It remains a baffling mystery to my limited faculties of reasoning how facts and events still continue to be obscured at this intermediate level of a long-drawn battle. Before being temporarily thrown off this coveted and highly glorified chitchat podium of public view in the aftermath of a consuming workload, I was able to advance my views in one last essay. I chastised my compatriots who jump aboard a bandwagon without a clear view of clandestine agenda and the overriding interests (that are mostly personal) of those who bear the flags of hate and destruction.

Today Atiku Abubakar has suddenly disappeared from center stage and the extended arms of passengers in the bandwagon still persist in striking their hammer on the glowing iron. Facts are ignored. Mischief advanced. Worse still, mischief itself is also subjected to perversion.

Against the wisdom of all academic teachings as embodied in the philosophy and psychology underlying experiences in practical politics (courtesy of Political science), Nigeria has become the first country in the universe to upgrade a Vice President from the role of an Assistant and Deputy to the hitherto unknown office of a Co-President.

Most often, arguments have been advanced that a political environment like Nigeria’s in which a President was evidentially seen to have subjected his own Vice President to abuses, humiliation and oppression, leaves no other choice but resistance on the part of the oppressed. A Vice President is thus perceived and presented as doing well to fight back as best he can to restore his personal honor. Good enough.

Unfortunately however, in the primitive wrestling ring of traditional societies, the longer a fight lasts, the more obscure and extended the boundaries of the improvised ring become. Democratic philosophy all over the world provides for a head of government. In a situation, in which a single party fails to secure an outright majority to form a government, coalitions are formed. In coalitions, hierarchy is defined by the proportional strength of parties in popular vote. The head of government is undivided with absolute integrity. While the head of the second largest party in a coalition provides the deputy head of government, the head of government in a unitary administration has the enviable privilege of picking a deputy of choice. In neither of both cases can the power of the head of government be usurped.

In Nigeria where a single party had an outright majority, the exigency of a coalition and a marriage of convenience was out of question. Olusegun Obasanjo picked Atiku as a running mate not vice versa. The ensuing government was headed by Olusegun Obasanjo not by Atiku. While Obasanjo’s allegiance to Atiku is logically a matter of choice, Atiku’s loyalty is by all benchmarks of rational reasoning, nothing short of an obligation. If in the course of time, the President were found to have strongly deviated from agreed principles (party or personal), the Vice President would quit and open up a new chapter on a different terrain. But unfortunately, this does not apply in Nigeria. In the corridors of all functioning democracies all over the world, Nigeria simply became a laughing stock, as the exacerbated illustration of everything that a democracy should not be. A Vice President in a unitary government (not a coalition government) joins a different party and remains a Vice President even with a constitution that mandates a President to pick him from the same party. “Learned” and “incorruptible” judges of a Supreme Court (the highest instance of domestic jurisprudence) perfect this ridiculous reasoning and tell a cock-and-bull tale of moral and legal justifications.

As I once opined, the trick was easy to see. All these instances were driven by just one motive. Kill Bill.

Obasanjo has however, finally learned a lesson that he picked a Vice President (or a Vice President was imposed on him), who weighed far beyond a mere deputy. A Vice President who would not have dared to go that far without the strength of support that he had in crucial organs of the democratic institutions and at the corridors of major powers on the global scene.

While events unfolded, I was one of several prophets of doom. I saw a rapid drift towards destruction and anarchy. I saw the roof burning. All because a Vice President insists on a President (his boss) capitulating before him and falling on his knees. Thank goodness, there was neither doom nor calamity.

Having been recklessly permitted to run for the elections in the dying minutes by our “incorruptible” judges of the Supreme Court, who did not seem to care a damn, about social peace and national integrity, the chronicle of imminent disaster began to run an independent course. Even though it was not difficult to see that Atiku can never win any election in today’s Nigeria (rigged or not), he insisted on being a sole opposition candidate against a more credible Buhari and Pat Utomi. When this failed, he pushed for an election boycott, which consequences would have stirred up anything close to a civil war. It took Buhari’s wisdom and foresight nurtured by personal ambitions to stop Atiku’s push for a do-or-die agenda. This agenda failed and the rest is not yet history. Attempts were made by unknown cowards to bomb the headquarters of INEC in this modern age of heroic suicide bombings to pre-empt the feasible conduct of elections. Another failure. Then the Nnamani card was played.

