Nigeria is being run on old ideas — Iyabo Obasanjo

 Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, served as a Commissioner for Health in Ogun State between 2003 and 2006; and following that was elected to represent the Ogun State Central Senatorial District in the Senate where she served as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health between 2007 and 2011. Senator Obasanjo as chairman of the committee was instrumental to the birth of the National Health Bill which, however, was not passed under her stewardship of the Committee.

Following her stint in public service and a failed attempt to return to the Senate in 2011, she returned to the academia in the United States. While taking a passive interest in Nigerian politics, Dr. Obasanjo, however, took more than a passive interest in the aspirations of the United States Democratic Party 2016 presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, describing his socialist inclined polices and detachment from the party establishment as her attractions. Obasanjo who disclosed that she attended rallies in support of Sanders described the emergence of Mrs. Hilary Clinton as a mistake that did more harm than good for the Democratic Party in the main election.

Dr. Obasanjo, a Veterinary doctor and daughter of former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, recently relocated from Massachusetts to Virgina in continuation of her work in the academia. She responded to issues in Nigeria and the recent presidential elections in the United States in this interview.

What do you do now in the US?

I teach at a University. I got my Ph.D. about 20 years ago, and so it comes in handy to teach at tertiary institutions.

You have relatively settled in America, are you in touch with developments in Nigeria?

I don’t follow on a regular basis. Of course, if there is an important event going on, like the elections of last year, I search for the news but usually I don’t follow. Sometimes I hear of things long after the events have passed or in talking to friends and family.

So, what is your assessment of developments in Nigeria?

Sad! How a country with so many talented people could be in such mess is saddening. It is the future that actually is frightening. How are children and grandchildren going to do in the future when no one is planning for the future?


Iyabo Obasanjo
Do you see the “Change” Nigerians made at the federal level last year leading the country in the right direction?

Twice recently I have come across interviews of the President (Muhammadu Buhari) and it seems his focus is just on oil and gas. Focusing on oil and gas, a natural resource we have no control over is what got us to where we are and somehow he thinks it will get us out! The time of oil as a king commodity is past and never coming back.

In the history of humanity, the commodity that becomes king changes from time to time. From the time of the OPEC formation in the early seventies till now, oil had been king.

It will no longer be because if we continue using it at the rate, we have in the last 100 years we will not have a planet. Countries that didn’t use their income from oil to generate other sources of income will be in dire straits, hence Nigeria’s economic woes. Taking oil for granted as if it would be at high prices forever is idiotic.

Now if change means more focus on oil and gas as the President is saying then obviously change has not come.

Your party or would I say former party, PDP is today torn asunder. How do you think the PDP got to this stage and how do you think the party can be revived?

I have no idea but it is not only about the PDP, almost everything in the country is upside down.

What is your perspective on the elections in the United States? What do you think led to the emergence of Mr. Donald Trump as president?

I don’t think the elections were about electing Trump; it was about rejecting Hillary Clinton, but I am not sure that lesson was learned.

Who did you support in the US elections?

I supported Bernie Sanders because he was the only one that genuinely advocated for it.