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Tag: Obasanjo

  • There’a no alternative to Buhari now – Obasanjo

    There’a no alternative to Buhari now – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that given the peculiar situation in the country, there is no alternative to President Muhammadu Buhari or his leadership style.
    The former President stated this on Saturday when a delegation of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), led by the Vice – President, Ogunkunade Oluwatoyin, visted him at his residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
    Obasanjonnurged Nigerians to support Buhari to bring about the desired “change” in the country.
    Obasanjo noted that a lot of things that were left undone in the last six years, are hurting the country today but said there is a ray hope in the government of President Buhari that the expected change for the better would happen in the country.
    Obasanjo who was a former Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) before quitting party politics early this year, said he stuck out his neck for change during the last general elections because things were no longer going the way it ought to be for the country.
    The former President spoke in response to the demands of the students on fighting corruption, security, economy, unemployment and improvement in the standard of eduction.
    He noted that God loves Nigeria and that he would continue to support and pray for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.

  • Buhari names Obasanjo special envoy to Guinea Bissau crisis

    Buhari names Obasanjo special envoy to Guinea Bissau crisis

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is to mediate in the unfolding political situation in Guinea Bissau on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Buhari yesterday named Obasanjo as special envoy on the crisis following the dismissal of Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira and his cabinet by President Jose Mario Vaz.

    Obasanjo embarked on the first leg of his mission by consulting with the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Macky Sall of Senegal in Dakar on Thursday.

    The consultation was in progress when Pereira was replaced as Prime Minister by Baciro Dja.

    President Buhari appealed for calm and asked the authorities in Guinea Bissau to exercise utmost restraint and ensure the maintenance of law and order as efforts continue to resolve the current crisis.

    The Guinea Bissau government and the military, according to him, should ensure respect for constitutional order, sanctity of life and safety of citizens, and avoid taking any further action capable of threatening the fragile democratic institutions recently established in the country.

    Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr.Femi Adesina, said the President’s intervention was in line with true African solidarity and brotherhood.

  • Obasanjo named as Special Envoy to Guinea Bissau

    Obasanjo named as Special Envoy to Guinea Bissau

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concerned over the unfolding political situation in Guinea Bissau following the dismissal of the Prime Minister, Mr Domingos Pereira, and his cabinet by President Jose Mario Vaz.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

    It stated that Buhari had already sent former President Olusegun Obasanjo as his Special Envoy to mediate and help find a solution to the crisis brewing in that country.

    According to the statement, Buhari’s peace mission is in demonstration of true African solidarity and brotherhood.

    The statement maintained that Obasanjo had embarked on the first leg of his mission by consulting with the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Macky Sall of Senegal in Dakar on Thursday.

    “It is regrettable that while Chief Obasanjo was still consulting with President Sall, President Jose Mario Vaz of Guinea Bissau proceeded to appoint and swear-in a new Prime Minister in the person of Mr Baciro Dja, a development that has worsened the political situation in his country.’’

    Buhari appealed for calm and called on the leadership in Guinea Bissau to exercise utmost restraint and ensure the maintenance of law and order as efforts continue to resolve the current crisis.

    The president, particularly, urged the leadership in Guinea Bissau, including the military, to ensure respect for constitutional order, sanctity of life and safety of citizens.

    He also enjoined them to avoid taking any further action that could threaten the fragile democratic institutions recently established in the country.

  • Obasanjo challenges varsity on agric enterprise

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, to teach agricultural enterprise to its students to help end poverty and unemployment.

    He spoke when he visited the university in company of its founder, Bishop David Oyedepo.

    The University, inauguration on March 21, 2011, has a mandate to drive a agrarian revolution through its undergraduate programmes in the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Sciences, Business and Social Sciences.

    The former president said product development, innovative use of equipment, and food production are some aspects of agricultural enterprise the university can focus on.

    In a statement by the university, Obasanjo was quoted as saying that the challenge of unemployment can be addressed through agribusiness.

    After a tour of the university, Obasanjo was quoted as saying: “I am most impressed with the overall commitment of the proprietor to agric-business and the enthusiasm of the farm director and staff. In totality, it is exemplary and worthy of emulation.

    “The University has the basic requirement to turn out engineers. I think our emphasis should be on Science, Technology or Science, Engineering but I will always add innovation because it is not every time we can invent, but we can improve on what already exists and that is where innovation comes in. The University is really doing well.”

