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Tag: Olusegun Obasanjo

  • Falana to Obasanjo: stop insulting Nigerians’ intelligence

    Falana to Obasanjo: stop insulting Nigerians’ intelligence

    Human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), yesterday asked  former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop “insulting the collective intelligence and memories of Nigerians.”

    Falana claimed  that the same Obasanjo instituted a culture of impunity when he ruled between 1999 and 2007.

    The rights activist, who was reacting to the former president’s recent open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, told reporters  in Benin that Obasanjo had the opportunity to make Nigeria great by providing good leadership and getting rid of corruption.

    “If Obasanjo, who ruled this country for 11 and a half years,    had institutionalized democracy, rule of laws, respect for human rights, we would  not be in this mess.We would  be having an Eldorado by now,” he said.

    “So, please, let Obasanjo and others be honest to admit that they brought us to this shameful episode. So, nobody should grandstand when it comes to the mis-governance  of Nigerians.

    “President Obasanjo is entitled to form his own political party or his own movement, but he should please desist from insulting the collective intelligence and the collective memories of Nigerians.

    “With great respect to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, apart from the allegations of nepotism and clannishness, which cannot be disputed, every other allegations made, there  is nothing to write home about.

    “In another words, all the other allegations took place under Obasanjo and in fact, he institutionalized  the culture of impunity under the democratic dispensation  in Nigeria.

    “Many of us have forgotten the abduction of Governor Chris Ngige. Many of us have forgotten the fact that the National Assembly, the House of Representatives, displayed bales of naira with which it was alleged that the presidency wanted to bribe the legislators.

    “Many of us have forgotten about the third term agenda or  the fact that many people  who were also close to the seat  of power were treated like sacred cows even in the fight against corruption but I do not want to join issues with Obasanjo for now on his letter so that one is not seen as endorsing impunity in our country, but other than the allegations of nepotism and clannishness which the presidency is notoriously noted for, I think, they are birds of same feathers.”

    On the court ruling that up held the right of the Senate to reject the nomination of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC, Falana said the senators should not to celebrate yet, as the court made no pronouncement on the appointment of Magu as acting chairman of the agency.

    “It is not a judgment to celebrate with great respect. I have read the judgment of the case filed by a private lawyer based in Abuja, Mr. Tolu Ajaomo, against the Attorney of the Federation and the Senate. Mind you, EFCC is not a party, Mr. Ibrahim Magu was not a party, so no court in Nigeria can make order against a person who was not joined in any suit,” he said,

    “But having read the ruling, with great respect, the case was struck  out. If a case is struck out, you cannot rely on it. The court held that the lawyer has no locus standi to file the action and therefore struck it out.

    “However, in an academic exercise, the court said, having regard to section 2, 3 of the EFCC Act, the senate has the power to confirm or reject the nomination of the president. The court never ever made any pronouncement on the appointment of Mr.Ibrahim Magu as the acting chairman of the EFCC. No statement

    “So, there is nothing to celebrate in the judgment. So, I was, therefore, flabbergasted  when I read that the senate was asking the president to bring a fresh nomination.

    “It is the prerogative of the president. He cannot act more than the tenure of the substantive chairman. He cannot act in perpetuity.”

  • Obasanjo’s verdict on PDP, APC

    Obasanjo’s verdict on PDP, APC

    This column will not concern itself with the vitriolic and virulent contents of ex President Olusegun Obasanjo’s rabidly unforgiving and unsparing public missive to President Muhammadu Buhari, his depiction of the Daura-born General as an unmitigated all-round disaster in governance and his consequent advice that the latter should perish any thoughts of a second term in 2019. After all, it is vintage Obasanjo – who takes no prisoners and fires on all cylinders when the embers of his combustible temper are stoked.

    But how valid is Obasanjo’s submission that the two major parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have failed thus necessitating the formation of what he calls ‘a Coalition for Nigeria Movement’ to salvage the country? From insinuations in his letter, this strange ‘Movement’ is to be led and championed by the ‘Ebora Owu’ himself.  In my view, Obasanjo’s dismissive avowals on the two parties portend ominous signals for the continuous development of Nigeria’s evolving democracy.

    For one, Obasanjo shoots himself on the foot and engages in amazingly damaging self-immolation when he declares that the two major parties are failures which cannot be entrusted with Nigeria’s future and must now be replaced by his Third Force. He was president   for eight years at the inception of this dispensation in 1999. Whatever may have been his flaws, his administration had notable records of achievement as my colleague, Sanya Oni, wrote in his column in this paper on Tuesday.

    Reiterating some of the Obasanjo administration’s attainments, Oni wrote “I refer here to his pension reforms which given the mess that has been made of the old defined benefits scheme has become revolutionary, the power sector reform, the creation of anti-corruption institutions – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission – all of which have given governance a sense of modernity”. And of course we must refer to his administration’s landmark success in getting the Paris Club to right of $18 billion of Nigeria’s debt in 2005.

    If these commendable reforms of the Obasanjo PDP administration were not sustained, the fault lies with the former president than with the country’s political system in general or the party structure in particular. In the first place, immediately he assumed office as president, Obasanjo deliberately weakened and systematically destroyed the PDP, ensuring the expulsion of influential, experienced and powerful leaders; he removed national chairmen and other officers of the party at will and completely subordinated the PDP to the presidency.

