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Tag: Obasanjo

  • NSCDC was outstanding during my tenure, says Obasanjo

    NSCDC was outstanding during my tenure, says Obasanjo

    •Ex-president, Amosun hail Abolurin

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), unlike other security agencies, distinguished itself during his tenure between 1999 and 2007.

    Obasanjo said he did not receive much complaints of “misbehaviour” about the NSCDC and its operatives as was the case with other agencies engaged in security matters.

    The former President spoke when the retired head of the NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, visited him at his Presidential Hilltop Estate, Abeokuta.

    He added that one of the problems afflicting Nigeria was lack of continuity of “integrity, patriotism and cherished values” by subsequent leaders.

    Obasanjo hailed Abolurin for nurturing the corps from unremunerated voluntary organisation to become a national agency combating pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering and other vices.

    He said: “This organisation became institutionalised by virtue of the good work the organisation was doing as a voluntary organisation for many years.

    “One of the things that I had to confront in my tenure as President of Nigeria was pipeline vandalisation, holdup, and crude oil stealing – what they called bunkering. There is nothing like bunkering, it is outright stealing.

    “We used all the available agencies and resources and your organisation as a voluntary organisation, unpaid,  unremunerated, unrecognised, uninstitutionalised, was doing a great job without being armed and without being equipped.

    “And that mean the height of commitment, nationalism, patriotism and service to the fatherland and service to humanity. Of course, I didn’t hesitate to move ahead on an Act of Parliament to be able to organise you into what you are today.

    “Of course, there is no human institution that is ever perfect. But I can say, when I was the president, I did not get as much complaints about the misbehaviour of your organisation as I get about the misbehaviour of other agencies of government that are doing similar security work for the nation and that is something that you should be proud of as an organisation.

    “I am not saying there are absolutely no bad eggs among you and you know that. And for those of you who will continue to carry the mantle, do not spare any bad egg among you.

    “You, Ade Abolurin, you did your best, no human being is perfect and if there is any imperfection that I noted, is probably your enthusiasm  to wanting to get things right. You’ve gone, you’ve seen, and I think you have conquered and you’re welcome home.”

    The former president thanked the leaders who came after him and sustained the organization.

    He added: “As I am talking to you, I am also talking to your successor and I believe that where you have taken this organisation to, those coming after you will be able to build over it.

    “One of our problems in this country is lack of continuity. I hope in your own case and this organisation, there would be continuity, continuity not for the man coming after you to do everything exactly like you have done it, it is not possible even if the person coming after you is your biological son. He wouldn’t do everything the way you would want to do it.

    “But there are some essential things that should be preserved and maintained, the issue of value, integrity,  commitment, patriotism, those cherished values and virtues that you have maintained in this organisation, would continue to be maintained.”

    Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun has hailed the achievements of Abolurin while in office.

    He said he transformed the once unknown outfit into a security agency to be reckoned with.

    He spoke when he received Abolurin, who paid him a thank you visit in his office yesterday.

    The governor described the feat of the ex-NSCDC boss as unprecedented and self-evident.

    “You brought professionalism into the Corps. There is no way the history of the Corps can be written without mentioning your name or making reference to your achievements.

    Abolurin hailed Obasanjo and Amosun for supporting him throughout his stay in office.

    He added that he was confronted with many tough challenges on the job, but he overcame by the grace of God.

     

  • Obasanjo: Okonjo-Iweala derailed under Jonathan

    Obasanjo: Okonjo-Iweala derailed under Jonathan

    Ex-President speaks on Jonathan, IBB, Halliburton, others

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has given an insight into why former Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was less effective under the immediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

    Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s tenure has turned out to be highly controversial, with the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Charles Soludo accusing her of running the economy aground.

    Besides, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole insists the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy should explain how $1.2billion Excess Crude Account cash was spent.

    Dr. Okonjo-Iweala maintains that she did her best.

    Obasanjo, in an interview with the online publication “Premium Times” in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, spoke on some of the key decisions he took while in office, his relationship with some key political figures, his book My Watch and the Halliburton bribery scandal.

    He said Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala performed better under him because he understood her weaknesses and managed them well.

    He said the former World Bank president liked to always have her way, adding: “If I am the one in charge, then it has to be what I see as what is in the best interest of the nation”.

    Obasanjo added: “Take Ngozi (Okonjo-Iweala), who worked for me. And who worked competently for me. Because I know Ngozi’s weaknesses, but I know her strong points. Her strong point is technical competence. But Ngozi needs to be led and to be supervised. Now will you comment on Ngozi who worked for me as the same Ngozi who worked for Jonathan? Will you? But it’s the same person.

    “She derailed because…. when Jonathan even said he wanted her, I said ‘I hope you can manage her.’ And Ngozi herself sent me a text (and) I told her times have changed.”

    On what made him remove Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala as finance minister, Obasanjo said:  ”I said I’ve touched reform. I’ve touched almost everywhere except Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So one day, I was in my office and the Head of Service, Yayale (Ahmed), came in. He said ‘look, you are looking not happy, what is the matter?’ I said I am worried about two ministries and the ministers who can do the work I wanted to be done there in these two ministries are already doing good work where they are. And he said ‘talk let me see.’ I said education and foreign affairs. And he said ‘who are the ministers that you think can do the job.’ I said Oby (Ezekwesili), Ngozi, and El-Rufai. He said ‘what is Oby doing for you now?’ I said Oby is doing Solid Minerals. He said ‘Sir, in all sincerity, I know you don’t like to rank ministries, but will you say Ministry of Solid Minerals is as important as Ministry of Education?’ I said ‘yes, I don’t rank ministries, they are all important. He said, ‘Can’t you take any of these three to do education and then get somebody else to do solid minerals?’ So I took Oby there. Now in the Ministry of Finance we had got debt relief, so I could afford to take Ngozi to Foreign Affairs. That’s all. And then she had Nenadi (Usman) who was the minister of state. She’s not a buffoon. And then, which is also part of her weakness, she came to me and said, ‘look’, since it’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she will like to take International Finance along with it. I said talk to your sister with whom you are working and I don’t see anything wrong with that provided you work out a relationship. But she didn’t accord Nenadi the recognition and the consideration that was necessary. I then said the International finance should go back to Finance and that happened. She said she couldn’t act. She put in a letter of resignation. And she had done that before, and before she could come and get people to come and beg, I announced acceptance (of her resignation).”