Only at this point in time did the scope of foreign involvement in the advancement of all the scenarios that have hitherto unfolded, become clearer to behold. The daily newspaper “Nigerian Tribune” reported how foreign intelligence agencies informed Obasanjo of plans to install Nnamani as head of an interim administration. The Nigerian Tribune pointedly identified countries whose sources provided this intelligence by referring to contacts made between the Nnamani camp and the embassies of the United States of America, the European Union and Great Britain. This story has not been refuted till the present moment. Given the credibility of non-denial, it was further reported that Obasanjo was acquainted with facts from foreign intelligence that some “incorruptible” judges of a Lagos High Court were on the brink of serving an injunction on INEC to prevent an announcement of the results of the Presidential election. This report was also not denied. The result was that INEC who initially sought a calmer atmosphere and method of declaring election results then hurried to the Press to forestall any unsolicited injunction by “incorruptible” judges.

In the light of all these developments in the run-up to the elections and thereafter, many wise and prudent Nigerians expected free and fair elections. Wise and prudent Nigerians who contributed en masse to the verbal lynching of Olusegun Obasanjo and all he stood for. Wise and prudent Nigerians with an insurmountable reservoir of celestial wisdom that did not care to turn the psychological table for once and view issues from Obasanjo’s perspective are now surprised that the elections were not served on a silver plate and handed over to Atiku. Obasanjo and his PDP are now being subjected once again to the vicious punches of co-thieves subdued, while foreign forces have made a radical U-turn upon seeing the brutal and naked consequences of fighting Atiku’s reckless battle to the point of no return.

The prospect of an unstable and disintegrated Nigeria that was quickly advancing and staring everyone nakedly in the face was enough to ring the alarm bells in Washington and Downing Street to whistle Atiku back from his popular trail of destruction. Obasanjo is being vehemently chastised as if he had stolen a fortune from God’s own sacred cows. The victory and smartness of a thief that is popularly hated over a thief that appealed to popular sentiments against his rival has now translated into the making of a saint out of the rival thief that was outsmarted in broad daylight.

While Washington and Downing Street are well aware of the extraordinary social-psychological circumstances that preceded these elections, they were smarter than several Nigerian bandwagon passengers of the zombie fame, to understand where the buck stops and call off the trail of unforeseeable consequences. Yet Nigerians have not understood that it is about time to draw the bottom line. They fail to understand that the daily cry of foul and endless insults on Obasanjo and his PDP is now badly saturated by the mere fact of its chorus-type incantation.

After all, what has Obasanjo done so badly that no one else has superseded before him? Is it failure to fix roads or failure to restore electricity? Failure to restore water supply that all started a steady trail of failure since 1980? Killing of political opponents for which he is suspected and never proven as a culprit? Now I hear that there was far more to the killing of Bola Ige than ever met the eye. I hear the names of Sunday Afolabi and Omisore, whoever they are. Stories of greed and a drug lord that was being investigated by Bola Ige. Stories that are never proven much like Obasanjo’s involvement in the killing of Bola Ige. I guess its time to tread a bit softly. There are issues for which Obasanjo can be held guilty and in contempt but this wave of cyber and verbal lynching is beginning to exceed every bound of decency.

One renowned investment banking, securities and investment management company Goldman Sachs recently released figures on the Nigerian economy. Nigerian Gross Domestic Product has more than doubled since 2002 to an average of 7.3% from less than 3% in preceding years. The agricultural sector has witnessed tremendous growth. The overall economy is now “much less vulnerable to adverse external shocks”. The debts of the Paris club are now history. London club is positively rescheduling. The ratio of debt to GDP has dropped miraculously to 3% as of December 31^st 2006 compared to 60% in the nineties. Inflation currently stands at 8%. The banking sector has been so positively restructured that every Nigerian is today proud of the Zenith Bank’s expansion to the United Kingdom. A feat that was possible only in the good old eighties. Today Zenith Bank is being traded to handle Nigeria’s foreign reserves, which have grown in excess of $40 billion since Obasanjo’s assumption of power.

