’t even know how his face looks,” he added.

The remarks have since sparked renewed conversations about the legacy of past administrations and the long-standing challenges confronting Nigeria’s education sector.