    The university has 23 agriculture-related programmes such as Agric Extension and Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Soil Science, Crop Science, Agric and Biosystems Engineering, among other engineering courses.

    The Living Faith Commission Worldwide is said to have made available accessible loans to the tune of N1billion to graduates who have interest in embarking on agriculture entrepreneurship.

  • Message to Obasanjo

    I make it a point of duty to be respectful of President Olusegun Obasanjo, whether I happen to mention his name in public or in private. I am sure that is part of my respect for my country. For me, it is not a small thing that a person has once been head of the country of my birth.

    In the past few days, President Obasanjo has been widely reported to have made some thought-provoking statements about the issue of leadership in the Yoruba nation. I see no need to probe into his motives for making these statements – and I will not so probe, out of respect. Whether he is out to shoot barbs at some person or persons among the Yoruba people is not unimportant, but I choose not to step into such considerations. It is quite possible to look into the statements themselves on purely objective basis, and that is what I would rather do.

    Broadly, his statements deal with two periods of Yoruba history – the long pre-colonial period and the short modern, Nigerian, period. His views concerning both periods are, I believe, summed up in the sentence in which he said: ”Just as there was no single Oba having sovereignty over the whole of Yorubaland, there was no individual as leader of the Yorubas in Yorubaland. As it was then, it remains till now.” With all due respect, I think he is not exactly correct about either period.

    His mistake concerning the long period of the history of Yoruba kingdoms and their Obas (from about the 10th century to roughly the end of the 18th century) arises from his obvious confusion of the two concepts, “leadership” and “sovereignty”. Yes, no one Oba ever held sovereignty over the whole of Yorubaland; each Oba held sovereignty over his own kingdom. But that does not mean that the concept of leadership, or the concept of prominent influence, was totally non-existent in this long period of Yoruba history. Claims commonly made by various Yoruba circles today for the Ooni or the Alafin as “leading” father of the Yoruba nation is not without some historical foundation. The problem is that those of us making these claims do not try to differentiate between the eras when one or the other had more influence in Yorubaland.

    Historians would now say that there was an early era when the Ife kingdom was widely revered in Yorubaland and that, though the reverence for Ife never totally vanished, there was a later era when the Alafin ruled a large and proud empire consisting of much (though not all) of Yorubaland plus some non-Yoruba peoples, and when the Alafin had very high influence among Yoruba people. There was an era when Yoruba kingdoms that fell into political troubles resorted to the palace of Ife for traditions and rituals for sorting out their troubles. And there was a later era when high officials of the Alafin were commonly sent by the Alafin to go and settle disputes, and prevent conflicts, in totally sovereign and independent Yoruba kingdoms that were experiencing political troubles. The traditions about these things are unambiguous features of our history.

    To go on to the modern aspects of President Obasanjo’s statements, we find him saying very heavy things. He says that there has never been a Yoruba leader in modern times, that it was Chief Awolowo’s supporters who “fixed” the title of Yoruba leader on him during the Nigerian crisis situation in the 1960s, and that there is no need for a Yoruba leader.

    The statement that there has never been a Yoruba leader in modern Yoruba history is simply untrue. In general, in all parts of Black Africa, whenever any nationalities face uncertainties or difficulties in the countries to which they belong, their usual practice has been to generate a leadership to protect their interests. There is no known Black African nation that has never done this. In Nigeria, the examples are legion. In the late 1940s, in the general uncertainty accompanying British deliberations to formulate Nigeria into one country, many Nigerian peoples founded leadership groups for themselves – notably, Ibo State Union, Egbe Omo Oduduwa, etc. One of the most influential forces in Nigerian politics today is the Hausa-Fulani leadership organization called Arewa Consultative Forum.

    Egbe Omo Oduduwa and its leadership spoke very capably for the Yoruba nation and promoted Yoruba interests expertly. In various crisis situations in Yorubaland, it employed its influence effectively to broker peace. And, even in spite of the presence of two powerful political parties, AG and NCNC, in the Western Region, Egbe Omo Oduduwa continued to do these things until the regional crisis of the early 1960s. Is it possible that President Obasanjo does not remember these things?

    During the very troubling months leading to the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960s, prominent Yoruba of all political orientations formed the Yoruba Leaders of Thought, which met frequently to chart our nation’s path through the growing Nigerian nightmare of the time. Most other Nigerian nationalities did the same. We even set up a standing delegation which went to Gen. Gowon many times to present Yoruba positions and make Yoruba demands. Chief Awolowo, first Premier of our Region, and undoubtedly our nation’s highest political assets at that point, chaired the meetings and was appointed by us to lead the delegation.

