Tag: Obasanjo

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “My Watch”  autobiography’s container.

The NCS Comptroller-General, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, stated this yesterday during the inauguration of two new patrol boats of the service in Lagos.

Abdullahi said the container was released following the vacation on Tuesday of the FCT High Court order restraining the former president from publishing, printing or offering for sale, his autobiography: “My Watch’’.

“Customs got the initial order of the court to stop the container and now that the court asks us to release the container, so be it,’’  he said.

Justice Valentine Ashi ordered the release of the books which had been in the custody of Customs.

Ashi upheld the argument by Obasanjo’s counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), that the court was misled into granting the orders on Dec. 5 and Dec.10, 2014.

The court granted the orders on Dec. 5, 2014, restraining Obasanjo from publishing his book in the country pending the determination of the suit against him by Mr Buruji Kashamu.

Despite the order of Dec. 5, Obasanjo launched  the book on Dec. 9 in Lagos, prompting the court to make the orders of December 10.

Ashi also restrained the comptroller-general from charging demurrage on copies of the book already confiscated.

Abdullahi described the new patrol boats acquired by the service as equipment needed to perform its exemplary functions in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda for the service to excel.

He said it took two years to build the boats, adding that the customs supervised the construction of the boats to meet it specification.

“We have two boats for now. We will watch their performance and see if there is need to have more.

“With the performance of the boats government will not hesitate to give us money to buy more,’’ he said.

He recalled that one of the boats was named after nine customs officers killed some years ago by smugglers  while they were on official duty.

“It is a bad memory. Nine of my officers were really killed on the high sea by smugglers who were carrying petrol.

“My officers tried to intercept in between and they turned their boat against customs and they jumped into water, the two patrol boats went into flames.

“We tried to rescue them, unfortunately, we could not. These are officers who died on official duty.

“I am proud to say that today we have remembered them,’’ Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi said the service had tried as much as possible to cover all revenue leakages and live up to its revenue targets.

Justice Valentine Ashi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Apo, has vacated his orders restraining ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo from, among others, publishing, printing or offering for sale, his autobiography: My Watch.

The judge, in a ruling on Tuesday, upheld the argument by Obasanjo’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) that the court was misled into granting the orders given on December 5 and 10, 2014.

Justice Ashi vacated the orders on the grounds that the applicant, Buruji Kashamu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suppressed facts from the court to obtain the orders.

The court, on  December 5, restrained Obasanjo from publishing his book in the country pending the determination of a libel suit brought against him by Kashamu.

On December 10,  Kashamu complained that Obasanjo breached an earlier order of the court on December 5 restraining the ex-president from launching the book.

Kashamu, who sued Obasanjo for libel in relation to claims in a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan that he (Kashamu) was a fugitive wanted in the United States, had moved the court to grant the restraining order of December 5 on the grounds that the subject of the libel suit was contained in the book.

Despite the order of December 5, Obasanjo launched the book on December 9 in Lagos, a development that prompted the court to make the orders of December 10.

On March 23, Agabi, while arguing Obasanjo’s application seeking to vacate the orders, argued that the court wrongly applied the law in reaching its decision.

Agabi, who served as Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) under President Obasanjo, argued that it was wrong for the court to grant a restraining injunction against a party in a libel case, who pleaded justification.

He contended that the court should have first determined whether or not the publication complained about was libellous before restraining Obasanjo from engaging in further publication.

Agabi, who cited some authorities in support of his argument, contended that “the point at which he can be restrained is when he is unable to prove his plea of justification.”

He said his client was willing to abandon the appeal he filed against the court’s decision to enable the court decide his application.

The ex-AGF also asked the court to set aside its order directing the Inspector General of Police (IG), Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) to recover the published book from all book stands, sales agents, vendors, the sea and airports and deposit them with his court’s registrar pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Justice Ashi upheld Agabi’s argument and set aside all orders made against the publication and circulation of Obasanjo’s book.

He also restrained the CGC from charging demurrage on copies of the book already confiscated.

The judge adjourned to May 25 further hearing on the substantive libel suit.

HISTORY has always been kind to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. While his fellow soldiers died in the 1967-1970 civil war, he survived to accept the surrendering flags of the Biafra soldiers. He later emerged as Head of State from 1976-1979. Unlike his predecessors, Obasanjo survived coup plots and retired from the Army with the honour of handing over to the democratically-elected government of President Shehu Shagari.

In 1998, he emerged from prison on trumped-up charges of felony to pick the presidential ticket of the then budding Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He served for eight years and handed over to late President Musa Yar’Adua. When Yar’Adua died in office, Obasanjo backed the emergence of the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President. In 2011, he took it upon himself to market the president for election despite much opposition.

The former chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) was able to appease northern forces that Jonathan will serve for only a term and return power to them. It was on the strength of his assurances that many northern political elders supported the President for election in 2011 against Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, one of their own, who ran on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

But things soon went awry between Obasanjo and Jonathan with ethnic warlords cornering the latter. The former president was incensed and kept his distance. When Jonathan signalled his intention to run for second term, Obasanjo balked. It would go against the agreement signed with the North, he contended. But Jonathan would have none of such.

Obasanjo, to him and his aides, was a yester years’ leader who should leave the stage for the new generation. For opposing the president’s bid for reelection, Obasanjo came under vicious attacks. Presidential aides and associates called him names, telling him to face his business. The former President kept his cool, perhaps ruing his decision to principally install Jonathan.

But he broke his silence when the Boko Haram phenomenon became rather uncontrollable. The radical Islamic sect started bombing and killing almost on a daily basis. Obasanjo’s advice to the presidency to tackle the menace with what he called the stick- and- carrot approach was despised. His offer to lead negotiation with the sect’s leaders also suffered terrible setbacks, ostensibly because he didn’t receive much support from the presidency.