    On why the refineries are in a bad shape, Obasanjo said: ”Take, for instance, the decision on privatising all refineries. I explained that what I met were refineries that were not working, refineries that were given to an amateur for repairs, for maintenance, what they call turn around maintenance to the company of Emeka Offor – Chrome Group. Where has Emeka Offor maintained refineries before? Where has he? That’s what we met. So, the refineries were not working. I called Shell. I said ‘come and help us, just run the refinery.’ Shell was frank with me.

    “It said that ‘we make our money from upstream, downstream; is more of a service. Two, your refineries are small. Port Harcourt is 60,000 barrels a day. Refineries now go 300,000 barrels a day. Three, your refineries have not been maintained well. Four, we don’t want to go into the corruption that is entailed in all these’. I said ‘ok, come and help me run it’. They refused. Now when I then saw people who agreed to take 51 per cent equity in two of the refineries; they did not promise to pay, they paid $750 million, I was dancing and I said ‘look, this is God-sent.’ My successor came (and) they cancelled it and paid them the money back. Those refineries today – you won’t get them because they’ve become scrap.”

     

  • Weaknesses of Okonjo-Iweala, by Obasanjo

    Weaknesses of Okonjo-Iweala, by Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in an interview published yesterday by PREMIUM TIMES,  spoke at length about the reasons behind some of the key decisions he took while in office, his relationship with some key political figures, his book My Watch and the Halliburton bribery scandal.

    Thank you sir for granting us this opportunity to talk about your book. Some people say it is selling like hot cake, I don’t know if it is true but that’s what people say. How has it been? What has been the financial reward from there?

     

    The book was not written for financial reward. If it was written for financial reward, now that…what do you call him… Kashamu had done the stupid things he did, I would have sued him  for damages and I would have got damages. But that’s not what the book was written for. The book was written for my experience, my understanding, my knowledge, and what you may call wisdom as a result of all these, to put it for others to be able to learn or acquire knowledge. That’s one. Two, it was also written to set the record right. One of the things that people don’t know, people that I call arm chair presidents is that they don’t know what goes in before decisions are made or what the man making decisions, what leads him to making decisions.

    Take for instance the decision on privatising all refineries. I explained that what I met were refineries that were not working, refineries that were given to an amateur for repairs, for maintenance, what they call turn around maintenance to the company of Emeka Offor – Chrome Group. Where has Emeka Offor maintained refineries before? Where has he? That’s what we met. So, the refineries were not working. I called Shell. I said ‘come and help us, just run the refinery.’ Shell was frank with me.

    It said that ‘we make our money from upstream, downstream is more of a service. Two, your refineries are small. Port Harcourt is 60,000 barrels a day. Refineries now go 300,000 barrels a day. Three, your refineries have not been maintained well. Four, we don’t want to go into the corruption that is entailed in all these’. I said ‘ok, come and help me run it’. They refused. Now when I then saw people who agreed to take 51 per cent equity in two of the refineries; they did not promise to pay, they paid 750 million, I was dancing and I said ‘look, this is God sent.’ My successor came (and) they cancelled it and paid them the money back. Those refineries today – you won’t get them because they’ve become scrap.

     

    They recently said that they are working again…

    Who made them work? (laughs)

    You mentioned Emeka Offor. There were lots of stories about the refineries you met, how you handled it. But you never recovered anything from Emeka Offor.

     

    What can you recover? A man  who was paid up front. He had people. He got some police…people were there. And like they have said to you now, look, if it works for a week, that’s all you get. And Emeka Offor, after I left he became friends with every government that has come. Now he’s not only into refinery and oil and all that, he’s now also in energy.

     

    Something came out of your book. You said that before you were elected, that the feeling and perception was that only a northerner  could be elected in Nigeria. How did you feel breaking that myth, because you called it a myth in your book?

     

    It’s a myth. It’s a myth that….well, before my election we have had, since independence, three or four elections. We had election in 1959 that was conducted by the British, NPC won. We were still in the days of parliamentary. We had election in 1964 that was conducted by ourselves. It was a coalition of NPC and NCNC but the head of the government was Tafawa Balewa. We had election again in 1979, Shagari won. We had again in 1983, again Shagari won. And then we had the June 12…

     

     (Cuts in) I was thinking that (1993) was when the myth was broken.

     

    Election which result has not been declared, you cannot talk of… It doesn’t matter what you may see but until the election result is formally declared, it could be anything.

     

    So you think that period was a very momentous period in Nigeria’s history?

     

    I think it was good for Nigeria. It was one of the great strides that Nigeria made. Just as I believe that Jonathan winning election in 2011 was also a great stride for us or 2015, now that the incumbent was defeated by the opposition. These are landmarks, or if you like, reference points in our advancement in democracy.

     

    In the Volume 2 of your book, you wrote extensively about the role God used you to play in enthroning Yar’Adua and Jonathan. You also admitted later – extensive analysis – how both leaders performed poorly. There are those who believe that you owe Nigerians an apology for leading them to enthrone non-performing leaders.

     

    (Cuts in) You are absolutely wrong. Now you voted for them. I didn’t just take them and put them there. And they went through a process. Don’t you know that? Do you know or don’t you know that they went through a process? Do you know or don’t you know? Answer (slaps interviewer’s thigh vigorously).

