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| Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria |
FORMER President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was yesterday, in
Lagos urged by a non-government organization, Movement of Good Governance And
Transparency In Nigeria, (MGGTN) to emulate the virtues of other statesmen in the
country which it emphatically named Alhaji Shehu Shagari, General Ibrahim
Babangida, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, among others.
The group through its President, Mr. Osagie Omoregie noted
that the former President’s incessant controversial statements leave much to be
desired of an elder statesman and essentially, inconsistent with his leadership
style while in office which it rated as a wasted eight years. He noted that albeit
Obasanjo’s administration from 1999 to 2006 remarkably recorded the transition
from Nitel’s analogue to Global System Mobile (GSM) telecommunication, nevertheless,
it was grossly characterized by dictatorship, godfatherism, monumental fraud,
political vendetta and all administrative deficiencies and vices.
This clarion call was in relation to various criticisms and
public statements credited to the former President lately in which emphasized
on corruption and ineptitude of some members of the National Assembly. Omoregie
concluded that Obasanjo’s reoccurring position was highly suspicious and above
all, a diversionary tactics to make the present probe on corruption not extend
to his tenure.
Recalling the state of the nation during Obasanjo’s
administration, Omoregie stated that the present woes the nation found itself
into were the handiworks of the former President and his cohorts adding that
the erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan was craftily used to cover all his
atrocities and anomalies during the Obasanjo’s administration. In particular,
he stated that Jonathan’s administration was annexed to Obasanjo’s government
adding that all appointees of the two administrations were almost the same set
of persons.
“It may interest you to know that Goodluck Jonathan was deceitfully
used to cover the gross atrocities and anomalies of Obasanjo while in Office. People
like him and Chief Olu Falae who head-strongly partook in indiscriminate
distribution of public fund should keep their mouths shot as far as issues that
affect the nation are concerned. Obasanjo wasted Nigeria’s eight years, encouraged
corruption, godfatherism, oppression, political vendetta, do or die politics
and all manner of aberrations in the society. As a matter of fact, his
administration was nothing to write home about. Every immoral conduct got to
climax including empowering touts and witch-hunting opponents through
anti-corruption crusade. I am always surprised when people compare General
Ibrahim Babangida with Obasanjo on corruption while in office.”
No doubt, IBB’s junta liberalized corruption. However, many
capital projects including the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos believably
the longest bridge in Africa accrued to his administration’s account. Obasanjo only
‘achievement’ was the selling-off of virtually all Nigeria’s assets disguisedly
to himself and his political associates, and using his office to forcefully
raise fund for his private library which recorded billions of naira. Hence, he
lacks the morality to continuously accuse others. Succinctly, Obasanjo should responsibly
emulate other statesmen in the country rather than his incessant quarrelsomeness
on the pages of the newspapers,” Omoregie furiously stated.
It would be recalled that the former President had in a fortnight
written a public letter accusing the members of the Senate and House of
Representatives of corruption and having inept fellows among them who are only self-centred.
Following the development, the leadership of the federal legislative body
immediately responded by informing him that his anger against the present members
of the Senate and House of Representatives was malicious and misdirected, and requested
him to direct it appropriately noting that it was the 4th, 5th
and 6th National Assembly members that siphoned his billions of naira
towards actualizing his third term ambition but overwhelmingly still killed the
agenda, and not the present 8th National Assembly.
Incontrovertibly, during Obasanjo’s tenure, the media had good
days as controversial issues were always emanating from the presidency and
other stakeholders. Precisely, the former President fell out with virtually
every notable name in the polity including politically elected persons like
him. The office of the Senate President and Speaker of the House of the
Representatives were grossly affected which recorded unprecedentedly random changes
of its leadership particularly in the heat of the aborted third agenda. Notably,
a former Senate President, Senator Chuba Okadigbo who was asthmatic met his
untimely death after inhaling a Police tear-gas over a protest as a result of
the excesses of the administration particularly the third term agenda which the
former President futilely fought mercilessly and with everything in him.
Equally, Nigeria Governors Forum got its share by recording countless
illegal removal of serving governors from office which most were subsequently
reversed by the court. Godfatherism also got to its climax by some individuals openly
asserting powers over duly inaugurated governors with the backing of the
presidency.
The judiciary too was not left out. The administration
habitually obeyed only court orders that favoured it, hence notorious for disobedience
to court orders and lawlessness. Consequently, the statutory allocations of the
Local government Areas (LGAs) in Lagos State were arbitrarily withheld by the
federal government till Obasanjo’s tenure elapsed despite the ruling by the
Court as a tool to get at his major opponent, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his
Alliance for Democracy, AD.
To crown it all, Obasanjo’s disagreement with his Vice
President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar almost led to physically exchange of blows to
the extent that the Vice President was at a time sacked in office solely by the
President until the Supreme Court declared the action ultra vires. Atiku
survived the heat by smartly dodging the weekly Federal Executive Council
meetings where Obasanjo’s boys, including Nasir El-Rufai had been stationed to
physically deal with him.
From that point, the former President moved over to Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iwealla who strategically abandoned his duty post to run for her dear
life. As if that was not enough, her daughter, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello
followed his footstep and doggedly faced him; issued him a stinker publicly in
the heat of his exchange of letter-writings with Goodluck Jonathan.
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