When the terrorists kidnapped 276 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok almost a year ago, Obasanjo couldn’t stomach his rage. He boiled that the terror war was being mishandled. The presidency, he said, was not pulling its weight but allowing the insurgents to have a field day.

Forever a tactician, Obasanjo bid his time to move against Jonathan, a president he practically imposed against all odds. That time came when the presidential campaign took off. Feeling obligated to right his wrong, Obasanjo delivered scathing criticisms against the current administration. He accused the presidency of running a killer’s squad and planning to assassinate prominent opposition members. He condemned the parlous state of the economy, lamenting that the huge foreign reserve he left had been depleted on the altar of corruption. Baba, as he is popularly called, was firing from all cylinders, sparing no effort to swing public opinion against the administration.

Attempts to appease him were rebuffed. He had crossed the line where he could go back. A war had been declared on the presidency and he must win at all rates. Sensing the collateral damage Obasanjo was causing the PDP, its leaders attempted to mend the fence. On several occasions, they held closed-door meetings with the former president where he refused to be pacified. He kept telling them he was merely after national interest and had nothing personal against the president.

When PDP saw that Obasanjo was recalcitrant, there were moves to embarrass the elderstateman by expelling him from its fold. But Obasanjo, always ahead of his game, got wind of the ploy. He acted before the punch could be delivered. His reaction was as dramatic as telling. He chose to openly tear his membership card of the party, claiming he couldn’t bear to remain in the PDP, which he alleged had mismanaged Nigeria.

He didn’t stop there. He proceeded to openly endorse Buhari as a better alternative to Jonathan. Buhari, he canvassed, will fix Nigeria and return its lost glory. He was swimming against the tide but Obasanjo was propelled by a sense of conviction. He joined forces with APC stalwarts and stood to be counted as a history maker.

For shunning personal gains and opting for national glory, Obasanjo deserves a huge place among the men of courage. To criticise a sitting government as a former president is no easy chore. To openly endorse an opposition candidate was calling for troubles. But the Owu-born General had burnt the bridge. There was no going back. Last week as Buhari was declared elected, Obasanjo cemented his place in the nation’s Hall of Fame.

Barely three days to the presidential election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo is worried over rumours of a likely handing over of power to the military.

Obasanjo said Nigeria is awash with rumours of an Interim National Government(ING) being installed which, he said has been blown away, but wondered whether the rumour of the military take over would also go away.

The former President who quit partisan politics recently with the shredding of his Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) membership card by proxy, spoke at his Presidential Hilltop Estate, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, when the wife of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hajia Aisha Buhari, and the Southwest women leaders and spouses of APC governors, visited him.

Obasanjo said besides military rule not being fashionable any longer, it is unconstitutional and the Intentional community would not condone it.

According to him, a military coup anywhere on the African soil would neither be accepted nor tolerated by the African Union (AU) member countries until such government is “dismantled.”

He warned that the world was watching Nigeria, saying as the largest country in Africa, Nigeria should be a model to others.

The former President urged Nigeria not to draw the rest of Africa backward and lamented the campaign of hate and division engaged in by those seeking elective.

He charged women to take active part in the redemptive mission for Nigeria, warning that should things go worse, they would be the hardest hit.

Obasanjo said: “I am happy to hear directly from you, Mrs Buhari that the campaign so far, from the assessment has gone very well.

“Unfortunately, issues that should have been the main items of our campaign have been relegated. We have serious issues of security, we have serious issues of our economy, we have issue of unemployment particularly, youth unemployment, we have serious issues of infrastructure, these are issues among others that I believe the campaign of those who are interested in the present and the future of this country should be directed at.

“How are we going to get them? What are we going to do? not trivial issues of certificate or no certificate. Not trivial issues of when somebody is talking about someone is a Nigerian and not a Nigerian.

“I said it, this is what they had in Cote d’Ivore and that led them into almost a very serious problem, not issue of religion, not issue of tribe, not issue of sections but issues of unity. I hope this will be the last time in the history of this country that we will have this type of campaign of hatred or division.

“I think the emphasis should be on what unites us, not what divides us and when I look at the faces of you ladies here, it is very difficult for me to know. I think we should empathise on things that unite us, we should talk more on what will make this country  not a just country but a great country.

“And that is the challenge before Nigerians today and particularly before those who are aspiring either at the state or at the national level, how can this country be made to be a great country. God has given us all that we need, that we are not what we should be, we can not blame God, we should blame ourselves.

“I do hope we will get things more right. A lot of rumours are flying around, I think we have gone away from the rumour of Interim National Government (ING) because that is not in our constitution.  I hope we will soon go away from the rumour of handing over to the military because the military is not meant to run affairs of a nation in terms of running government.

“And the intentional community will not condone it particularly African Union (AU). We have said and it is part and parcel of the Acts of the AU, any government that is brought about not on the basis of the constitution will not be accepted, will not be tolerated and will not be a member of the AU until that government is dismantled.

“It shouldn’t be, we are the largest country in Africa, we should be a model, setting examples, we shouldn’t be drawing Africa backward, I hope we will not. I hope at the end of this exercise, we would be where we should be, leading Africa and showing examples for the rest of Africa and indeed the rest of the world.

“We have the goodwill of many people, I watched, last night, President Obama talking about our constitution, I watched out brother from Ghana,  the current Chairman of ECOWAS talked about our constitution, they are all  interested, they all wish us well, should we wish ourselves anything less?”

Mrs Buhari lauded the former President for being a true nationalist, adding that Obasanjo often traversed party lines and primodial sentiments while addressing  issues affecting the country.

She said: “Baba exercises his prowess as a father, as a former Head of State of Nigeria twice, we are here today to show our appreciation the way you handle things as a stateman and also a nationalist.”