    Without a powerful party platform to hold it in check, the Obasanjo presidency was able to act with impunity committing all kinds of unconstitutional acts like removing elected governors unlawfully, seizing Lagos State government local government funds even against the ruling of the apex court in the land or completely razing communities like Odi and Zaki Biam. While destroying any effective restraining voice within the PDP, the Obasanjo presidency now turned its attention to infiltrating and destabilizing other opposition parties like the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) thus considerably weakening the entire political system and its inbuilt checks and balances.

    Another serious shortcoming of Obasanjo was his inability to influence the emergence of physically fit and intellectually capable successor to build on, sustain and improve on his policies. His critics say that his choice of either physically challenged successors or abysmally incapable ones was motivated by the selfish interest of wanting to remain in power even while out of office. This was a marked difference from Lagos State where the Asiwaju Tinubu administration not only laid a solid foundation for development between 1999 and 2007, but was also succeeded by competent and visionary leaders like Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) (2007 to 2015) and now the superlative Mr Akinwunmi Ambode. Obasanjo must not be allowed to get away with blaming the party system for his own personal deficiencies.

    The sad thing is that the APC, which came in amidst popular exultation as a party of change in 2015 has patterned itself organizationally and functionally in the mirror image of the dysfunctional PDP. As this column had cause to warn once, it is important for the APC to realize that the party’s complete subordination to the presidency, lack of inspirational and charismatic leadership, embarrassing immobility of its internal organs and structures and the surrender of their functions to a cabal in the presidency were some of the reasons why the PDP lost so scandalously to the new ruling party about three years ago.

    The truth is that a government’s being held in check by and responsible to the party that provided it an electoral platform enhances the chances of good, transparent and ethical governance. Perhaps if the APC had been more assertive as a party with a better hold on its government, the difficult-to-deny allegations of skewed appointments, nepotism or the unbelievable Maina-gate or Lawal-gate scandal could have been avoided and President Buhari’s solid integrity better protected.

    But the alternative to the defects of the current party structure, particularly the perception and performance of the two major parties that Obasanjo is so craftily playing upon cannot be the ex president’s ill-conceived ‘Coalition for Nigeria Movement’. In the first place, there are scores of other registered parties that Nigerians can vote for if they are irreparably dissatisfied with both the APC and PDP. Secondly, even the names that Obasanjo has coupled together to help midwife his ‘Movement’ – Former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State, former governor Donald Duke of Cross River State, former national chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Alli, former national secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Alhaji Buba Galadima, Bashorun Segun Runshewe, Otunba Babatunde Fasawe etc are no fresh faces on the political scene. They are not necessarily any better or different from most members of the two major parties.

    The historic election of 2015, which saw an incumbent government at the centre displaced for the first time, demonstrates that Nigeria’s democratic form of government can indeed be made to work. And whatever may be the shortcomings of the Buhari administration, no one can claim it has not provided a better moral climate and more disciplined governance  than the previous PDP administration. If the APC does not listen to popular outcry and urgently redress its own defects, deformities and excesses, nothing stops it from suffering the same fate as its predecessor at the centre. But I think the real Third Force the two major parties have to fear is not Obasanjo’s “Coalition for Nigerian Movement”. Rather, it is the very possibility of a genuine coalition of popular forces, young professionals, aggrieved, unemployed youths etc being successfully mobilized by genuine faces of integrity to lead the country in a new direction.

     

    Let the democratic process take its course 

    While Obasanjo’s identification of the nature of the succession problem currently facing Nigeria (though not its root causes) may sound quite reasonable, one is not sure about the solution he prescribes or the motives underlying it. I hope the Coalition for Nigeria masquerading as a Movement is not another subterfuge for scheming another “Interim Government for Nigeria” (ING) thing used for subverting the Abiola Claim to the Presidency in the wake of the debacle resulting from the June 12, 1993 annulment. No such debacle currently exists, nor do we have any national emergency to warrant a military-turned-political leadership being again brought in as it were like a Cincinnatus from the field to assume affairs of the republic or for that matter the abrogation of the democratic process or rule.

    Adekanye
    Prof Bayo Adekanye

    Let the democratic process define for us who should  rule. The citizenry generally and youth in particular (given the powerful means of social mobilization members now have at their disposal) should rise up to the challenge. If they find existing political party structures not good enough to use for turning the fortunes of the country around, let the youth mobiles just like their counterparts in other parts of the world to set up alternative political vehicles for taking over power and the machinery of rule. But in doing this, they must be careful not to be used by anyone. I recommend Emmanuel Macron’s strategy (France).

  • We will respond to Obasanjo’s Coalition Movement at the right time – Tinubu

    We will respond to Obasanjo’s Coalition Movement at the right time – Tinubu

    ….Obasanjo playing politics with letter to Buhari 

    National leader of the All Progressives Congress ( APC )  and former governor of Lagos State,  Bola Tinubu, yesterday said that the party will respond to the Coalition Movement launched by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the “appropriate time “.

    He accused Obasanjo of playing politics with his open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, where he accused him of (Buhari) of non performance.

