And Saint Obasanjo speaks
By Olukorede Yishau
The timing is perfect. New Year’s day, new year’s message. The messanger: Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-soldier, ex-military Head of State, ex-President, letterman and public speaker.
His message as I see it: I believe Mr Peter Obi has the capacity to make Nigeria great like I did.
I have absolutely no problem with his choice of Mr Peter Obi. It is within his right to make a choice.
What I have problem with is the second leg of his message, the self-praise and the vanity of it all.
Mr Obasanjo is one of the lucckiest human beings on earth. Born of a very humbling background, his decision to join the Army changed his story.
Opportunities just usually find a way to perch at his doors.
If in doubt of my assertion, consider his role in the civil war, his ascension to the seat of Head of State, and his return to power after years in prison where the late General Sani Abacha dumped him.
Even when it is not his will, he has gotten power without breaking much sweat.
Each time I listen to this erudite former President talk about leadership, I am always marveled.
He comes across as an activist, a fire-spitting one for that matter. Femi Falana and others seem like his colleagues.
But, I have repeatedly told myself: Wait a minute, this man is no activist. He is part of what he is complaining about.
From Nigeria to Europe to America and Asia, anytime he is given the opportunity to talk, he talks as though he is not an African leader who has contributed immensely to the challenges of the continent; he talks like a Messiah who is waiting for the opportunity to change the world; and he talks like an analyst with the best of intentions.
But he is not. We all know he is not. Except we want to deceive ourselves.
Last year, I saw a video of his in a church and he was complaining about the leadership the country has had.
He spoke about security challenges and his fears that churches might soon become dangerous to attend because kidnappers could just walk in and abduct congregants. He sounded convincing like an average activist.
The truth is: He is not far from the truth but my problem is that he talks as though he is not part of the problem.
And in his new year message, he kept hammering on his era as though we didn’t witness it.
He ruled us for some years as military Head of State after General Murtala Mohammed was killed, and he came back as civilian president in 1999.
After his first term in 2003, he secured a second term and led us till 2007 before foisting ailing Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on us.
As President, Obasanjo carried out a privatisation programme.
The idea was for government-owned businesses to be sold to the private sector so that they would be well-run. We are all witnesses to how bad that turned out.
He also invested chunk of money on the power sector and, till today, we are in need of light to determine where the funds went.
Under his watch, the education sector didn’t witness any major turnaround. Under his watch, the health sector didn’t get the lift it deserved.
Under his watch, housing was not improved significantly. Under his watch, respect for the rule of law was near zero.
Ask All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate Bola Tinubu about how he seized the funds meant for local governments in Lagos and ignored the law.
Under his watch, the National Assembly was unstable because he kept getting the leaders impeached because of his disagreement with them.
Under his watch, fewer roads got the attention they deserved. Under his watch, we crawled when we were supposed to be running a marathon.
This same activist, in the twilight of his administration, tried to elongate his tenure. He can deny it from now till tomorrow but we are no fools. Those who played one role or the other in it have spoken.
This great activist also harassed rich individuals and state governors into donating billions for the construction of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
The library is complete with a standard hotel and other money-spinning facilities, including a cinema. As I write, it is also his home haven left the sprawling mansion he retired to after his tenure.
At the height of their quarrel, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose asked him to return Ekiti’s donation to the library.
For me, there is no justification for him as a sitting president to raise money the way he did for a private project. For want of a better word, it is gross abuse of office.
Yet, he speaks against this when others do it. He is unable to remove the speck in his eyes but he is seeing the one in others. What a wonderful man!
The race to pick a successor for outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari has reawakened the activist in Obasanjo and he has been pontificating.
The other day he said one of the mistakes he made was choosing Atiku Abubakar as his deputy.
He said this not long after Atiku became the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party that made Obasanjo president, but whose membership card he obscenely displayed its public destruction.
Obasanjo cannot divorce himself from the leadership problem Nigeria has. As a matter of fact, he is an integral part of it.
So, he should spare us the pontificating about our leadership deficiency.
He is part and parcel of why we don’t have electricity, good roads, good schools, standard hospitals and many other good things of life.
I must add that this intervention does not imply that Obasanjo is a failure or has nothing to show for his years in office.
It is just to say he is not a saint and he should stop dressing as one.
Culled from The Nation