    I remember the very meeting at which we suddenly chose him as leader of our nation. Nobody had planned any such thing. I know, because I was one of the young academics and professionals who served as organizers and messengers for those meetings of Leaders of Thought. Our nation was under enormous stress. During the days before, there had been a lot of fear all over our Region, because some of the Northern soldiers stationed in our Region had been reported to be threatening to kill members of our delegation. The Western Regional Military Governor, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, had appointed some Yoruba military officers to accompany our delegation. And we simply did what human groups do in such circumstances – we appointed a leader and prepared to stand for our nation. The talk that anybody among us opposed, or could have dared to oppose, what we did in that meeting, is totally untrue. President Obasanjo should not let anybody sell to him manifestly untrue twists of important historical facts.

    Also, during the Abacha dictatorship of the 1990s, when state terror was directed against the Yoruba nation, the Yoruba nation threw up a leadership group named Afenifere, which served the Yoruba nation’s interests, and mobilized the Yoruba people, very effectively. Afenifere called up the old warrior, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, to lead the nation; and when Ajasin passed on, they called up Senator Abraham Adesanya. A lot of people still remember that the then Gen. Obasanjo had dealings with either or both of these leaders in their status of Yoruba leader. Sure, many people now lament the fact that Afenifere made a serious mistake in choosing to be closely identified with a political party when party politics returned. But very few would contradict the assessment that Afenifere did, before then, lead the Yoruba nation very effectively. Can it be that President Obasanjo has totally forgotten these things?

    In the light of the above historical experiences, does it make sense to say today that no leadership is necessary among the Yoruba? These days, the Yoruba nation’s situation in Nigeria is more complex, and demands vastly more serious responses than ever before. The challenges are political, economic and cultural, altogether capable of threatening the Yoruba nation’s integrity. I can understand President Obasanjo, as a partisan politician, saying that certain other politicians do not deserve to be appointed as leader of the Yoruba nation. But to say that no leader or leadership is needed in Yorubland is a different thing altogether.Has he ever told the Hausa-Fulani elite that Arewa Consultative Forum is unnecessary and should be disbanded? Or has he ever preached the same to any other Nigerian nationality? Why should he seem to want the Yoruba nation to be different from, and weaker than, others?

  • Sijuwade was a voice of honesty, says ex-President Obasanjo

    Sijuwade was a voice of honesty, says ex-President Obasanjo

    A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said yesterday that the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, stood out as a voice of honesty and forthrightness in national affairs.

    He described the late Ooni as a unifying force in Ife, the South Western zone and beyond.

    He said he met the deceased about 10 days ago to compare notes on national issues.

    Obasanjo, who paid the tribute in a statement, said Oba Sijuwade inspired many over the years.

    He said: “I do appreciate the immense pain that the unfortunate death of the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade has caused his Oloris, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and the entire people of the Kingdom of Ife in particular and Osun State in general, who must be grieving at the demise of the Oba.

    “Oba Sijuwade was, undoubtedly, a very eminent citizen and his death will be felt not only by his people but indeed, the entire nation.  We can, nevertheless, be consoled from knowing that Oba Sijuwade has gone to rest in the bosom of his Maker and left behind him a good name and worthy legacy. Indeed, ‘Erin wo’.

     “We have been inspired, over the years, by Oba Sijuwade’s most impressive career as a tested manager of men and resources, a proprietor of repute, and an industrialist of distinction.  From the Tribune Group, where he had his early experience in the private sector through the Leventis family and therefrom into private entrepreneurship, he truly distinguished himself as a businessman of note.

     “His attainments, over the years, surely culminated in his unanimous nomination and coronation as the Ooni Olubuse II of Ile-Ife since November 1980.

    “In this capacity, he functioned as Chancellor of the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State in 1988.  It is a measure of his selfless and qualitative service to our dear country that he was honoured with the revered national award of the Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, by former President Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1983.”

    Obasanjo highlighted the outstanding qualities of the late Ooni.

     He added: “The late Oba Sijuwade was a patriotic and highly respected traditional ruler who had immeasurable love for his people and great faith in a united Nigeria. I remember his firmness in support of Government at all levels when I was President of Nigeria.  His staunch support was appreciated and would always be remembered for it.

