‘Debt Worse Than Leprosy’: Obasanjo tackles Tinubu

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s defence of government borrowing, declaring that debt is worse than leprosy because of its devastating consequences for present and future generations. Obasanjo also warned Nigeria and other African countries against allowing foreign interests to dominate artificial intelligence, AI, saying the emerging technology could become another instrument of exploitation and digital colonialism if the continent failed to develop its own technological capacity.

The former president spoke on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the Ajibosin Platform, a public forum themed, “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development”. Reacting to Tinubu’s earlier assertion that borrowing was not leprosy, Obasanjo argued that the accumulation of public debt could mortgage the country’s future and impose an unbearable burden on generations yet unborn.

“And for anybody to say debt is no leprosy, is absolute nonsense. Debt is worse than leprosy because leprosy destroys only one person. Debt destroys generations,” he declared. Tinubu had defended his administration’s borrowing policy in April, insisting that borrowing was not inherently wrong if the country had the capacity to repay. “If we have to borrow, we borrow.

Borrowing is not leprosy; we just have to work hard to be able to pay for it,” the President had said during a meeting with Plateau State leaders, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at the State House. The President’s position came amid concerns over Nigeria’s rising debt profile and the increasing proportion of government revenue committed to debt servicing.

Obasanjo also questioned Nigeria’s economic performance over the years, particularly the depreciation of the naira against the United States dollar. Recounting his experience as a farmer, he said the naira was stronger than the dollar when he established his farm 47 years ago. “When I started my farm, 47 years ago, naira to the dollar was one naira to $1.85.

Forty-seven years ago. What has Nigeria done in 47 years that we now have 1,500 naira to a dollar? What have we done?” he asked. He challenged the country’s political leadership to demonstrate its understanding of Nigeria’s problems and identify practical solutions to the challenges confronting the nation. “What do our leaders know? And what do they not know?

And from what they know, what can they do for us?” he queried. The former president also faulted Nigeria’s dependence on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), arguing that their economic prescriptions were not necessarily designed to address the country’s peculiar circumstances. “World Bank and IMF were not designed for us. They were not built by us.

They were built before we became independent. And that’s the people who would determine what we do,” he said. He urged Nigerian leaders to scrutinise foreign economic prescriptions and ensure that national policies reflected the country’s interests and development priorities. Turning to artificial intelligence, Obasanjo warned that Africa risked repeating the mistakes of its colonial past if it allowed foreign interests to control the technology and its applications.

Although he acknowledged that he was not technically knowledgeable about AI, he said ownership and control were critical to ensuring that the technology served African interests. “I don’t know too much technically about AI, but I know that anything that is not under your control can be abused against you. And you can see that this has already started,” he said.

Drawing parallels between AI and Africa’s historical experiences with slavery, colonialism and economic dependency, Obasanjo urged African leaders to approach the technological revolution with caution. He also questioned the concept of technology transfer, asking African countries to examine the terms and benefits of their engagements with foreign technology providers.

“But what exactly is technology transfer? Who transferred technology to them, and what did they pay for it?” he queried. Obasanjo further criticised what he described as unequal international economic arrangements, citing restrictions on agricultural subsidies for developing countries despite continued support for farmers in developed economies. He expressed concern over the estimated 24 million Nigerian children out of school, warning that the situation could create serious challenges for future generations.

“We have 24 million Nigerian children who should be in school but are not. If you are looking for the disasters of tomorrow, these children represent one of them,” he said. He challenged policymakers and technology stakeholders to explore how AI could improve access to education and address learning challenges. On agriculture, Obasanjo advocated the deployment of artificial intell