    I know.

     

    Okay. They went through a process. And that is the process that the constitution and the electoral system allow.

     

    In other words, are you saying that all of us are guilty?

     

    Of course. If you want to put that, everybody who voted for them is guilty.

     

    But you know people believed you. People believed you. When you speak….

     

    (Cuts in) When I speak, I am not an oracle. And I’m not infallible. But on this particular one I have said to all of you, you can get a job for a man you cannot do it for him. Even your own son if you put him in a job…. There is a good saying that if you want to know how anybody will perform, put him in position of power or put money into his hand.

     

    So maybe the thing to say is that you didn’t do enough due diligence…

     

    (Cuts in) No. You are wrong. There’s no due diligence that you can do to allow a man…. You cannot know the quality of a gift from the wrapping. You don’t know that, you will never go anywhere (slaps interviewer’s thigh). That is absolute wrong.

     

    That point has to be made…

     

    (Cuts in) But I’ve always made it. I keep on making it. In my book, I said look, Gowon sent me to the war front and because of my performance there, my popularity started to rise…

     

     (Cuts in) Because he knew you had the capacity, he checked you very well…

     

    (Cuts in) No no no. Adekunle was there before me. So he didn’t know Adekunle had the capacity? Answer me. In that same Division, Adekunle was there. And if Adekunle had remained there, there’s the possibility that Nigeria could have lost the war. So will you blame him for that?

     

    We won’t. But you know a lot of people believe that between 1999 and 2007 when you left was a time that a lot changed in Nigeria for the better. And people just keep saying that you destroyed everything that you put in place with the successors you enthroned.

     

    But take Ngozi (Okonjo-Iweala), who worked for me. And who worked competently for me. Because I know Ngozi’s weaknesses, but I know her strong points. Her strong point is technical competence. But Ngozi needs to be led and to be supervised. Now will you comment on Ngozi who worked for me as the same Ngozi who worked for Jonathan? Will you? But it’s the same person.

     

    At what point do you think she derailed if I may use that word?

     

    No.

     

    Is it at the point that you changed her – because you removed her as finance minister. Was it at that point that she began to derail?

     

    She derailed because….when Jonathan even said he wanted her, I said ‘I hope you can manage her.’ And Ngozi herself sent me a text (and) I told her times have changed.

     

    But why did you change her? She was managing the economy very well for you. Why did you now remove her suddenly?

     

    I wrote it in that my book.

     

    It didn’t come out clearly enough?

     

    It must have come out. Maybe you haven’t read the book very well. I said I’ve touched reform. I’ve touched almost everywhere except Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So one day, I was in my office and the Head of Service, Yayale (Ahmed), came in. He said ‘look, you are looking not happy, what is the matter?’ I said I am worried about two ministries and the ministers who can do the work I wanted to be done there in these two ministries are already doing good work where they are. And he said ‘talk let me see.’ I said education and foreign affairs. And he said ‘who are the ministers that you think can do the job.’ I said Oby (Ezekwesili), Ngozi, and El-Rufai. He said ‘what is Oby doing for you now?’ I said Oby is doing Solid Minerals. He said ‘Sir, in all sincerity, I know you don’t like to rank ministries, but will you say Ministry of Solid Minerals is as important as Ministry of Education.’ I said yes I don’t rank ministries, they are all important. He said, ‘Can’t you take any of these three to do education and then get somebody else to do solid minerals?’ So I took Oby there. Now in the Ministry of Finance we had got debt relief, so I could afford to take Ngozi to Foreign Affairs. That’s all. And then she had Nenadi (Usman) who was the minister of state. She’s not a buffoon. And then, which is also part of her weakness, she came to me and said, look, since it’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she will like to take International Finance along with it. I said talk to your sister with whom you are working and I don’t see anything wrong with that provided you work out a relationship. But she didn’t accord Nenadi the recognition and the consideration that was necessary. I then said the International finance should go back to Finance and that happened. She said she couldn’t act. She put in a letter of resignation. And she had done that before, and before she could come and get people to come and beg, I announced acceptance (of her resignation).

    She once resigned before and she took it back?

    Yes.

    Which means you were always having disagreements…

    No no no. I know her character.

    So why did she resign the first time?

    She just felt if she cannot have her way, with me…. If I am the one in charge, then it has to be what I see as what is the best interest of the nation.

    So even when she resigned, if you didn’t announce the acceptance she would have come back. So all efforts to make her come back didn’t work?

    No no no. Because I had announced.

    In 1999, IBB supported you to become president…

    (Cuts in) I said that.

    Yes, you said that. And many even said he helped fund your campaign at the time.

     

    No.

    You didn’t say that. You said he supported you. But in your book, you spoke of how in 2011, you chose to support Jonathan…..because you called a Southwest PDP meeting where Jonathan was endorsed, even when IBB had also indicated interest in running. Why did you prefer to act that way?

    I wrote in my book that this is the opportunity we have for a minority. And I’ve said that. I’ve explained that. I’ve said that times without number. And we have scaled that hurdle. Nobody in Nigeria today can say ‘oh, because I’m a minority I cannot get there.’

     

    So was he not angry with you that ‘look, I backed you in 1999?’

     

    That’s not…What nonsense is that? Because you backed me I must back you? It doesn’t matter who you are? And I don’t have consideration for Nigeria? It’s consideration that you backed me? No, if that is the way you think then you are short-sighted and myopic and stupid. And put that one. No Nigerian should think that way. You backed me? And if you don’t back me others will back me. So everybody who backed me that time, I must now come and say, look, when you want anything, any office…. I don’t act like that.

     

     It means that you were able to break the jinx of the problem of minority.

     

    It is necessary that we deal with that.