    “He, accordingly, stood out as a voice of honesty and forthrightness in national affairs.  He was at the same time a fervent promoter of mutual tolerance and understanding not only among the diverse people who lived in his domain but also across the country.

    “The toga of acrimony, thuggery and violence which stigmatized the politics and the people of Ife and Modakeke for many years was permanently brought to an end by him with the support of his royal colleagues.  Today, there can be no gainsaying that his nearly four-decade reign was marked by unprecedented peace-making and lasting peace and prosperity in Ife and Modadeke.

     “The late Oba followed the tradition of his great predecessors.”

  • Buhari hosts Obasanjo

    Buhari hosts Obasanjo

    It is no longer news that former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa in Abuja. Reporters were eager to find out details of the meeting. They got little.

    There was, however, a general agreement that it was a friendly visit because, according to an experienced reporter with a remarkable perspective in such matters, Obasanjo would have fired a letter instead of visiting, if he was up in arms against the President.

    What did the two leaders discuss? One week after the meeting, there is still no statement about the details, giving room to speculations, some of them modest; others wild and clearly off the mark. Never one to leave its loyal readers in the lurch, Editorial Notebook went in search of its sources. One of them, “a usually reliable source” who swore by his new pair of trousers that he got his information from an uncle of his who is close to the aunt of a gardener who once served at the Villa, recounted the encounter. There was, however, no independent confirmation of his account, which, nevertheless, goes thus:

    A group of presidential aides welcomes Obasanjo, who walks in briskly, holding his agbada with one hand. The President comes out to receive him. Buhari stops as soon as he gets close, standing erect, his two hands firmly clasped by his sides.

    “Moin sir. You’re welcome. So good to see you.”

    Obasanjo: Relax, my president. It’s so good to see you again. You’re looking so fit. The work load is not showing at all. I’m happy to see you.

    They stroll leisurely into a living room. Buhari announces that the duo would like to be left alone as this is a private meeting. The room cleared, they begin to talk.

    Obasanjo: Hmmm…hum (He clears his throat, his eyes gleaning with satisfaction). My President, once again, I thank you for giving me this audience. My God will honour you. I have come to – in fulfilment of my promise not to leave you alone – listen to your experience so far and offer some advice, some tips on how to get it right. But, let me confess to you, so far so good. That is my verdict. And that is the opinion of many Nigerians, reasonable Nigerians o; the ones that I have met here and overseas. Thank you.

    Buhari: Sir, I thank you for finding the time to come. It is my pleasure to welcome you. I had thought you would be here before I travelled to the U.S, but it’s okay. It was a very rewarding trip. The Americans are willing to help us recover all the money that was stolen, but they insist we must punish the thieves and stop impunity in all areas of our lives – the public sector, the military and all that.

    Obasanjo: That’s good. Somebody, one reporter was telling me the other day that you were told to ensure that those indicted in the Halliburton scandal are punished. The stupid boy was saying it was during my time that that happened. I told him “yes; it happened during my time. Was I involved; what’s my own?” I don’t even know what Halliburton was doing here. He was saying the only gap was that I didn’t bring the officials involved to justice. Ah! See me see trouble o. Is it my duty to take people to court? I almost got angry.

    You have spent a few days in office and they have started calling you Baba Go Slow. Don’t mind them; take your time and get it right. Nobody can please us.

    Buhari: My predecessor, Dr Jonathan was also here the other day to talk about all these issues. I think people have seen the direction of our government, that we are ready to recover all the stolen money. They have seen the operation we are doing in the oil sector and they are worried that …

    Obasanjo cuts in. Mr President, you are right o. I read that Jonathan came in here in the night. What was he looking for in the night? I heard that he came to plead with you to spare some of his people, his former aides, ministers and the rest of them. Please, apply wisdom o. There is no need to have mercy when you’re fighting corruption. If you drop your guard, you will be ambushed. Corruption will surely fight back and when it does you’ll be powerless.

    You know I started it all. I put that boy there…eemm …emmm …Nuhu. Ribadu. But then he got consumed by the politics of the job and later the job of politics got the better part of him. See what we have today.

    In fact, I read that Jona said he was hearing some of the cases for the first time. I laugh. Didn’t I tell him that people were misbehaving? What did he do? Instead of facing the reality, he was talking about elders who speak like motor park touts. You see, any young man who says an elder’s mouth is smelly, e go see wein.

