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Tag: Obasanjo

  • I’ve been living with diabetes for over 30 years –Obasanjo

    I’ve been living with diabetes for over 30 years –Obasanjo

    FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday morning led hundreds of people on a road walk for diabetes awareness in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, declaring he still walks with agility at 80, despite being diabetic. Obasanjo revealed he was diagnosed with diabetes over 30 years ago, but said the condition had not affected his daily functions because of the efficient management of it, exercise and strict adherence to prescribed drugs for diabetes. Obasanjo, who made this known to journalists in Abeokuta shortly after completing a two-kilometre walk along Abiola Way, recalled that his primary school headmaster was also diagnosed with diabetes at 50, but managed to live up to 85 years, following the proper management of the ailment. According to him, diabetes does not kill, if well managed, but only bares its fangs and kills those who do not give a damn about it.

    Obasanjo, who was joined in the road walk by the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed  Akanbi ,  the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, and members of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria(DAN), lamented that many of the nation’s youths rarely exercise to remain fit. He urged Nigerians, particularly those living with diabetes, to engage in regular exercise, use prescribed drugs faithfully and watch their diet  to avoid being knocked down by the disease. “Diabetes is not a disease that should kill.  I was diagnosed  a diabetic more than 30 years ago, and I am growing strong. If you don’t believe I am growing strong, and you didn’t witness this walk, come and see me at night. You will know I am growing strong.  Come and see me in the morning, you will know I am growing. Even in the afternoon, you will know I am growing strong.

    “What is necessary is the management of diabetes. Some people said some diseases are incurable, but diabetes is manageable and compliant. “My headmaster in primary school was diagnosed at the age of 50 and died at the age of 85. “What to do is that if you’re diabetic, don’t be nonchalant about it and don’t eat carelessly. Three things are important; the food you eat, regular exercise and prescribed medication. Those are the three most important things. “You can be diabetic and still lives till 100. I don’t know when I will die, but I am above 80 and many of the youths could not catch up with my pace during the ex ercise this morning. Many of them were running to keep pace me. “This is my message. Whether you’re diabetic or you have a family member or friend  who is diabetic, diabetes is not a killer disease or it should not be a killer disease unless you are careless,” Obasanjo said. The road walk was organized by the Southwest zone of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria(DAN) in collaboration with the  Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation(OOF) to mark the year edition of the World Diabetes Day (WDD).

  • Osinbajo, Obasanjo for book launch

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode are among dignitaries expected at a book launch tomorrow at Sheraton Hotel in Abuja.

    The book, titled: From Consumption to Production: The Why and Ways Out of Failed Industrialisation In Nigeria, is written by Prof Banji Oyelaran-Oyeniyi, a Professorial Fellow at the United Nations University.

    In a statement at the weekend, the author said he was able to identify the characteristics of a consumption nation as Nigeria, the industrial failures of the nation, how infrastructural deficit limits the country’s industrialisation and how its economy can be transformed or resuscitated through diversification from consumption to production.

    According to him, Nigeria descended into a consumption economy because it has not experienced a positive structural transformation to lead to the reallocation of economic activities across three broad sectors: agriculture, manufacturing and services.

  • Politics not do-or-die, says Obasanjo 

    Politics not do-or-die, says Obasanjo 

    Politics should never be a do-or-die affair, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared.

    Speaking at the public presentation of a book  Stepping forward with Uti J.D. Agba by Goddy Jedy Agba and Mathias Okoi-Uyouyo in Calabar yesterday, Obasanjo said politicians who failed to win elections can help winners to succeed.

    “If you cannot be the chief servant you can be the assistant chief servant. This is because the chief servant cannot do it on his own. He has to work with others,” he said.

    Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade also said politicians who could not be in power should support those in power.

    He stressed the need for all to work together for the development of the people.

    “Power is like the wind which blows away. In using power, one must do so with the fear of God,” Ayade said.

    The governor launched the book for N10 million on behalf of the State government and himself.

    The author, Goddy Jedy- Agba, said Cross River residents were one, stressing the needs for all irrespective of their backgrounds to work towards development of the state.