Failure in the restoration of infrastructure does not necessarily stand for the destruction of the infrastructures themselves. If succeeding governments did not destroy all that was inherited in 1980 when Obasanjo first handed over power to Shehu Shagari, a lot would have been different today. Today, everyone talks as if Obasanjo has destroyed all these infrastructures in the first place. Records also have it that the Obasanjo’s administration tried and failed to revamp the energy sector out of sheer incompetence. But that is not a crime given the gravity of crimes that were committed unpunished before his reign. Today people seek to hold Obasanjo responsible for inventing corruption in Nigeria despite the successful work of Nuhu Ribadu and his EFCC.

While I will have no problem with the ordinary man in the street who does not understand what GDP’s 7% stand for and rather yearns to have good roads, water and electricity, I continue to be a vehement enemy of pseudo intellectuals with every level of academic qualification, who stand as illiterates to pronounce that Obasanjo’s administration failed the nation across the board.

My greatest wish for the incoming administration is to henceforth ensure and secure party discipline amongst legislators and at all levels and amend the constitution to reflect the spirit of scientific logic in our democracy. In one sense, the PDP deserves to be commended for refusing to return a huge number of senators and representatives for re-election and instead allowing another breed and batch of politicians to take command.

One positive aspect of the harsh and extreme criticisms experienced so far, will definitely manifest in the Yar' Adua regime. The improvement of infrastructure will gain priority over all other government policies and a lot will definitely improve. I will choose to bet and hang my neck far outside the window claiming that the next four years will seek to correct a lot that went wrong in the past eight years. The pledge to continue the reforms commenced by Obasanjo is a pretty good start.

The sole prerequisite is that nothing goes wrong at the military end. No matter how much military intervention is chastised, we have all been witnesses in recent times to how positive military intervention can be if the role is constructive and focused. A look at recent developments in Turkey will throw more light on this lesson and message. Whenever the intensity of my workload permits, I will definitely elaborate on this issue in my very next essay.

Robot  Villager

# 1 var sbtitle8053=encodeURIComponent(All about O...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 05.05.2007 14:45

EbonyLomo  Villager

# 2 Mr frisky, you don talk tru tru. However, lot of people for dis our obodo village no wan hear dis kin tru tru wey you dey yarn so. E jus be like sai everibody for dis our obodo vilage no like Ogbeni OBJ and im henchmen. Anyway sha, me i gree welu welu with some of di tin wey you write. Our country must to move foward in the face of all dis katakata wey dey shele. Make we all join hands together for make obodo 9ja better for we all. Afterall, OBJ don try im own. Malam Yar'Adua sef go do wetin God almighty send am to do. As dem dey talk am for my 'original vilage' 'Esun tere tere nii d'ibu'. Na im bi sai 'little drops of rain make lagoon':lol: :D Posted by EbonyLomo| 05.05.2007 15:08

Mikky jaga  Villager

# 3 Frisky Larr, I tried to make some meanings out of what you wrote, but unfortunately, it appears my thinking faculty is much smaller than yours. It's a pity. Your writing appears like some ramblings: moving from one topic of discussion to another in such a disjointed manner. I hope I am wrong. Well, for whatever it is worth, I think if what you have offered above is what you have in stock, I do not think I have missed your absence in any way. Please focus on your book work. That may be more beneficial than this. Cheers!! Posted by Mikky jaga| 05.05.2007 16:04

I Love Nigeria  Villager

# 4 1.Stability of the Nation, 2.Debt payment... Nigeria domestic and foreign debt paid up.... over $60 billion 3.First civilian to civilian transition 4.Deregulation of communication sector,You can now call your mother in the village. 5.Improved grains, cassava and other agricultural products (Kwara as an example) 6.Blocked importation of eggs, chicken, matches, tooth pick etc.... things Nigeria can produce 7.Professionalized the Nigerian Military 8.Fought corruption through EFCC 9. Blocked thieves like IBB, Atiku from taking over government even though undemocratically 10. Nigeria SAT 1 and SAT 2 is on the way... you can now used google earth in Nigeria. 11. Consolidated our banks, no more distressed banks! (Every rich family had a bank to itself, that has ended now)! 12. Raised our external reserve to billions of dollars 13. Made Naira stable since 1999 14. Will Hand over power at expiration of his term peacefully Posted by I Love Nigeria| 05.05.2007 17:20