    Tinubu who made a stop over in Owerri, the Imo State capital on his way to Anambra State for the burial ceremony of late former Vice President in the company of another APC leader, Chief Bisi Akande, insisted that Obasanjo could have exploited other better ways of communicating his observations about the Buhari’s administration other than open letter if not politically motivated. 

    According to the APC leader, who jocularly said that the letter was not written to him, “Obasanjo wrote it about the government. It is a very good awareness on his part and they are both from the same background. I believe that is the doctrine  of Military Officers (retired) because he has unrestricted access to the President, either through the Council of State or by any other means that he need to see the current President privately and he was his junior in the Army.  So I think Obasanjo was playing politics with his public letter that’s all I see. He could have used other means,  he met him in the AU too he has a way of discussing privately but the letter is being responded to by the government”.

    Also responding to the former launching of Obasanjo’s Coalition Movement, in the brief interview with journalists at the Imo State Government House,  Tinubu,  said that it is still too early to respond to the development, 

    He said, “the appropriate time is not now for response on the Coalition Movement but we are in a democracy, we are in a country that is a signatory to the Charter of the United Nation which guarantees free movement, free association and free speech”.

    On the reason for his visit, he stated that, “the governor is a very good friend and the government that is here is our government, the APC government. We are here to pay final  respect to the gentleman and Nationalist, Alex  Ekwueme”.

  • Coalition for Nigeria: Obasanjo stole our idea

    Coalition for Nigeria: Obasanjo stole our idea

    A group, Coalition for Nigeria (CN), has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of adopting its name to launch his Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM).

    The proposed political movement by Chief Obasanjo  was launched in Abuja on Wednesday  with former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Donald Duke in attendance..

    The group warned Nigerians not to be into thinking they are dealing with the authentic members of the group.

    CN described the Obasanjo-led Coalition Movement as a group of failed politicians and those that do not anything to offer the country again.

    Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Mr. Sabo Odeh, the National Co-odinator, said the authentic Coalition for Nigeria has noble intentions centered around galvanizing Nigerians for nation building, with tenets that are long-term without pandering to unnecessary drama and media hype.

    He said: “Our coalition is not limited to creating a backdoor for retired and tired politicians to install puppets in government for the purpose of continuing to loot the treasury while ruling by impunity as had been experienced in the past.

    “The Coalition for Nigeria, having the best intentions of our dear nation at heart, is careful to go about effecting change in a way that does not jeopardise the stability and safety of Nigeria. There is nothing to be gained in burning our country in the name of seeking improvement; the reforms we all desire are achievable through persuasion, consensus building and collaboration without resorting to inflammatory acts and utterances as we have seen with some people.

    “Our coalition is made up of Nigerians that yearn for a better country with the firm belief that the dismantling of the infrastructure for corruption is a necessary first step that ensure that we can then build the country on a solid foundation that provides level playing field to all citizens.

    “The authentic Coalition for Nigeria will continue to pursue the noble objective of having credible persons to drive the Nigerian Project irrespective of differences pertaining to class, ethnicity, religious or political affiliation. “

  • Ex-President’s ‘third force’ takes off

    Ex-President’s ‘third force’ takes off

    ALLIES of former President Olusegun Obasanjo converged yesterday on the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja for the launch a movement – the Coalition for Nigeria (CN).

    Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had in a special press statement, pushed for the formation of the movement as a ‘third force’ to complete the political space with the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The CN promoters spoke of plans to mobilise membership enrolment through online platforms.

    Two former governors, Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and Donald Duke (Cross Rivers), who led the ‘like minds’ to unveil the CN addressed the audience.

    They said the youths would drive the membership recruitment at all levels. They also confirmed Chief Obasanjo’s support for the coalition.

    Besides the two former governors, other notable faces at the at the Yar’Adua Centre venue of the launch, include: former PDP national chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, former Buhari loyalist and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) chieftain, Buba Galadima, son of the late Prime Minister, Dr. Abdujalil Tafawa Balewa and Obasanjo’s associate, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, who opted to sit in the audience.

    During the question and answer session, a member of the audience asked why the coalition is not coming straight out as a political party.

    Author and social media activist Gimba Kakanda Prince Oyinlola why the movement “is coming to legitimise the good and the bad in all a former president stands for”.

    Gimba asked: “How can we move forward in fixing Nigeria if a body like this, as inspired by the military command of a politician, whom we blame for being part of the problem, appears to have been suggested by him as a way of legitimising his own political legacy and bad precedent that could be a moral burden on the conscience of Nigerians?”

    Prince Oyinlola explained that the youths, who will lead the movement and determine their own leaders at various levels, would play a role in deciding whether the coalition transforms into a political party.

    He said: “We are not a political party – at least for now but if and when, through the arrangements and decisions of the leaders that you are going to put in place, we come to the agreement that we metamorphose into a political party, it must be a collective decision.

    “To say that we are legitimising the former president is a bit off the mark. There was an article in the New York Times sometimes ago which allude to the fact that we are somehow docile in this country; there is no one who can fault the contents and the issues raised in Obasanjo’s letter, forget the messenger, let’s discuss the message.

    “If you are saying that we are just legitimising (Obasanjo), are we supposed to just sit there, folding our hands and watching?