    He expressed gratitude to all who made the event a success.

    Uti J.D. Agba, the paramount ruler of Obudu in Cross River State, is the longest serving monarch in Africa and the second longest serving monarch in the world after the Queen of England, having been on the throne for 58 years.

    The book was reviewed by Prof Kalu Uka of the University of Uyo.

    Dignitaries who graced the occasion included the Etsu Nupe of Nupe Kingdom, Alhaji Dr Yahaya Abubakar; the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V; former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke and Senator John Enoh as well as Special Adviser to the President on Prosecution, Okoi Obono Obla,  among others.

     

  • Obasanjo and the PDP wrecking crew

    Obasanjo and the PDP wrecking crew

    TWO Saturdays ago, while receiving a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship contestant, Raymond Dokpesi, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo told his guest and the public in Abeokuta that those who wrecked the PDP still remained in the party and continued to stifle its progress. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) did not fare better, he added ruefully. Chief Obasanjo concluded that both parties had become enervated as a result of its leaders’ and powerful elite’s shenanigans. And without their being disembowelled, he warned, he could see no future for Nigerian democracy. The former president is probably right. As he put it: “I have also said that the two parties that are there, the one in government and the one in opposition, are both wobbling parties. I still believe that the two wobbling parties can be made strong. They can…If we are just saying PDP has a crisis, which is self-made, and that the Supreme Court had resolved the crisis for us, we are just deceiving ourselves. The Supreme Court has taken a right decision as an apex court should, but as a party, only that cannot help you to do it all…I had four PDP chairmen under in eight years. So, I know what it takes to have a good or bad chairman for a party.”

    Somehow, the public gets a sense of Chief Obasanjo not saying everything that needs to be said. The public must, therefore, wait with bated breath for the other shoe to drop. Though the former president was a major factor in erecting Nigerian democracy on a weak pedestal when he was in office, he has nonetheless been rightfully scathing about the abhorrent manner the two parties continue to weaken democracy by their indulgence and permissiveness. He has said something negative but superficial on the PDP; and he has equally railed against the APC, perhaps in more sympathetic tones for now. It remains to be seen how long the former president would continue to pull his punches.

    If Chief Obasanjo is true to type, he will come out next year more forcefully and directly, including naming names, with the identities of those wrecking the PDP. If that party’s chances of reclaiming the presidency continue to dim, as is currently evident, the former president will shift his vituperative arsenal against the ruling party, either in letters, lectures, or ad hoc interviews. Either way, one of the parties will get the full length of the president’s tongue next year in an excoriation that will unfortunately but most likely influence the direction of the country’s political choices, if not votes.

  • Politics not about life and death – Obasanjo

    Politics not about life and death – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Saturday that politics should not be treated as a matter of life and death.

    Speaking at the public presentation of a book titled: Stepping Forward with Uti J.D. Agba, written by Goddy Jedy Agba and Mathias Okoi-Uyouyo in Calabar, Cross River State, Obasanjo, who was the special guest of honour at the event, said politicians who failed to win elections can help winners to succeed.

    The former President said: “If you cannot be the chief servant you can be the assistant chief servant. This is because the chief servant cannot do it on his own. He has to work with others.”

    Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, also urged politicians defeated during polls to support those in power.

    He stressed the need for all to work together for the development of the people.

    “Power is like the wind which blows away. In using power, one must do so with the fear of God,” the governor said.

     

     

     

  • Obasanjo, Jonathan used police against governors, says Senate panel

    Obasanjo, Jonathan used police against governors, says Senate panel

    •Senators hail Buhari for ordering return of Obiano’s security details

    Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan used the police as a political tool against perceived opponents, the Senate Committee on Police Affairs alleged yesterday.

    The committee was mandated by the Senate in plenary on Wednesday to ensure immediate compliance to its resolution demanding the reinstatement of Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano’s security details.

    The upper chamber asked the committee to follow up the resolution and report back to the Senate yesterday.

    Chaired by Senator Abu Ibrahim, the committee said in its report that “it is significant and exemplary” that President Muhammadu Buhari  ordered the immediate reinstatement of the governor’s security aides even before the Senate resolution.