    Today you say people are not stealing; they are only corrupt. Tomorrow you lecture us on the difference between stealing and corruption. Haba! Now, the chicken has come home to roost and people are running up and down.

    Buhari: It is true he was here Sir. We had useful discussions. I think people are afraid that they will be persecuted. And I have said it several times that we will not witch-hunt anybody.

    Again, Obasanjo cuts him, raising his right hand and shifting in his seat.

    You’re right. Many of them have come to Abeokuta to see me. They would like me to intervene on their behalf. And I looked at them and smiled. I am no more a politician; I’m now a statesman. They just won’t understand. And as a statesman, Nigeria is my party. I can’t protect you if you have hurt Nigeria, I am ready – if you’re ready –to go konko bilo with you. If you must face justice, dat na your toro. Soon, I will start walking them out.

    Buhari: Dr Jonathan himself is surprised at the magnitude of the corruption we are talking about. He said he didn’t know that so much was going on. He said he was always warning his people to stay away from corruption.

    Obasanjo (shaking his head and smiling): They should stay away from corruption and embrace stealing? If you, as the head, are not aware that your people were having a bazaar, then you don’t know anything. Now alarm don blow and you’re running like a headless chicken. What nonsense is that? I have always said it, that girl …emm …emm… Ngozi; Okonjo-Iweala, who worked for me is different from the one who worked for Jonathan. I knew how to manage her.

    People have accused me of not apologising to Nigerians for, as they say, giving them Yar’Adua and Jonathan. And I have always said, ‘me, apologise? Apology my foot. I am not an oracle. Besides, you can get a job for a man,  appointed, elected, selected or any how, but you can’t do it for him’. There is a good saying that if you want to know how anybody will perform, put him in a position of power or put money into his hand. Then, siddon look, watch him.

    (Buhari keeps nodding – obviously in agreement. He frowns, his closed lips shrunk in a manner that shows disgust).

    And the Boko Haram matter?

    Buhari : We are doing fine sir. I think the group is losing it. Now they attack remote villages and use suicide bombers. We are finding a way round that and very soon our efforts will begin to yield fruits. We are on course. I am still trying to find out how an army that was well respected became a weakling that couldn’t handle this domestic issue. Allah willing, we will crush the insurgents.

    Obasanjo: When I told the other man to be systematic about this matter, he was angry, saying all sorts of jagbajantics. I said, ‘listen to me, young man. You may have been small during the war, the civil war. So, take our experience and use it. You have to use carrot and stick’. He didn’t listen. His boys went after me; they ignored the message and started crying like foolish housewives: ‘What does Obasanjo want?’ They thought they could embarrass me; nobody can embarrass Obasanjo. Never.

    Buhari: We have no intention of embarrassing any Nigerian. We have done a lot of work and very soon the trial of all those who stole money will begin. We  must recover every kobo.

    Obasanjo (he stands up, ready to go): Once again, I thank you for this audience and I pray that God will give you wisdom to run this show well well. Sai anjuma.

       Buhari: Asoka lafia. Safe journey, sir.

     

     

     Fanks WAEC

    Some bad news from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) – 61.32% failed to pass English and mathematics in the last School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).  Of the 1,593,442 candidates who took the examinations, only 616,370 got credit passes in five subjects.

    Without a credit in English and mathematics, going to the university will be a mere dream. Who carries the can? Not WAEC. Definitely.  So, where lies the fault? English is the only language in many homes, including where the parents never went to school. This, in my view, is the problem.

    I am sure Prof. Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, would not have been such a fantastic writer if he had not been well grounded in Yoruba. Neither would the late Prof. Chinua Achebe have been great if he had no deep understanding of Igbo language and culture.

    For today’s kids, the Azonto generation, knowledge begins and ends on Facebook, Wechat, Whatsapp, 2go and all that. They– many of them, I dare say – speak English effortlessly, but, given a pen to write, they start sweating. They watch movies as if their future depends on them. Their ears are permanently wired to pop music – Shakiti Bobo.

    Many have sought solace in the wide corruption of the English language to which the Smartphone offers a platform. Consider this from a friend’s younger brother: Hi. Gud am. Howz work? And fanks for the other day. May dis wk bring joy nd blessings 2ur home, family and luvd 1s.May Almighty grant your innermost @ desire. Oluwa is highly involved. Plz don forget to roja ya kid bro o. Luv uuuuu!