    “I think that what he (Obasanjo) has done is to rouse us from our slumber to the reality of what is happening to Nigerians and for us to take charge and take action; are there no other leaders looking on at things going wrong in this country?

    “I think we should instead, give kudos to him (Obasanjo) for having the courage to be able to address Nigerians on issues that call for immediate action and attention.”

    The masters of ceremony – Remi Damola, Omoruyi Edoghere and Genevieve Anthony –urged the youths to buy into the project by joining the coalition, register to vote and help take back rescue the country.

    The former Osun governor asserted his preparedness to quit the ruling APC and relinquish his position as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)   Board Chairman for the CN cause.

    In his closing remarks, Duke stressed that the nation’s terrible condition must not be prolonged, adding that it is only when millions of Nigerians heed the clarion call and constitute themselves into a ‘critical mass’ that the CN can make strong impact.

    Duke said: “This endeavor is timely because there were several movements in the offing and this coalition has to bring them all together if we want to make things work.

    “More importantly, we have the dire consequences of now in our nation; where we are today, if you project another three to four years, the disaster would be worse, it is not going to get better. We must all come together to change the narrative.”

  • Buhari, Obj and 2019

    Buhari, Obj and 2019

    Last week Tuesday was a day President Muhammadu Buhari and those around him will not forget in a hurry.

    It was a day the former President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to come down hard on Buhari’s democratic governance.

    Obasanjo, who had spent two terms of four years as a democratic President, criticised the Buhari’s administration, which just crossed two and half years mark.

    The former President said that the Buhari’s administration and his party, the All Prgressives Congress (APC) have failed Nigerians.

    Stressing that Buhari’s administration was not different from those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before his assumption of office, Obasanjo believed that the present administration is also enmeshed in corruption.

    The long and short of his letter was that President Buhari should take a well-deserved rest and not contest the 2019 Presidential election, when his first term of four years expires.

    Following the release of the letter, the mood in the Presidential Villa that Tuesday remained very dull till sunset when workers closed for the day.

    None of the President’s media handler was also willing to take on the elder statesman over the letter that day.

    Last Tuesday was not the first time the former President was releasing such letter to the public. Obasanjo had written such open letters to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Those letters, many Nigerians believed, played a great role in the defeat Jonathan suffered at the polls in 2015.

    Even though, the President Buhari’s administration had disclosed that it received Obasanjo’s latest letter in good faith, the letter no doubt have caused a great division among Nigerians.

    While some Nigerians hailed Obasanjo for being courageous, patriotic and hitting the nails on the head, others felt that his criticism was misplaced.

    Apart from others believing that the economy under Obasanjo’s eight years rule was nothing to write home about in spite of the higher prices of oil in the international market, some Nigerians were also of the view that Obasanjo, in government, will never allow himself to be tele guided by anybody.

    For the National Secretary of Action Democratic Party (ADP), James Okoroma, Obasanjo’s letter has set the stage for a new Nigeria.

    He said: “The damage caused by the Buhari Government is enormous and we must endeavour to rebuild our country. The former President made it clear in his statement that the Buhari government is a monumental failure.

    National Chairman of United Progressives Congress, (UPP) Chief Chekwas Okorie described the letter as timely, adding that the Buhari administration has done enormous danger to the unity of the country than any administration before it.

    He said: “The fact remains that Buhari is non performing, nepotism, sectional and very clueless. He has put Nigeria in more danger than any President before him. He doesn’t behave like one who fought during the civil war. Nigeria is more divisive under Buhari.”

    Also, National Chairman of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) National Chairman Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima said “The advice of President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Mohammad Buhari not to contest in 2019 is apt and sincere. President Obasanjo is a former Nigerian President known for his truth and bluntness.”

    The PDP, through a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan said that Obasanjo’s letter has vindicated PDP’s position on Buhari and the APC.

    A former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and leader of the National Intervention Movement (NIM) Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) said President Buhari has nothing more to offer, describing Obasanjo’s suggestion for Buhari not to run for second term as “great”.

    Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), supporting Obasanjo’s statement, said it was a wake-up call for President Buhari.

    Falana said: “President Olusegun Obasanjo’s intervention is a vivid expression of the frustration of the Nigerian people with the Buhari administration.

    “The statement is a clarion call on President Buhari to remove the incompetent and corrupt cabal of power mongers that has hijacked political power from him. Through sheer nepotism and cronyism, the regime has lost the massive goodwill that heralded it to power.

    “The success recorded in the fight against insurgency in the northeast zone has been eroded in the wave of kidnapping and reckless killing of unarmed Nigerians by AK47-bearing herdsmen.

    “The success of the fight against corruption and impunity has been rubbished by the inability of the regime to remove corrupt public officers.”

    Although Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Monday Ubani felt Obasanjo’s letter was long overdue, he warned that Obasanjo should not see himself as the determiner of Nigerians’ fate.

    Ubani said “Recall that former President Obasanjo has written such letters to virtually everyone that took over from him and if you will remember such letters were even written to former military leaders like IBB and Abacha. Such scathing and virulent attacks on leaders before and after him are therefore not novel.”

    Rooting for the incumbent, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Dr. Victor Oye, said that Buhari does not need Obasanjo’s advice.