    It described the withdrawal of Obiano’s security aides as “most unfortunate,” and added that “it is heartwarming that the police authorities have explained that the action was not intended to cause the governor any injury or harm”.

    The committee said: “Nigerians must not forget however that the perceived use of the police to persecute a sitting governor was actually made a best-practice tool by immediate past administrations.

    “In those days of impunity, the directives (to use the police to persecute political opponents) were directly linked to the presidency and the then sitting presidents never issued any instructions to counter the positions of the police and security services.

    “The following examples illustrate clearly: ‘Dr. Chris Ngige as the then Governor of Anambra State suffered abduction and when he regained freedom and attempted to castigate the powers that be at the federal level, his security details were withdrawn on January 2, 2005.

    “In April 2007, a few days to the election, ’higher’ authorities ordered the withdrawal of the ADC and the CSO to Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The APC leader was also threatened with arrest in the lead-up to the 2011 elections.

    “In September 2013, the then Governor Rotimi Amaechi, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, was harassed on several occasions with the threat of withdrawal of his security aides.

    “While his were repeated threats, the President of this Distinguished Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was not that lucky. His aides were actually withdrawn in September 2013 as punishment for his support of the rebellion within the then ruling PDP.

    “In February 2014, the security details attached to the then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, were withdrawn on the orders of the presidency. The same man suffered the same fate again when he became the Emir of Kano in June 2014.

    “The Emir’s palace was sealed off by the police to prevent him from entering it and he had to assume his responsibilities from within the confines of the Kano State government House.

    “It is also on record that at the same time, security aides to the then Governor (now senator) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso were withdrawn. All on ’orders from above’.

    “The then Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State had his security details withdrawn in April 2014.

    “In October 2014, the security details of the then Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, were withdrawn. This was after a blatant attempt was made to effect his impeachment.”

    Following President Buhari’s order for the immediate reinstatement of Obianor’s security aides, the issue was not raised on the floor of the Senate yesterday.

  • PDP, APC need rejuvenation for Nigeria’s democracy to be strong — Obasanjo

    PDP, APC need rejuvenation for Nigeria’s democracy to be strong — Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says both the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) need to be rejuvenated for Nigeria’s democracy to be strong.

    Obasanjo made the observation when he received one of the PDP national chairmanship aspirants, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, on Saturday in Abeokuta.

    The former president remarked that both the ruling and opposition parties need to be strengthened for the country’s democracy to be salient and strong.

    “I have also said that the two parties that are there, the one in government and the one in opposition are both wobbling parties.

    “I still believe that the two wobbling parties can still be made strong. They can,’’ Obasanjo said.

    He re-emphasised that he was no longer interested in partisan politics in Nigeria.

    He said that he left PDP when he discovered that the party had been destroyed beyond what he could be associated with at that point.

    Obasanjo said there was no reason PDP should not have ruled Nigeria for 50 years as believed by some people, but that the party caused its own problem.

    “That has happened in some other countries like Germany, where a party runs the affairs of the county for decades, but of course, that is not the history in our own case.’’

    Obasanjo said that those who destroyed the PDP were still in it and that they would not leave until the running of the party was taken over by determined, selfless, upright, and honest people.

    “If we are just saying PDP has a crisis, which is self-made and that the Supreme Court had resolved the crisis for us, we are just deceiving ourselves.

    “The Supreme Court has taken a right decision as an apex court should, but as a party, only that cannot help you to do it all.’’

    He prayed for PDP to get its national convention right, saying the chairmanship of the party was very important.

    “I had four PDP chairmen under in eight years.

    “So, I know what it takes to have a good or bad chairman for a party,’’ Obasanjo said.

    He advised Dokpesi to use his media assets well for the interest of the country to avoid and correct past mistakes.

    Obasanjo, who said that he and some other Nigerians work hard for the success of the party and the county, advised PDP to manage its success.

    Speaking earlier, Dokpesi, the founders of Daar Communications, said he was in Abeokuta to seek the prayer and blessings of Obasanjo in his ambition of becoming PDP national chairman.