     

    You said something very shocking in your book – that the presidency instructed EFCC to remove a vital document in Gbenga Daniel’s file in their custody as a way of getting the former governor off their hook.

     

    No. The president knows about it but it was his chief of staff who gave the instruction.

     

    With the consent of the then president?

     

    The president knows about it.

     

    Now listen to what you wrote in page 81 of your book. “To fight corruption, the leader needs absolute transparency, no skeleton in the cupboard, clean hands, a clear mind, fear of God, and absolute honesty and integrity, submission to scrupulous investigation. Search and enquiries are also good for a leader who wants to lead by example.” Great message for any leader all over the world! This is prescriptive. Now what do you say to those who keep linking you with corruption during your own tenure, especially the unresolved Halliburton scam for which some of your aides were arrested?

     

    Look, anybody can make any allegation. Go and read the EFCC report on me. I’m the only leader who has left office who has had, I said they should carry out clinical… did you see that in the book? And if you haven’t seen that in the book then you haven’t read the book. So what else do you want? (Ndudi) Elumelu carried out a report. Did you see the report of the House and the action of the House? What more do you want? So it doesn’t matter the allegation you make, that’s entirely up to you. Halliburton, Bodunde (one of his aides) has been taken to court twice and the court has dismissed the case. What more do you want? The latest was the one Jonathan did. Just before he left, he took Bodunde back to court. He was discharged and the case dismissed the first time. The second time Jonathan took him to court and he was discharged again. So what do you want?

     

    You may not know about it, you may not have a hand in it, but it does appear, especially from reports from US investigators that some officials of your administration perhaps took bribe from Halliburton.

     

    No no no! I don’t deny that. But not me! I don’t deny their reports about Halliburton but not me. I don’t even know what Halliburton was doing here. So what’s your problem? And EFCC looked into it. You read the report of EFCC bordering on Halliburton.

     

    The only gap is that people are wondering why you didn’t take steps to bring those officials of your regime to book.

     

    There’s no gap. You can make any allegation. Now EFCC – you can count number of people who are taken to court. I don’t take anybody to court, Mojeed. And don’t annoy me. Now you have the system that takes them to court. I don’t take anybody to court. Because if I have to be the one to say ‘take this one to court,’ that will be witch- hunting. That’s not my job. My job is – set up the system and if anybody in that system is not performing then look for somebody to perform. So it doesn’t matter what allegation. If you read that report of EFCC, one man was hired, and he went out with all sorts of spurious allegations and EFCC took it one by one. Even Ribadu told me that when he gave that report, because he didn’t give the report to me…I said, look, carry out a critical investigation. I thought that was good. Then when he wrote his report, he gave it to Yar’Adua. And he said Yar’Adua asked him, ‘You can’t find anything at all?’ He brought Metropolitan Police here and he said whenever they are doing investigation in the past, when they get somewhere they will say ‘oh, yes, some people are interested.’ But this is the first time they had free hand to carry out investigation. So what more do you want? And what I put there is what I believe in. Has anybody working under me said to you that ‘oh, he asked me to take bribe?

     

  • Obasanjo: ‘Statesman’ or rabble-rouser?

    Obasanjo: ‘Statesman’ or rabble-rouser?

     ”He is not wise to me whoever is wise in words only, but he who is wise in deeds.”—— Aristotle

    The presidency of any nation is the apogee of political attainment that any citizen can desire in life. Thus, for anyone to have assumed the leadership position of a nation is no mean task. And to have done that thrice is even harder and more enviable. But the Eekerin of Egbaland and Balogun/Ebora of Owu land in Abeokuta, Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, through divine grace, achieved those rare feats. He was military Head of State and twenty years after he relinquished power, he was elected civilian president in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 into the exalted position. He could have secured a fourth shot at the presidency through tenure elongation but for the alertness of the people and divine intervention. And just because of the grace he had to rule three times, the man erroneously believes that every other living creature must worship at his feat.

    He carried his hypocritical posturing to unacceptable level recently in Edo state while delivering a convocation lecture at Benson Idahosa University where he said that the perceived failure of Jonathan in office would haunt the people of South-South zone for a long time. Yet, despotic Obasanjo refused to state that the inept former President Goodluck Jonathan was a consequence of his deliberate political dictatorial plot as president when he unleashed such incompetent deputy on late President Umaru Yar’ Adua that he knew was suffering from a terminal ailment ahead of time. Why should Obasanjo now blame a whole region for his mischievous un-presidential lapses? Would the south-south people have chosen Jonathan were they to be given the option to so voluntarily pick amongst many of their better-qualified and intelligent indigenes by despotic Obasanjo? The answer is capital NO!

    Several months ago too, Obasanjo, at the 4th Annual Ibadan Sustainable Development Summit organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), University of Ibadan (UI), held in collaboration with African Sustainable Development Network (ASUDNET), noted to the chagrin of most Nigerians, that the crop of younger generation of leaders in the country had failed the citizenry. The truth is that Obasanjo is not competent to give a talk on leadership and sustainable development because of his poor track record in that regard while he was in office. Hence, allocating such topic to him was a misnomer and an abuse of such an important platform.

    The ex-president seized the platform to unleash unstatesmanly bile on his erstwhile political allies and perceived opponents. He accused his former Vice, Atiku Abubakar, of betrayal, citing it as the major reason he did not hand over to him. Yes, Atiku’s presidential ambition might have actually turned him into a political harlot, but not many would easily forget how he betrayed the Action Congress (AC) that rescued him from Obasanjo’s tyranny as when the plot to impeach him was foiled through the political ingenuity of Asiwaju BolaTinubu, then governor of Lagos State. He returned to Lagos after his medical treatment abroad and was welcomed with fun-fare at a time that a presidential booby trap was already awaiting him in Abuja. But his political harlotry should not be justification for Obasanjo to label him a betrayer. Also, the fact that Atiku possibly alerted the world about his tenure elongation agenda should not be a good reason. Atiku was Obasanjo’s nemesis and both men are driven by nothing but their inordinate ambitions.