    He said: “Obasanjo’s opinion and Nigerian’s opinions differ. People might have different opinion. What we need now in Nigeria is for us to remove unnecessary tension.

    “Even if Buhari is not going to run in 2019, we shouldn’t create unnecessary tension because the man himself knows what to do and he doesn’t need Obasanjo’s letter to take such decision. It is Buhari’s entitlement to run for second term, but if he is saying he cannot run, he knows what to do.

    “When Obasanjo was president what did he do? Was he a wonderful leader? Did he tar road in South-east? Enugu to Port-Hacourt road he didn’t do it. Okigwe to Oga he didn’t do it, and so on, and he is busy talking about nepotism. Obasanjo does not have moral justification to say such a thing,” he said.

    Also the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), declared that Obasanjo cannot stop Buhari from running for Presidency in 2019.

    A member of the House of Representatives Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano), in a press briefing had said Obasanjo lacks moral and political credibility to advise Buhari not to contest in 2019 considering Obasanjo’s own attempt at returning to the Presidency contrary to the provision of the nation’s constitution.

    He said, “The former President, who was used to engaging in very unreasonable political comments should know that he cannot in any way be a stumbling block against the popular desire of Nigerian to give President Buhari a second term to rule this great nation, which unfortunately was put to a state of economic and political quagmire by the likes of Obasanjo and his cohorts.

    “After all a man who is involved in all sorts of corruption issues in his administration and indeed his unpopular bid to violate our respected constitution by wanting to take a third term is not any way a credible democratic voice to count on.

    “Nigerian should consider him as mere confusionist, mischievous and an enemy of true democracy in Nigeria as he has always been,” he said.

    The APC also said that weit remained the best option for Nigerians in spite of Obasanjo’s criticism.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abudullahi, said “We acknowledge our challenges as a new political party, even as we believe that APC remains the best option at this time for all Nigerians who are genuinely committed to the country’s progress and development.

    “While we do not agree with everything the former president said, especially on his assessment of the government and our party we note the sundry issues raised by the former President, and we assume these were made in good faith,” he said.

    Although the Buhari’s government had disagreed with most of Obasanjo’s positions and criticism of the administration, but many Nigerians will really want to know if Buhari, at the end of the day, will not re-contest in 2019 as a result of the letter.

    Only time will tell as events towards 2019 general elections unfold.

     

  • Ekwueme had impeccable integrity, courage, selflessness – Osinbajo

    Ekwueme had impeccable integrity, courage, selflessness – Osinbajo

    *Ngige: Ekwueme rejected Senate President offer from Obasanjo
    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday said that the late Vice President in the Second Republic, Dr. Alex Ekwueme had impeccable integrity,  courage and selflessness.
    Ekwueme had died in a London hospital last year. 
    Speaking at the Night of Song service organized by the Federal Government in honour of the deceased, Osinbajo said that the late Ekwueme worked tirelessly to build and maintain bridges across the country.
    According to him, Ekwueme understood the symbolism of leaders of the nation to honour God.
    He said,  “Dr. Alex Ekwuene is perhaps  one of the most remarkable persons who have served our nation. Despite being probably one of the most thoroughly educated persons anywhere in the world with degrees in disciplines as distinct as architecture, philosophy, sociology and law. 
    “He possess the profound humility that comes from understanding how much more there was to learn and he demonstrated it by his willingness to listen and to learn at all time.
    “As Vice President he set an excellent example with loyalty, discipline, team spirit and fidelity to the nation. 
    “He was fearless and with the courage of his conviction, he led the G-34, a group of eminent Nigerians who confronted military dictatorship in its darkest and most fiercesome days in Nigerian history.
    ‘In public discourse nationally and regionally as an elder in ECOWAS even in the most emotive subject, he spoke truthfully but maintaining a forthful balance ensuring that his words built rather than destroyed.
    “He worked tirelessly to build and maintain the bridges established across ethnic and religious lines. He never once doubted the validity of one indivisible Nigeria.” he added 

    Also speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige disclosed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, offered the late Ekwueme, Senate Presidency, after the later lost the Jos primaries of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ).

    Ngige said he personally advised the late Ekwueme to reject the offer as he was sure that the former Vice President was too rigid to be a Senate President and that he would be impeached within three months.

    He said, “I told Ide (Dr. Ekwueme) that he was too rigid and that he would not be able to do that job.  When the committees come to you and say do this and do that, you will not agree and the next thing they will go and gather signatures and in no time, the will impeach you.

    “Ide was very strict on accountability.  Even when we were campaigning, whenever we returned, he would call you and ask you to give account of how you spent the campaign money.  He will have his paper and pen in his hands.  You know politicians don’t like that.  They don’t like accountability.” he said 

    Ngige also disclosed that the late Vice President, lost the Jos PDP presidential primary ticket because he refused to bribe the delegates.

    He said that Ekwueme failed in bribery and corruption and refused to give false promises, which were the hallmark of typical politicians.

    Stressing that the late former VP was not a religious bigot, as his father was an Anglican pastor, Ngige said that Ekwueme never discriminated against people of other faiths.

    The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, urged Nigerians to learn from late Dr. Ekwueme’s courage, which made him confront late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, with the G34 initiative.

    He also urged Nigerians to imbibe Dr. Ekwueme’s patriotic zeal.

