Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) is an all-rounder in nuances. So, he has etched his personality on Nigeria’s political space, but too many times in paranoia. On the bright side, Obasanjo displays multiple identities such as a triple former Nigerian leader and elder statesman of international fame; a retired Nigerian Army General of the combatant breed; a writer, a traditionalist, a farmer. On the flipside, Obasanjo is oddly the gadfly in Nigeria’s politics, self-styled omniscient of Nigeria; an incestuous character and sadist in social circles, to rewind him mildly.
A country, with a living octogenarian in the mould and experience of Obasanjo, should not suffer the pains Nigeria is forced to bear at the moment because it taps from his positive treasures for nourishment. But the odd blend of virtues of good and evil in Obasanjo has usurped the sapience of tapping from him because his old age sadly stirs up his bad side, more often.
When he wrote former President Goodluck Jonathan, an open letter, that political son of his knew he was heading for the political slaughter slab. Jonathan provoked Obasanjo by daring to classify him, the elder statesman he knows, a “garage tout.” But, he may not be too distant from this description. Anyway, Obasanjo was provoked and genuinely too.
Today, Obasanjo praises President Buhari, with the lower jaws of the teeth in his mouth. But within the same mouth, crucifies him over problems he could not solve as Nigeria’s democratic President for eight years. He haughtily declares that the existing problems need immediate solution, which is reason for the change as symbolized by Buhari and not “excuses.” So, Obasanjo keeps offending Nigerians by postulating that Buhari should have solved them in 17 months?
Now and shamelessly, Obasanjo goes to bed, but keeps wakefulness or night vigil, seeking to know the financial status of the country and beats his chest that until he is informed about Nigeria’s finances, every other step of Buhari’s government is wrong.
So, Buhari deserves the most acerbic of condemnations from an elder statesman, who has occupied Aso Villa countless times before him. Why for Christ’s sake would Buhari have the guts of not venerating his (Obasanjo) dearest political godsons like former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido and the equally prickly former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode by exposing them to EFCC scrutiny? But PMB never initiated the probes on these suspected looters of Nigeria’s wealth.
And in his usual manner of damaging thinking, OBJ believes every organ of government should be accountable to him, even as he is out of government. With enormous physical energy, as a soldier, he does not believe in his waning status or senility and bestrides the polity, claiming intellectuality, attacking every other person who seats on the presidential seat in Aso Rock, as doing everything wrong, except him.
But for the eight years he was in the saddle, Nigerians sighted nothing as democratic dividends. He rather joined the league of the country’s looters, most conspicuously, with his OBJ library launch, an occasion government appointees were cajoled or coerced to source money from their establishments to donate in appreciation of President Obasanjo. And they did just that!
Let Obasanjo explain to Nigerians how his Library launch openly netted about N5billion when Nigeria’s naira had worth much more than its current value today. Obasanjo once counted GSM, (Global System of Mobile Communication) as one of his achievements, because a recharge card seller could get N20 (Twenty Naira) from the sale of N1, 000 unit of recharge card from any network. But Nigerians are the minutely, most exploited users of GSM in Africa.
Again, Obasanjo is so far the only Nigerian privileged to preside over the affairs of Nigeria for 11 years, the longest any man has ever served on Nigeria’s topmost job. But Nigeria has no outstanding achievement it can celebrate in Obasanjo in the manner South Africans fete Late Nelson Mandela, even in death or some other revered African Leaders.
But today, he wishes Buhari purifies the land of the mess he planted, with his crook-cronies or proxies for 16 years, in just 17 months. And so, in Obasanjo’s distorted sense, Buhari should stop complaining but provide the change; the crest which he rode to power or else consider himself (Buhari) a failure.
So, Obasanjo shamelessly feigns a good man and a patriotic Nigerian leader, in his blinding conviction that Nigerians believe his piousness and adulterated wisdom. It explains why the United Nations never found him fit for the Job of its Chief Scribe.
Unfortunately for him, every Nigerian knows that beneath Obasanjo’s harmless countenance and pretensions about loyalty and patriotism, lies the darkest facade of a heart completely blacker than charcoal, and extremely difficult to dislodge.