    To WAEC, I say fanks for giving us, once again, a wake-up call on the need to tackle some of the problems of our children’s education. Thanks.

  • I prefer to be without party – Obasanjo

    I prefer to be without party – Obasanjo

    Six months after quitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the symbolic shredding of his party membership card before TV camera, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, said he preferred to remain without party.

    Obasanjo, a former Chairman, Board of trustees of the PDP, added that he would continue to be a statesman, without any party and also identify with any Nigerian having perceptible good leadership qualities.

    The ex – President disclosed this in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, when the Kogi state governor, Capt. Idris Wada (retired) paid him courtesy visit at his residence.

    Obasanjo, who tore his PDP membership card before camera men through a proxy few weeks to the last general elections, said it is the individual that makes the party and not the other way round.

    Obasanjo said: “we should understand first that, not the party made the person, but the person makes the party. It is who you are that you bring into the party. Though for now I remain a party less Nigerian, but, I will continue to welcome any Nigerian with good leadership qualities.

    “It does not matter which party you are, either, PDP, APC, Labour, APGA any party at all, as long as you a are committed, sincere and a purposeful leader, I am ready for you.

    “And that is what our brother is doing. I pray that this country will never be short of this type of people. Everybody is welcome. But, they must be with good leadership traits, with genuine intention to improve the country.”

    However, Wada who described Obasanjo as a father of the nation, said he was in Abeokuta to see the ex – President, having been just conferred with the best governor award in Lagos.

    Wada said: “everywhere we met Baba, we learn a lot and we shall continue to learn from him. His a father of the nation. He is a figure we admire. We pray that we all will be like him, because he is a committed Nigeria, who has devoted himself to the growth of the country.

    So, why not, if some of us decide to emulate him, be with him and appreciate him. Since we were honored as the best governor yesterday, in Lagos we deem it appropriate to come down to Abeokuta to report to our father, the little recognition we are getting.

    “As you know, Baba Obasanjo is our father, our role model and shining example for the nation and the world at large.”

     

  • Obasanjo meets Buhari behind closed door

    Obasanjo meets Buhari behind closed door

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was back at the Presidential Villa,Abuja on Friday for a fresh round of discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of the nation.

    It was their second meeting in a month,the first coming during the Ramadan when Obasanjo went to break fast with Buhari.

    The Friday meeting took place behind closed door.

    Sources said Obasanjo’s presence was to enable him “offer advice   “ to the new administration especially in relation to the observations made by the Abdulsalami Abubakar   Committee on the management of the last elections.

    Details were not immediately available last night.

    Our sources merely said: “The meeting with the president was held behind the curtains. Obasanjo actually came to offer advice to the new administration. The fact is that Buhari broke fast with Obasanjo towards the tail end of the last Ramadan. Obasanjo caught everyone unawares when he insisted on returning to Lagos that same night. He had to return at 9pm.

    “As a former President, he met with Buhari to compare notes on a few things and what the government should do. The advisory is not binding but it can be helpful.

    “This is the summary of what transpired between the two leaders.”

    There was little to discuss during the first meeting last month, hence the second meeting, sources said.

    They could not compare notes on that occasion as Obasanjo decided to leave for Lagos at about 9pm on that day, foreclosing   any “serious talks.”

    Findings however confirmed that Friday’s session provided an opportunity for them to rub minds on the state of the nation.

    It was gathered that to protect the sanctity of the session, the schedule issued to Buhari’s aides indicated that Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal would be visiting the President on Friday night.

    But instead of Tambuwal , it was Obasanjo that turned up at the appointed time, taking some of them by surprise.

    Another respected source said that the Abdulsalami 2015 Elections Peace Committee had been trying to get across to Buhari on “some issues emerging from the outcome of the management of the 2015 poll.”

    The source added: “I am aware that Abdulsalami’s Committee had complained of not being able to get in touch with Buhari on some matters arising from post-election issues.

    “Do not forget that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan recently ran to Abdulsalami on some issues.

    “As father of all, Obasanjo is usually the clearing house in respect of these issues.”

    When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, confirmed the meeting by the two leaders but he said he had no details at press time because he was out of the Federal Capital Territory.

  • Buhari, Obasanjo meet at Aso Rock

    Buhari, Obasanjo meet at Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on friday evening met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    They met behind closed-doors at the President’s official residence.

    Details of discussions at the meeting is unknown as at the time of filing this report.

    But the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, confirmed that the two leaders met at the Aso Rock.