    He said “We must first see ourselves as Nigerians, irrespective of our religions and tribes.”

    Former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, who was also the former Secretary of the G34 and political ally of the Late Dr. Ekwueme, said that Ekwueme was “a great son of Nigeria, a loving leader, creative designer, first class architect, wise counselor, elder statesman, a great patriot, defender of the people, an advocate of social justice, fairness and equity.”

    He said that Dr. Ekwueme led the G34 which confronted Late Gen. Sani Abacha to stop his self-succession bid, and was at the vanguard of the return to democracy after more than two and half decades of military dictatorship.

    Prof. Gana also revealed that the letter by the G 34 was written by himself and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu but that Dr. Ekwueme, who was the chairman of the group  personally edited and submitted it at the Aso Rock Villa, to ensure it got to Late Gen. Abacha.

    Prof. Jerry Gana described the late Ekwueme as a defender of the people, a political colossus and an advocate of social justice and equity.

    The President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo said he didn’t come to mourn rather to rejoice for the gift of nature from God to Igboland.
    He said, “He was multi disciplinary and distinctive in what he set out to do and loyal in his convictions and believed in his intellectual perception.
    “I haven’t come here to mourn on behalf of the Igbos, I have come here to rejoice that God gave us an exemplary son. 
    “On a night like this what is important is to christenize the distinctive achievements and characteristics of Dr. Alex Ekwueme and I’m the process hope that those of us who are living will derive example from it and create a better society.” 
    He said that Dr. Ekwueme was very loyal to Shehu Shagari.
    He said “Dr. Ekwueme never thought of leaving PDP.  What was important to him was his sense of contribution.  Whether or not he made money from it or not.  Ekwueme was a very humble man.  Chief Nwodo urged Nigerians politicians to emulate.”
    Also speaking, Prof. Uzodimma Nwala who worked closely with the late Vice President said he respected him for his great intellect and not the typical Nigerian politician, adding that he had the carriage.
    He said that Ekwueme came up with the establishment of six geopolitical zones as basis for optical and resources sharing. 
    “We are celebrating a man that had contributed in laying the foundation of unity in Nigeria.

    “The true components of Nigeria is the ethnic nationalities.  We must come back to a loose federation.”

    “Dr. Alex Ekwueme was not a typical Nigerian politician,” and urged Nigerian politicians to take lessons from the departed VP.” he said 

    The former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari represented by his son,  Aminu Shagari said late Ekwueme lived a simple and uncomplicated life and that his father’s choice of Ekwueme as his Vice President was a right choice.
    He said the late former Vice President exhibited tolerance and total loyalty, describing him as patriotic and a statesman.
  • Obasanjo has come again o!

    Obasanjo has come again o!

    In the last few days, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s long letter, advising President Muhammadu Buhari to forget a second tenure bid for The Presidency has been trending both on the social media and as a national discourse. Personally, I would have been shocked if Obasanjo had not written that letter considering his knack to seize every available opportunity to robe himself with the ornamented garment of an untainted statesman. It did not start today and it is definitely not going to end with the Buhari under-the-belt thunderbolt as long as the former military warlord has the energy to interrogate our national affairs at the highest level. Getting into the fray and making a political capital out of it is something Obasanjo relishes and flourishes in with profound aplomb. For those who have followed his letter writing proclivities, it is not debatable that the wily old fox is merely setting the template for another round of intriguing political chess game that may see him triumphing just like he did in the past. Some would say he is an opportunist, Well, that may not be entirely wrong. Yet, it is troubling that those he had unclothed in the market square in the past, either in the executive or legislature arm, had always placed before him the ammunition he used to shoot them down.

    In Buhari’s case, Obasanjo’s scathing criticism couldn’t have come at a better time regardless of what the Minister of Information, Culture and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, would want us to believe. The ominous signs that a bomb could be fired from Ota, Obasanjo’s farmhouse, had always been there. For long, the government sat on its hands and watched as things go from bad to worse while the citizens gnash their teeth in anguish. This was not helped by Aso Rock’s loud silence and manifest incompetence to deal with the killings in the North Central region by rampaging herdsmen. If the government was doing anything to stop the bloodletting, such action was obviously not known to those who continue to lose loved ones in a pogrom that defies logic and commonsense. Was it a fight between brothers over grazing rights on farmlands or was it an invasion by foreign agents with the backing of some religious bigots? Even the government couldn’t give an answer to the vexing question as the body bags mount!

    And so, beyond the poor management of the economy and Buhari’s vacillating attitude to governance, Obasanjo’s main disaffection could be gleaned from his allegation that the President is clannish and nepotistic. Surely, these are not light words that can be waved away with a list of achievements reeled out by Mohammed on Wednesday. In any case, it is an elementary fact that the table of achievements is meaningless if it does not have direct positive impact on the people. The question to ask is: Are Nigerians safer now than they were some years back and are they economically-secured under the present regime? I doubt if the government will get the kind of response that would make it thump its chest to justify the achievements listed on that sheet of paper. The government should also be concerned that Obasanjo, while acknowledging that Buhari did record some strides in the fight against corruption and insurgency, pointedly accused him of condoning the basest form of corruption and financial crime with the “allegations of round tripping against some inner caucus of the Presidency.”