    He said that anyone aspiring to be national chairman of a political party must consult with the former president.

    “I am much aware that you are not interested in patrician politics but you are the father of the nation.

    “You are much committed to the unity, stability and continue the existence of this country.

    “You have dedicated all your life to the building of this country.

    “Therefore, anything that is good for this country is a matter of interest to you,’’ Dokpesi said.

    He said that PDP would continue to plead for the forgiveness of Obasanjo for its trespasses and transgressions.

    Dokpesi stressed the need for both the ruling and opposition parties to be strong “even as 2019 is fast approaching’’.

    He was accompanied to Abeokuta by Sen. Yisa Braimoh and PDP governorship aspirant in Delta State, Dr Esther Uduehi. (NAN)

  • Photo: Obasanjo dancing in Ebonyi

    Photo: Obasanjo dancing in Ebonyi

    Obasanjo

  • Glamour as Osinbajo, Obasanjo, others grace Saraki’s daughter’s wedding

    Glamour as Osinbajo, Obasanjo, others grace Saraki’s daughter’s wedding

    BEING the nation’s number three citizen comes with special perks. You have virtually everything at your beck and call. People listen when you talk and grant your desired favours with delight. And when it is your daughter’s wedding? They throw on expensive agbada, tie costly wrappers and make a beeline for the venue.

    So, it was a spectacle of pomp and ceremony when Halimat Oluwatosin Saraki, daughter of Senate President Bukola Saraki, tied the nuptial knot with her beau, Olatunde Olukoya, at a traditional wedding ceremony last weekend. The high octane event at Eko Hotels and Suites was a convergence of the high and mighty.

    While the excited couple basked in the warm glow of love fulfilled, expensive wines and choice meals flowed freely.

    On hand to celebrate with the Senate President were the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and his wife Dolapo; former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku; APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and a multitude of other National Assembly members. Moneybags like Aliko Dangote and entertainment celebrities like Paul Okoye and AY Makun also made their presence felt.

    Meanwhile, the grand wedding reception for the new couple is slated for the Royal Hall, Dunes Centre, Abuja, on December 7.

  • Rice farmer lauds Obasanjo

    Rice farmer lauds Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has received praises for his administration’s agricultural policies during the launch of Okun Rice in Abeokuta, the  Ogun State capital.

    Obasanjo, who was the chief launcher at the event held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), was praised for standing by farmers during his eight-year administration.

    Chairman, Hyst Global Business Limited (producers of Okun Rice), Biodun Onalaja, said but for the ex-president, who stood by him through thick and thin, during his travails, his aspiration of being an entrepreneur would have gone with the winds. “This rice project was made possible by the assistance given by our chief launcher, former President Obasanjo. While in office he had food self-sufficiency for the nation as one of his goals. He assisted us to set up the company while also blazing the trail for people like us as farmers. Here is a person, who not only talks agriculture, but walks the talk of a farmer and agro-entrepreneur,’’he said.

    Onalaja narrated how the 10 hectares of land he acquired in Taraba State for rice planting was overwhelmed by the 2012 River Benue floods and had to be abandoned. He said he had to relocate to Kogi State, where through the help of ex President Obasanjo and the support from former Agric Minister, Akinwunmi Adesina, he was able to secure 1,000 hectares, and two years later, began farming.

    Onalaja also thanked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Firstbank Limited, Unity Bank and Provident Bank for their support to Hyst Global Business.

    He urged the Federal Government to reduce food import, assist farmers with finance, land allocation, clearing, tractor and seedling distribution, among others. Low interest, he canvassed, would encourage more agro-entrepreneur.

    Obasanjo said the event was the celebration of success. Describing agriculture as a difficult area to invest in, he praised Onalaja for his doggedness, persistence and stubbornness in spirit’. “You have gone through the ups and downs. You could have chickened out,’’ Obasanjo said, adding that Onalaja’s determination to succeed pushed him on.

    Obasanjo, who called for sustenance of government policies, said Nigeria has what it takes to be self-sufficient in food production.