    Obasanjo also listed names of other leaders from his prejudiced failed younger generation. He mentioned Salisu Buhari, former House of Representatives Speaker; Deprieye Alamieyeseigha, former Bayelsa State Governor; Lucky Igbinedion, former Edo State Governor; James Ibori, former Delta State Governor and Orji Uzor Kalu, the former governor of Abia State. What Obasanjo didn’t tell the gathering at the lecture and the entire world that read the reports was that it was during his tenure as leader and Board of Trustees chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that his self-appraised failed leaders emerged. For the avoidance of doubt, Obasanjo should avail Nigerians of the truth about who granted Salisu Buhari state pardon despite the fact that he confessed to have forged a university degree. Let him tell us who gave Salisu his first Federal Board appointment, worse still, in an educational and research institute, after this disgraceful act.

    The ex-president who wants people to believe that he is the only saint in Nigeria’s public life should elucidate more on how the money for his first election was raised in 1999. Yours sincerely and many other Nigerians will be interested in knowing the truth about the contributions, in cash and kind, of Orji Uzor Kalu; and at what point did Obasanjo realise Kalu to be a failed leader? On Alamieyeseigha, Obasanjo probably forgot to tell the distinguished gathering that the man during his tenure as governor stood up in Aso-Rock Presidential Villa to challenge him. Obasanjo summoned all the governors for a meeting and in his imperial display of impunity and contempt for others started talking down on the governors. But Alamieyeseigha stood up and bluntly told him that he was not his surrogate, but a governor of his state, who was duly elected by his people like Obasanjo.

    Obasanjo didn’t like Alamieyeseigha’s effrontery. He merely waited to pay him back by masterminding his money-laundering problem in the United Kingdom and eventual impeachment, arraignment in court and subsequent conviction. The rest is now history, but the truth remains that Obasanjo’s acts in all these were not borne out of true leadership fervour but vindictive proclivity. On James Onanafe Ibori that he mentioned in his list of failed leaders, let him tell us how the money for late President Umaru Yar’Adua election was raised. The public needs to know the highest donor among the governors of that era when circumstances forced him (Obasanjo) to organise the 2007 general elections after the truncation of his disgraceful Third Term plan.

    Obasanjo in his vindictive self seems not to have forgiven Asiwaju Tinubu for promoting ideal democratic tenets, constitutionalism and for his advancing the values of ideal federalism. More importantly, the man is not happy that Tinubu’s name has eclipsed his own in the political reckoning of the southwest. This is why Obasanjo could still not forgive Tinubu for not allowing him to capture Lagos State, like he did in other states in the west in 2003 and 2007. Obasanjo hates being floored but Asiwaju actually defeated him at the Apex Court when he won the matter over the with-held monthly allocations of Local Governments in the state over the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). Also, Tinubu rescued, like he did to Atiku, Rashidi Ladoja, former governor of Oyo State, from Obasanjo’s tyranny.

    Tinubu gave Ladoja presidential treatments all through the period of his travails with Obasanjo and also got the best legal representation to challenge his impeachment. Unlike the vindictive Obasanjo, Tinubu is not begrudging Ladoja for pursuing his political aspiration in another party today.

    It is obvious from Obasanjo’s reference to Tinubu in his then lecture that he goaded the Code of Conduct Tribunal to come after the latter. And Obasanjo is shamefully sad that nothing incriminating was found against the former governor. Obasanjo is currently working with an ungrateful and inordinately ambitious southwest governor in his early second term days to discredit Asiwaju. Yet, Tinubu has led a pack of reputable progressive leaders to rescue the southwest and Edo State from the claws of the ruling PDP and Obasanjo seems distressed about this fact. He should look elsewhere if he needs to vent his spleen on someone. The blame game on Asiwaju and others is nothing but a manifestation of Obasanjo’s loss of touch with contemporary reality. The public sees him more as a rabble-rouser or at best, a political jester; one that still believes in his primacy long after his magical wand had been extinguished.

    Yours sincerely is using this column to let Obasanjo know that effective leadership is not about making fabulously blank vocalizations or finding ill-motivated faults. This ex-president should ask himself if his actions, within and outside power, inspire other Nigerians to dream more, learn more and do more positively. Obasanjo is a flopped leader because he could not mentor/produce effective younger leaders for the country. What he successfully did was to produce more deceitfully corrupt and incompetent followership. Most Nigerians, except the deceptive few, no longer believe him because his credibility and integrity have long taken flight.

  • Fayose to Obasanjo: leave Jonathan alone

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments on former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He urged Obasanjo to stop attacking Jonathan.

    Fayose was responding to Obasanjo’s comments at the 11th convocation lecture of the Ben Idahosa University (BIU), Benin, Edo State, where Obasanjo  reportedly  said Jonathan’s performance would haunt the Southsouth for a long time.

    The governor, miffed by Obasanjo’s latest invective against Jonathan, said the Otuoke-born leader “has since left office and should be allowed to live a private life devoid of mudslinging from elder statesmen, like Chief Obasanjo”.

    Fayose, in a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, contended that the people of the Southsouth voted overwhelmingly for Jonathan in the March 28 presidential poll “despite the gang-up orchestrated by Obasanjo and his allies”.

    He said: “Most importantly, Jonathan’s performance as a democrat has been widely acknowledged locally and internationally, particularly by President Muhammadu Buhari, who had acknowledged the role he (Jonathan) played in arranging a peaceful and successful transition programme, thereby averting the feared crisis in the country.

    “This is in contrast to Baba Obasanjo, who tried third term when he was about concluding his constitutional two terms. And who knows if he would have tried fourth term, if he had succeeded with his third term agenda?