He erects for himself the image of a saint and perceives any other person around him, especially those in governance as sinners. But if there is any single misfortune in Nigeria’s leadership, it is more expressed in Obasanjo than any other Nigerian leader.
Verily repugnant too, OBJ today positions himself to speak harshly about a government in power and without a second thought, advises President Buhari to deviate from the path of blaming previous administrations and sort out Nigeria’s economy. But this is democracy and not any military administration where leaders act with fiat. OBJ is piqued because his administration (from 1999-2007) is also included in the bunch Buhari has classified as Nigeria’s failed leadership, which has raped Nigeria. He said the same thing about Late Umaru Yar’Adua and Jonathan, all presidents he imposed on Nigeria.
Read Obasanjo’s emotions in these words; “The blanket adverse comments or castigation of all democratic administrations from 1999 by the present administration is uncharitable, fussy and uninstructive.”
To whisper his wasted years in power, Obasanjo again adds, “Politics apart, I strongly believe that there is a distinction between the three previous administrations that it would be unfair to lump them all together. I understand President Buhari’s frustration on the state of the economy inherited by him. It was the same reason and situation that brought about the cry for change, otherwise, there would be no need for change, if it was all nice and rosy.”
This same man (Obasanjo) backs sale of national assets to raise money to get Nigeria out of its economic recession because he initiated the idea of selling National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) through what they call privatization. To handover this sensitive national asset to his wife, Late Stella (May her soul rest in peace), Obasanjo changed the name from NEPA to Power Holding company of Nigeria (PHCN). And eventually sold by Jonathan in 2013, Obasanjo should ask himself whether Nigerians are experiencing improved power supply.
That ideas like sale of national assets in any guise do not work in Nigeria’s context, but coming from OBJ, every Nigerian should see it as perfect and he advises Buhari to think in this direction. But vehemently, he opposes in part, the move for a foreign loan because the amount is too huge.
He frankly appreciates Buhari’s burden or concern for the suffering masses of Nigeria and the need to alleviate same. But to acknowledge that Buhari would not have to “shit” money to solve Nigeria’s problems is what this elder statesman would simply not accept, because it would impose, according to him, 30 years of servitude on Nigeria. If Nigerians had impact from the $16 billion, he claimed his administration spent on power generation, national grid would not have been below 2, 500 megawatts (MW) Buhari inherited and has pushed it to now slightly above 5,000 MW.
Obasanjo says “No administration can or should be comfortable with the excruciating pain of debilitating and crushing economy. Businesses are closing, jobs are being lost and people are suffering.”
But is there anything new? These are problems Buhari inherited and OBJ himself knows that only Buhari believes in the change mantra. Obasanjo knows that majority of the people around Buhari like himself are frustrating this change and humanly, it is not possible for Buhari to be in every office in Nigeria to have things done accordingly.
In the First Akintola William’s Annual Lecture, Obasanjo admits of his frustrations in auditing accounts of the National Assembly, he confesses is peopled by crooks and “unarmed robbers.” But he expects that Buhari should perform miracles with the same characters in place, maliciously checkmating his good plans for Nigeria for their selfish ends.
Obasanjo was an abrasive president, who could cause the abduction of an incumbent governor (Anambra’s Chris Ngige) or order the sack of his party’s national chairman, (then PDP’s Chief Audu Ogbeh) after a dinner with him. But Buhari is sincerely a different politician who would not just float the law to massage his ego.
A Senate made up of characters Obasanjo has infinitely kept questioning are the same clan of parliamentarians who have rejected Buhari’s proposal to borrow $29 billion, monies they can vouch for its judicious applicability with Buhari’s eagle eye.
That’s how wisdom dangles. While Obasanjo believes that President Buhari should borrow money, but not in the magnitude of the $29 billion he is demanding, Senators of Nigeria see no reason for it. It will do OBJ a great deal of respite, if he observes more and speaks less under a Buhari Presidency, who remains a Nigerian leader for the Nigerian masses.
Bukar Raheem writes from Kaduna State.