    If we took former President Goodluck Jonathan to the cleaners for attending a party rally in Kano a day after the Nyanya deadly bombings and the abduction of over 200 Chibok school girls, it would be inhumane for us to look the other way when Buhari, who rode on the crest of that Jonathan’s errors, makes the same mistake with cold-blooded equanimity. Now, listen to Obadanjo: “The herdsmen/crop farmers issue is being wittingly or unwittingly allowed to turn sour and messy. It is no credit to the Federal Government that the herdsmen rampage continues with careless abandon and without finding effective solution to it. And it is a sad symptom of insensitivity and callousness that some governors, a day after 73 victims were buried in a mass grave in Benue State without condolence, were jubilantly endorsing President Buhari for a second term. The timing was most unfortunate!”

    To say the truth, Obasanjo was mild in dissecting this particular irreverent attitude of the governors and the man they were nudging on to place his ambition before the lives of the citizens he plans to rule over for a second term. This unpardonable revelry at the seat of power was nothing other than spitting on the graves of the murdered sons and daughters of Benue. Jonathan, I repeat, was practically roasted alive for this same ‘sin’ even by some of the characters who are now trying fruitlessly to justify the senseless action that happened inside Aso Rock that day. Like Olurotimi Anifowose noted, the government’s puffed-up response failed woefully to address the main issues raised by Obasanjo. The theories espoused in that list were not convincing enough to douse the growing belief among a crowd of disenchanted populace that another four years of a Buhari Presidency would be nothing short of a monumental mistake!

    On the eleven-point achievements listed by Mohammed, Anifowose asked some germane questions which, I believe, should tug the unfeeling hearts of those in the corridors of power if they are truly committed to beating Obasanjo to his game this time. He wrote: “Theories! That’s what I read to the government’s response to the carefully-woven facts itemised by the former President. How have these achievements translated to improvement of lives? Did these submissions address the nepotistic disposition of the administration? Did it address the penchant for clannishness? Did it address the condonation of Fulani herdsmen by the administration? Did it address the condonation of corrupt individuals in the corridors of power by the administration?” Unfortunately, the answer is an emphatic no. And it is a pity.

     

    Obasanjo simply waited to hit the government he helped in bringing to power where it would hurt it the most. And, like the others before it, history may repeat itself if Aso Rock choses to dismiss him as a rude joke whose flame of would soon burn out with time. He is more than that even if I would be the first person to admit that the Ota farmer is an opportunist that knows when and how to play to the gallery with the sole aim of reaping the full benefits, undeservingly so. He did it after he failed to get a third term sanctioned by the National Assembly by imposing a Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket on the nation after blackmailing a number of his presumed loyalists like Peter Odili, Donald Duke and Nasir el-Rufai. He did it with the same callous mien he is now tracing to Buhari when he pushed his then deputy, Atiku Abubakar to the precipice of frustration, dejection and political obscurity. That is why Atiku still gloats in the dark today for political relevance despite his goodwill and hood heart. He repeated the same aura of invincibility when he cunningly imposed Jonathan on his party following the untimely death of Yar’Adua. And when he fell out with Jonathan, he didn’t hesitate to stake his cards with Buhari who eventually became President. Now, the plot thickens as Obasanjo is on the move again in search of another crown prince to make and mar. Will it then be politically wise for Aso Rock to wish Obasanjo’s stinging letter away as it is presently doing? Those who did it in the past are still biting their fingers in regrets. Will Buhari’s case be different?

    End. End. End.

  • Purge yourself of contempt for others, group tells Obasanjo

    Purge yourself of contempt for others, group tells Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been advised to purge himself of contempt for his successors.

    In a press statement on the heels of Obasanjo’s advice to President Muhammadu Buhari not to run for re-election in 2019, the Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) says OBJ’s “unsolicited missive” is curious and worrisome.

    In the statement signed by its Chairman Austin Braimoh, BMSG wonders why it is that the former President has found fault with each and every of his successor in office, noting that “what is apparent in the unbecoming admonitions inherent in Obasanjo’s letters to his successors is a base exhibition of his self -importance and a rather, narrow perception of governance and its concomitant service delivery to the majority of Nigerian people.”

    BMSG says it is constrained “to submit that the reasons adduced by the former president in calling on President Buhari not to run is a lowly, pedestrian generalization, lacking indepth analysis of the country’s national challenges, perennial contradictions and limited historical economic outlook. We expected a better and insightful dissection of the state of the nation from a man that had administered this country at the highest possible level twice.

    “What we observed in Chief Obasanjo’s ‘roadside’ scorecard of the Buhari administration is a haste to once again flaunt his messianic complex as both political aggregator and moral compass. We, however, find this desperation to aggregate national sentiments as a lowly expropriation of the inalienable right of the mass of Nigerian people to decide and determine who lead them at every point in time.

  • Obasanjo: Irony of political zenithism

    Events in Nigeria’s political landscape have never ceased to lose a bite of drama. And while we have sorely missed the ones in the comedy category, we have endured the tragic ones prevalent, and still counting. However, feel free to name the category of the new series starred by the renowned statesman and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.