    “The reality is, assuming but not conceding that Jonathan performed below expectation, the democratic governance that he established in Nigeria is more important than any other performance that Obasanjo alluded to,” the governor said.

    Speaking further, Fayose urged Obasanjo to stop running other Nigerians down, saying; “We are all stakeholders in the country. It is wrong for any Nigerian, no matter how highly placed, to go about carrying himself around as the only honest and lover of the country.

    The governor said: “Since Baba Obasanjo has openly destroyed his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card, he is free to go about seeking relevance in the All Progressives Congress (APC) without running anyone down.”

    Fayose said people living in glass houses should avoid throwing stones, adding that Nigerians know those involved in the Halliburton scandal and people who are yet to be cleared of their alleged complicity in the scam lack the moral rights to brand other people as corrupt.

  • Fayose to Obasanjo: Leave Jonathan alone

    Fayose to Obasanjo: Leave Jonathan alone

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has resumed hostilities with former president Olusegun Obasanjo, warning him to stop attacking the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

    Fayose was reacting to comments credited to Obasanjo at the 11th Convocation Lecture of Ben Idahosa University, Benin, Edo State, where the ex-president was quoted as saying that Jonathan’s performance in office will haunt the South-South region for a long time to come.

    The governor, who was miffed by Obasanjo’s latest tirade against Jonathan, said the Otuoke-born former Nigerian leader “has since left office and should be allowed to live a private life devoid of mudslinging.”

    Fayose in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, contended that the people of the South-South voted overwhelmingly for Jonathan in the last presidential poll “despite the gang-up orchestrated by Obasanjo and his allies.”

    He said: “Most importantly, Jonathan’s performance as a democrat has been widely acknowledged locally and internationally, particularly by President Mohammadu Buhari, who on many occasions acknowledged the role he played in midwifing a peaceful and successful transition programme, thereby averting the feared crisis in the country.

    “This is in contrast to Baba Obasanjo, who tried for third term when he was about concluding his constitutional two terms. And who knows whether he would have tried fourth term if he had succeeded with his third term agenda?

    “The reality is, assuming but not conceding that Jonathan performed below expectation, democratic governance that he established in Nigeria is more important than any other performance that Obasanjo alluded to.”

    The governor urged Obasanjo to stop running other Nigerians down, saying; “We are all stakeholders in the country called Nigeria. It is wrong for any Nigerian no matter how highly placed to go about carrying himself around as the only honest and lover of the country.”

    “Since Baba Obasanjo has openly destroyed his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card, he is free to go about seeking relevance in the All Progressives Congress (APC) without running anyone down.”

     

  • Obasanjo: ethnic politics stalls Nigeria’s progress

    Obasanjo: ethnic politics stalls Nigeria’s progress

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday urged politicians to shun sectional and tribal politics, saying the country would achieve the desired growth and development if citizen see themselves first as Nigerians.

    Obasanjo said Nigeria remained stymied in its march to true nationhood and progress by ethnic and  sectional politics.

    The ex-chairman, Board of Trustees(BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, when the family of  one of Nigeria’s foremost politicians, the late Adegoke Adelabu of the famed “Pekelemesi”, visited him at his residence.

    The family was in Abeokuta to solicit the former President’s support towards the post-humorous centenary birthday anniversary of their departed father, who was a member of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), led by the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe.

    The delegation was led by an Ibadan High Chief and a former broadcaster, Aare Tunde Alabi.

    The late Adelabu, who was the first minister of Social Services and National Resources, was born September 3,1915 and died in a car crash in 1958. He was 43 years.

    Obasanjo described the late Adegoke as  a “ phenomenon” and a detribalised politician.

    Obasanjo said: “He (Adelabu) was a reality, he was a phenomenon, he was uniquely Yoruba, uniquely Nigerian, uniquely African and uniquely a member of the human race.

    “Today, we are still struggling to reach the pinnacle or what you may call pedestal of Adelabu in politics of not being swayed by linguistic, ethnic, tribal, regional or sectional politics. He was years ahead of his contemporary politicians.

    “In his life time, he was talking about a United States of West Africa, ECOWAS came many years after his demise, in his life time; he belonged to a political party that had its base outside the Western region where he came from.

    “He was not a tribal baron, he was a national politician and so when you asked me to be a patron of Adelabu post-humorous centenary birthday celebration and foundation, I have no reason to say no; I have no reason to say no because I share what Adelabu stood for.

    “I have no reasons to say ‘no’ because, I share what Adelabu stood for. I share Adelabu’s philosophy of a united Nigeria and belief. I share Adelabu’s view of politics beyond ethnicity, beyond tribe, beyond region and I believe that in our national life, we should extol the virtues like those ones we saw in Adelabu.

    “A man of the people, down to earth, absolutely down to earth and yet, a man who believed that his politics must be above ethnicity, must be above tribe, must be to unite the country while, of course, uplifting his own people.

    “On behalf of the family who asked me to accept this and having accepted this, I will do my utmost best to contribute in making that day you have chosen to celebrate the birthday a success and to use it to remind those who may like to forget that there was, even before independent, men and Nigerians like Adelabu, who believed in the unity of this country, who lived for it and indeed died for it.

    “What you are proposing to do, I believe Adelabu deserved it in every facet. Today, we are still struggling to reach the pinnacle or the pedestal Adelabu reached in politics, of not being swayed by linguistic, ethnic, tribal, regional, sectional consideration but by what is best for Nigeria.”

  • Obasanjo’s choice of successor

    Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo last week, threw some insight into the rationale for his choice of successor at the twilight of his regime. In an interview with a local television station, he said he chose the late Umaru Yar’Adua because he was the only one among those eying the job that was not corrupt.

