RETIRED but evidently not tired former President Olusegun Obasanjo cannot stop being at the epicenter of controversy. For years, the symbiotic relationship between OBJ and controversy has become legendary. And because he appeared to have mastered the art of rebuffing every dagger of criticisms directed at him, we have learnt to accept the wily old fox for what he is. At 80, no one expects this leopard to change its spots overnight. Come to think of it, has Obasanjo written or said anything without digging up muck? I seriously doubt it. Some would say he exemplifies God’s divine favour in the affairs of men.
That is true. But how much of His overflowing grace does the man display when he speaks about his life’s journeys? Do we see a grateful Obasanjo on the podium or the image of a man with a bloated impression of himself, his conquests, losses and achievements? Well, what you make of him depends on what you are looking out for in the life of a man that has played different crucial roles in modern day Nigerian history. And, from the look of things, he is not about to slow down on his interventions in the Nigerian narrative, be it for good or for bad as long as he is firm and strong enough to do so. Obasanjo was at it again at the weekend in Abuja when his professional “colleagues” in the Nigerian Society of Engineers organised a belated 80th birthday bash for him. Recall that the real party had earlier taken place in Abeokuta in March. The late Adinoyi Onukaba was coming from the event when he met his untimely death.
Well, life must go on and the living must celebrate. And so, Obasanjo was at his best elements as he usually was when the topic was about him and him alone. First, Obasanjo must have been miffed that someone had addressed him by his Christian name, Matthew, to the point of lashing out at the gathering that anyone that dares to call him that name would see his “red eyes”. In Yoruba land, it is a serious matter when an old man warns you against seeing his other side. It is double jeopardy if that person mentions the phrase “red eye”.
It is like drawing a battle line on the floor and daring you to cross it. From his choice of words, quite a number of the guests would have inferred the depth of his angst. His words: “If anyone does not want to see my red eyes, don’t call me Matthew again!” Ha! Baba don vex o. And don’t let us pretend here that we didn’t know how devastating Obasanjo’s red eyes can be if he decides to unleash them on anyone. Some examples would suffice. Ask former Vice President Atiku Abubakar what it meant to fall under the gaze of Baba’s red eyes and he would tell you truckload of stories. Ask some of his fallen close aides and you’d be treated to heart-rending tales sauced in unforgiving rage. Even the late President Umaru Yar ‘Adua would have had some unforgettable moments to rehash about Obasanjo’s bitter tongue if he had lived through the ailment that plucked him off mother earth.
In sickness, Obasanjo did not have the courtesy of sparing Yar ‘Adua the bitterness of his tongue. .And how could anyone have forgotten so soon how the Ota farmer’s proverbial red eyes haunted former President Goodluck Jonathan out of the same seat the retired Army General earlier claimed to be a perfect fit for the zoologist from the minority state of Bayelsa? Jonathan’s case was worse.
Those red eyes remained red hot until Jonathan moved his belongings out of the Presidential Villa. Everything in and out of the books was done to batter Jonathan’s political career. Every gesture, every attempt made to pacify Obasanjo was thrown out of the window. It was one do-or-die battle that spared no punches. From subtle warnings to fiery letter writing in which Obasanjo’s daughter, Iyabo, added her voice, it was evident that those red eyes would not budge until Jonathan was permanently snookered.
And didn’t it come to pass? Didn’t Obasanjo, in a fit of rage, tear his party’s membership card? And didn’t he laugh last? Although Obasanjo did not tell us why he dumped Matthew from his long list of names, his threat is enough to tell us that it must be something grave. Having said that, it is imperative for the old man to cease soaking himself in the despicable waters of self-glorification – as if he was the best thing that ever happened to Nigeria. While the choice of what name to bear or delete out of his birth certificate solely rests with him, his revisionist proclivities should not be tolerated. He cannot be the only true witness to all chapters of Nigerian history even if we have acknowledged the part he played in our socio-political development as a nation. Unfortunately, his greatest undoing has always been his showmanship of self-importance and aura of personal arrogant aloofness. His gravitas is hollow.