    In the open letter “The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement”, the former president summed up some of the intriguing challenges of the Buhari-led administration, outlining clearly the areas deserving of a small round of applause, and those filling the holes of disappointment. The headline however, is that Obasanjo, explicitly and implicitly, drew the curtain for Buhari against seeking re-election in 2019. But, having the smidgen of knowledge about the former president, one needs to be careful with his ‘wise’ words, either side of winding down the glasses to peep at the untold, muted, disguised and out of the surface disposition credited to the outspoken man. He really is that much of a complex character. Let us x-ray this new thriller.

    For a start, Buhari has failed to live up to expectations in some areas since the infamous 2015 general elections. That’s understandably true and it would only be idiotic to claim otherwise. Yet, the man has overachieved in some areas equally of importance and such must not be jettisoned to the cesspit. But, by admonishing Buhari to call it a day, Obasanjo has simply scored an expensive own-goal by throwing the towel. As someone with his wealth of experience about governance, it is criminal to write an administrator off in such short, hazy, and impatient manner. It is worthy to state that in the event that OBJ happens to be PMB at this point in time, in same circumstances, he, OBJ wouldn’t have done any better. It took the man eight good years, yet, he left knowing that much needs to be done, and, is in fact, yet to be done. Isn’t it why he arguably sought for third term? No leadership thrives with short tenure stamped by inexperience. A little stroll down the history lane would expose the fact that PMB did overachieved, in comparison to his second coming, during his short tenure as the head of state. So many uncountable projects could be traced to him, at a time and age you and I know that many would fail and be shielded in the court of dexterity. Democracy has changed the man, the system, the growth, and the development. PMB could have done more if it were still military regime. What did OBJ achieve in his first tenure as head of state?

    Put it simply, to write Buhari off following three years of assuming the hot seat is sentimental, unjust, selfish, cruel and least expected from a respectable leader and statesman. It sums up his faith, which are yards away from the pulpit of optimism. His convictions, which is begging to get license for a bigger picture; his words, a living statue of discrepancies and inconsistencies. And above all, his wisdom, taking the whips of logic. One would expect clarity of premises to strengthen the towel throwing, rather than an act of shooting self on the foot! Take a look at this verse in the letter:

    “If things were good, President Buhari would not need to come in, He was voted to fix things that were bad and not engage in the blame game.”

    Take away the last two words, it’s something we have chided the administration on, and urge them to jettison it by actions. Look at the honest angle of the situation as at 2015 and tell me why something is not wrong in the logical puzzle of the statesman. You simply can’t take him off the picture for failing to jet off at a time when expectations are beyond mortal apprehension. Even some machines function better as they grow in usage talk more of a complex being expected to be the messiah that even the critic, despite spending huge number of years in the number one office couldn’t be.

    Also, the idea of a statesman is begging for more theoretical underpinnings by the activities of some of our statesmen. I know a statesman is supposed to be like a bridge to the incumbents, making subtle suggestions, proffering wealth of experiences and urging for the need to act in line with antecedents of similar events. I for one don’t really understand why being a statesman means compounding problems. The timing of this letter itself is suicidal. It shifts focus to a debate that takes resources away from being assembled where they are needed. It creates psychological chaos, heat the polity and even make situation worse by renewing boring debates.

    “…this is no time for trading blames or embarking on futile argument and neither should we accept untenable excuses for non-performance.”

    Isn’t this boring to hear? Is it a new premise in the debate?

    More importantly, someone appears to be playing “god” here. That portrayal of omniscience in leadership that has made the man carve out some niche for himself, like someone who had attained the zenith while in office, is synonymous of a perfectionist in the field where it is vague. If OBJ is close to the title he awards himself, no disrespect, Nigeria would have been among the comity of nations, barging shoulders with the superpowers and bragging about the development ratio. Don’t go far; look at South Africa for instance. Can Nigeria stand with temerity in the same box, with her counterpart, in the debate about development despite having a “god” as President for eight years? The feeling at some quarters is that the “endorsement” of this “god” is the guarantee for the top spot, a spiritual blessing that is a “can’t do without”. Little wonder why they insisted that the former principal failed in 2015 for simply missing the “oil” of anointing by the “god”.

    As for the ruling party APC, testing times are unavoidable. Just like Buhari, shutting the party out this early, giving its first taste of power after so many years in the opposition seat is massively the height of impatience that can lead to rounds of continuous trials and error. Revolution, reformation and true change take time in every clime where it has been experimented. The below statement by OBJ is undermining really.

    “…they have given as best as they have and as best as they can give…to ask them to give more will be unrealistic and will only sentence Nigeria to a prison term of four years if not destroy it beyond the possibility of an early recovery and substantial growth.”

    Does the above mean that nothing positive can come out in the second tenure of PMB? Where is the faith here? Where is the belief he once had in this man? Where is the optimism expected by a statesman?

    The Nigerian project is one that must undergo turbulent periods to be successful. It is in the spirit of rising each time we fall that Nigeria shall be great “again”, if I may employ the word. In the meantime, what is before us is the “lesser evil conundrum”. Nigerians will have to assess their best option in the absence of many. While it is too early to start the lesser evil debate, it is too early to talk about 2019. It is far too early for a vote of no confidence by the respectable statesman. After all, Paris was not built in a day!