    According to him, while one of those who wanted the job was heavily corrupt, another contender came to him and said – Sir, I like your job. But I cannot do it the way you are doing it. His reading of the latter was that the contender had plainly told him he did not have the kind of stamina (he) Obasanjo applied to the job. For that reason, he does not see any appeal to help him get the job.   Justifying his decision further, he said “with all the people that are available for successor, what we came out with was about the best we could think of at that time,”

    What can be deduced from the above is that the desire to enthrone people of impeccable character into that elated office as a prelude to battling corruption weighed very heavily in Obasanjo’s calculations of who to succeed him. Thus, in considering those he needed to help get to the exalted office he took into account their records in the public offices they then held. Based on this critical index, he said his choice of Yar’Adua was the best at that time.

    Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. His claimed commitment to very credible and non corrupt leadership at that level may have been the critical factor for his choice of successor. Thus, the appeal of Yar’Adua who according to him, stood shoulders high above his peers within that matrix. There was no doubt that Yar’Adua was a modest, selfless and honest person. Not many will fault him on that ground. The issue that was copiously raised against his candidature bordered on his fragile health which many feared could not withstand the rigors of that office. Unfortunately, the same fears came to pass through his unfortunate demise barely two years in office.

    His death may have denied the nation the benefits of those high-minded virtues that endeared him to Obasanjo for which he thought he would have been a shining example in probity and accountability- leadership qualities the nation is in very dire need of. With his passing on, it is difficult to fathom the impact he would have brought to bear within this critical index. By the same twist of fate, there are no sufficient grounds to fault Obasanjo over that choice even as the stamina of an obviously unhealthy person was also in doubt. So we are left with no option than to believe that Yar’Adua, given this rating, was the most suitable among those who showed interest for that office within the ruling PDP.

    By extrapolation, the choice of his Vice, Goodluck Jonathan followed the same consideration. Obasanjo paved the way for his national ascendancy when in a very crude manner he procured the services of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to impeach his boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in the most controversial manner. He was also to pick him to run with Yar’Adua. Obasanjo acknowledged this role in his controversial letter to Jonathan titled “before it is too late” He had in that desperate letter designed to dissuade Jonathan from running the last elections, captured Jonathan’s impression of his role in his life thus, “You put me third after God and your parents among those that have impacted most in your life”.

    In that letter, he also levied all manner of allegations against Jonathan. These included incompetence, running aground the economy, training snipers and corrupt practices. Today, the impression is high that the Jonathan administration encouraged corruption. The allegation has been bandied and bought into by sundry personages including those who personify all that is bad about corruption in our national life. If this impression is taken as the correct representation of extant realities, would Obasanjo not take vicarious liability for its outcome?

    Beyond this however, there are issues that have been thrown up by the revelations from Obasanjo. And they have wider repercussions for the type of democracy we operate in this country. There is the inevitable impression given the way he spoke that the choice of his successor was solely his. And his perceptions rightly or wrongly determined what was best for the country. The other fallout is that freedom of choice- a cardinal feature of representative democracy had to succumb to the dictatorship of a behemoth. There are serious problems with such a reality because the views of one man or an oligarch in such critical issue as who leads a country can be highly circumscribed. And as can be gleaned from his choice of Yar’Adua and his deputy Jonathan, Obasanjo shares vicarious responsibility for the current mess the nation found itself. The convoluted impression by a few people that they would ever remain the conscience of the country because of the positions accidents of history entrusted on them is at the root of the nation’s retardation. Had Obasanjo and his henchmen allowed that freedom of choice which is the lynchpin on which democracy revolves, those thrown up through popular will may have turned out better. Perhaps also, the country could have been saved all the distractions these past years that nearly dismembered it. Obasanjo fell short of regretting those choices when he admitted that ‘if you take your son as your successor, you are not sure of what he will do when he gets there’.

    The other evidence of faulty interpretation is shown by his reading of the statements of one of the contenders who had told him he liked the job but could not do it the way Obasanjo was doing it. Curiously, the former president interpreted this to mean the man does not have the stamina to do the job. That is a simplistic perspective of the obviously loaded statement. Obasanjo should have asked himself what is that way he did the job the contender said he could not? Answers to this will vary. He may even discover to his dismay, that some of his ways may have fallen short of known best practices. He may have even found out that his way may not be another persons’ way and that approaches to statecraft vary a great deal. There is even the added possibility that his style may have even been an unmitigated liability to the flourishing of the pristine tenets of the democratic culture. The boundaries of such inquisition and possible exposures are limitless. But then, why must Obasanjo want his successor to go about things the way he did it. When has his style become the standard practice or moral guide for action?

    Take the issue of corruption which he said was the major consideration. Were those he described as rottenly corrupt not products of the system he superintended over? How did that system allow them to amass such humongous wealth with him in control?

    These posers come handy because of the obvious excesses and overbearing influence that characterized his days in power. That was the time the EFCC was straddling the landscape like a colossus. That was the time the same Obasanjo procured the services of the body to impeach duly elected governors. He may argue that impeaching some governors the way it happened during his regime represented his own response to battling corruption. That could as well be. But that strategy did incurable damage to the image and credibility of that commission such that even today, it is being seen as a partisan tool in the hands of the ruling government. That time saw the EFCC being variously and viciously deployed to haunt and tackle political foes or those who refused to toe the line of the president. There was therefore a lot wrong with Obasanjo’s style of administration to expect that his ways amounted to the right ways forward.

    Perhaps, it is safer to assume Obasanjo was compelled to those choices having been boxed to the corner by the premature death of his third term gambit. Someone engrossed with such a weird ambition would be left with little time for a workable succession plan. What we are facing today may be the prize for stopping Obasanjo from his self perpetuating plan. Even within the index he assessed those to hand over to, it is still a moot issue if he represented a good example.