Here, I speak not of the belief that he remains the only incorruptible leader that Nigeria has ever produced. It is the height of self-delusion for any Nigerian leader to think that way. After all, it would be practically impossible to assume that a bankrupt Obasanjo in 1998 bounced into humongous wealth a few years after by judiciously investing the gift of $100, 000 from the founder of the Cable News Network, Ted Turner, and another $50, 000 from an international body in which he served. In any case, he confessed to spending a large chunk of the money on funding the education of his children some of whom had been barred from attending classes following Baba’s incarceration by the late General Sani Abacha over an alleged phantom coup! Some have suggested that Obasanjo probably dropped Matthew from his name because the Bible described him as a tax collector who later became one of the great apostles for Christ.
I seriously doubt that prognosis because what manifested in the life of the biblical Matthew was the grace of God which surpassed the understanding of men. I want to assume that it is that divine grace that has spoken in the life of Obasanjo. In his own words, Abacha had penciled him to be poisoned to death shortly before the grim reaper expired the life of the dark-goggled one. Not long after, he regained his freedom and was miraculously offered the rare chance of becoming Nigeria’s elected President in the 1999 poll on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. From there, his elevation from zero to hero began to manifest.
Eight years later, he reluctantly retired to his home town in affluence following a botched attempt to get a third term ambition rubber stamped by the National Assembly. Nevertheless, it was a period stewed in divine providence, grace, fate and faith. Or did he think it was by his power? But what is Obasanjo saying today? He dashes himself all the glory for all those wonderful feats. As a ‘political engineer’ of no mean repute, he said he changed the narrative of corrupt and politically exposed persons in the military with his immediate retirement of 93 top military officers on assumption of office in 1999. He said he stabilised the nation’s democracy by that action.
To be fair, that is quite commendable. But did Obasanjo remember that his ambition to elongate his tenure almost threw the country into another crisis but for the maturity with which Atiku and some lawmakers killed the dream in spite of the millions offered as bribes? Did he remember that he never showed any remorse over the matter till now? Did Obasanjo recollect saying he could have got a third term or tenure elongation if he had asked for it from the God he worships? Okay, who was the double personality with the hand of Esau and voice of Jacob in that melodrama then? If only Baba can deaden the cells that activate those red eyes for a while and ruminate deeply over some events that shaped his life, he would understand that he owes this country more than he is ready to acknowledge.
The other day, he was summoned by the House of Representatives to come give account of how the billions of dollars his administration spent on power generation only fetched the nation megawatts of darkness and the old man became petulantly abusive. He acted as one that was above the law. Well, aren’t they all above our laws? This same man is fond of labeling every other person either corrupt or an outright thief with sheer arrogance. Yet, for calling him a name he was once identified with publicly, he is threatening to fight dirty! Can those red eyes ignite a cigarette, Baba? Maybe Obasanjo is far gone in his search for perfection that it has become too late for him to understand that no one is perfect. We are all rough diamonds waiting to be crafted by forces greater than us.
In justifying the sack of those 93 officers in 1999, Obasanjo said: “ Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was one of the 93 officers, but in everything in life there may be a silver lining. If he hadn’t been out at the time, he may never have been governor. If Senator Gemade had not been kicked out as chairman (of PDP) he would never have become a senator. But I’m happy that I was looking for perfection and what is best for Nigeria”. Even in kindergarten, one out of 93 does not make good sense.
Isn’t it obvious that perfection is not under the grasp of one man? Shouldn’t it be clear to him by now that there is a higher being that turns the foolishness of men into wise counsel? Has Obasanjo ever accepted his inadequacies, failures and foibles or does he still think he owes no one any apologies for his action and inaction? If that remains his position, then he needs to grab a copy of the long treatise written by his beloved daughter, Iyabo, to psychoanalyse his personae. Who knows if a redemptive note is waiting to be discovered by the subject of that enthralling letter? Who knows?