  • Political succession: Obasanjo so offensively wrong

    Political succession: Obasanjo so offensively wrong

    Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has an inimitable and exasperating way of confusing his first person pronouns. No reader of his letters, or any member of his audience when he talks shop, should ever be deceived. When he says “We”, he often means “I”. To him, there is a thin divide between the plural and singular forms. He is nonetheless a highly nuanced man and speaker, and you need to keep track of how his often imponderable mind works in order to understand his constant and turbulent drift. Yes, he uses his first person pronouns interchangeably, but the moment you understand him, particularly his deep narcissism, it is not difficult to navigate your way around his chaotic thoughts and deployment of personal pronouns.

    Speaking last Wednesday to Channels Television, he attempted to defend his promotion of the candidacy of the late Umaru Yar’Adua in the 2007 presidential election. In the interview, he gave the impression that the support given President Yar’Adua was a collective one, hence his constant use of “We” in identifying those who promoted the late president’s ambition, when really he should be using “I”. As every Nigerian knew in those stifling days of the 2007 presidential campaign, Chief Obasanjo constituted himself into the sole judge of who gets what, whether at the national or state level. He was imperious and, when provoked, as in the case of the Rivers State governorship election of that year, even didactic. He taught everything, from Politics 201 to Religion 202, and he dared you on pain of complete banishment to dissent.

    His nuances are also delicately woven. When he tries to claim glory for what is truly a collective effort, such as the roles many generals played in the civil war, he unabashedly uses the first person singular, almost as if he fought the war alone, or as if his role was incomparable. But he is a man in permanent denial. When his policies and decisions backfire, as in the President Yar’Adua case, especially on account of the latter’s ineffectiveness and early death, Chief Obasanjo switches effortlessly to the collective mode. The fact, however, is that he took the decision to promote President Yar’Adua without consultation, without remorse, and with fanatical and puritanical zeal.

    But what is even more offensive about his view on political succession goes far beyond how he coins and misuses his words. Hear him: “Even if you take your son as your successor, you are not sure of what he will do when he gets there. Don’t ever kid yourself. What do I know about any successor? What he presents. When he gets there, he presents it differently. We did our best, but if you say our best is not good enough, I will say, when it comes to your turn, do better. With all the people who are available as successor, what we came up with was about the best that we could think of at that time.”

    It is clear Chief Obasanjo misses the point very badly. Neither he nor his fawning cabinet had the right, let alone sole responsibility, to pick his successor, whether as a presidential candidate for his party or as a so-called elected president for the country. Knowing full well he did the wrong thing in 2007, leading to the most atrocious abuse of the electoral process ever, he naturally felt the need to be defensive about the appalling choice he made. Chief Obasanjo knew his choice was wrong. More, he knew neither he nor his ministers had the right to arrogate to themselves the collective wisdom of the electorate. In fact he knew he willfully and maliciously subverted the rules of his party and the constitution of the country.

    Examined more closely, Chief Obasanjo was even wrong on many more grounds in the said interview. He claimed he could not be sure what his own son could do had he been his choice for the presidency. If it is any comfort to the former president, many Nigerians knew he himself was the worst choice for the presidency when meddlesome generals exhumed him from jail and retirement and thrust him, almost broke, angry, unreformed and offended, into the presidential palace. If he couldn’t tell reasonably what his son could do, who is bone of his bones, why would he attempt to foist on the country a man he knew very little about? The late Yar’Adua was not corrupt, Chief Obasanjo glibly said in defence of his choice. Should any civilised society base its choice on that singular factor, it would be an unthinking or dying society. And yet, Chief Obasanjo based his judgement on that solitary factor in selecting and imposing a ruler on about 160 million Nigerians.

    Chief Obasanjo’s cynical and gratuitous admonition to anyone minded like him to impose a successor on the country to try and better his own effort calls to question the forbearance of Nigerians. The former president actually believed he had the right to dispense the top job to anyone he fancied, and he does not seem unnerved by that dismal arrogation of responsibility. In fact, it seems that when he writes another of his self-promoting biographies, assuming he still has the time, he will predictably continue to be remorseless. After the extremely narcissistic “Not My Will” (1990) and the sanctimonious latest, “My Watch”, who knows what gamut of deplorable logic Chief Obasanjo is yet to embrace?

  • Buhari, Jonathan Obasanjo, others eulogise Asika

    Buhari, Jonathan Obasanjo, others eulogise Asika

    president Muhammadu Buhari, former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.) were among prominent Nigerians who condoled with the family of the late Chief (Mrs.) Chinyere Asika.

    Asika, who died on May 3, was 75.

    Buhari, in a letter of condolence, said: “Chief (Mrs.) Asika leaves behind a rich legacy of dedicated service and outstanding achievements in public.

    “Her contributions to the development of Nigeria testify to her patriotism and enduring faith in Nigeria, like her husband, the late Dr. Ukpabi Asika, the former Administrator of the defunct East Central State.”

    To former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who appointed Asika as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on NEPAD from 2002 to 2007, the deceased “stood shoulder- to- shoulder with other notable personalities in Africa and was well respected among her counterparts from within and beyond the shore of Nigeria.”

    Jonathan said: “Hers was, indeed, a life truly worthy of celebration.”

    Gowon described Asika as “an uncommon believer in Nigeria.”

    He recalled the contributions of her husbands, Dr Ukpabi Asika, former administrator of East Central State and the deceased to the post civil war reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation efforts of the federal government.

    According to him: “Ukpabi and Chinyere formed a solid Eastern team that strongly believed in Nigeria, much against the popular belief of their people.

    “Chinyere was strong-willed and she associated courageously and without reservations with her husband’s views on one nation for us all regardless of whether one was from the East, West or the North.”

    The lying-in-state holds on Wednesday, July 22 at her residence, 22 Niger Drive GRA, Onitsha while funeral and Internment will be at All Saints Cathedral Onitsha on Friday July 24.