SOC Okenwa  Villager

# 5 Fello villagers, I wonder if Mr 'Frisky Larrimore' is a lawyer and a good one at that. It does not make sense to me always trying to defend the indefensible as it concerns the OBJ/Atiku feud when the Supreme Court has since settled the matter for good. Or does Frisky my friend want us to believe that he is better in terms of appraisal of reason and/or logic than the eminent jurists in the apex court? I think otherwise! His manifest defense of Obasanjo in every of his tirade on this square is becoming unbecoming. I had never wanted to join issues with Mr Larr but his latest anti-Atiku pro-Obasanjo diatribe stirred up my radical instincts drawing me to the fray. In any decent society reason must always prevail and triumph over tyranny and oppression. Atiku Abubakar is a victim of OBJ's oppresion. And as I submitted in one of my pieces few weeks back: "Blessed are the oppressors". Blessed are the oppressors for they shall reap the evil they have sown. I rest my case. Posted by SOC Okenwa| 05.05.2007 18:24

NWA-DIKE!  Villager

# 6 Can't We All Just Move On. The Election Is Over And Come May29th Obj And Atiku Will Be Gone With Their Wahala. All Hands Must Be On Deck To Support Comrade Yaradua For Now..... Aluta Posted by NWA-DIKE!| 05.05.2007 18:37

Goddy  Villager

# 7 My Dear Frisky Larr, May God continue to bless you abundantly! Whoever wants to knock his or her head on a stone can go ahead-----it will be good riddance to a useless head---but one thing is certain, Nigeria will remain kampe! Please keep up the positive vibes. Goddy. Posted by Goddy| 05.05.2007 20:54

Abraxas  Villager

# 8 Hi, folks! His Excellency General Okikiolakan Aremu Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo (GCFR) deserves very much to be denigrated and maligned by each and every reasonable Nigerian, dead or alive. Below are the obvious reasons: 1. Instability and a climate of deep-rooted anomie in the entire Niger Delta region for over 6 years of his tenure. 2. Complete absence of transparency, probity, and accountability in his capacity as the honourable minister of petroleum. 3. Supervised the two (2) most violent and most rigged elections in Nigerian history, since Lord Lugard. 4. The belated, selective, and haphazardly implemented deregulation of Nigeria's communication sector exposed Nigerians to uncontrolled exposure to lethal doses of microwave radiation and other health hazards. 5. Baba Iyabo outsourced rural agriculture to foreigners + financial assistance and land made freely available to foreign farmers (e.g.: Zimbabwean refugee farmers resettled with government support in Kwara State.) 6. General Okikiolakan Olusegun Obasanjo issued permits for the importation of eggs, chicken, matches, tooth pick etc: things that Nigeria can produce, to his loyal cronies, official sycophants, personal arsehole lickers, mistresses, and close family members exclusively. 7. Politicized the Nigerian Military: Today, every retired soldier of the Nigerian Army, Navy, or Air force now wants to go into politics, seeing how much, one of their kind managed to corner for himself: from just only N20,000 total asset in 1998, to being a dollar denominated multi-billionaire in 2007. Moreover, it is the hope of most retired one-star generals, and above, to be appointed "Sole Administrators" in the event of the declaration of a state of emergency in any state of the country. 8. General Okikiolakan Aremu Obasanjo selectively fought corruption through EFCC to the complete amusement and amazement of the whole world: both in Nigeria, and in the international community. 9. OBJ worked very intimately with IBB, Atiku, Anenih, and Alli, in establishing impunity and autocracy in governance in Nigeria, through an undemocratic mechanism called PDP. 10. Nigeria SAT 1 and SAT 2 are simply white elephant projects of the federal ministry of science and technology that have absolutely NOTHING, whatsoever to do with the Google Earth Project, which, incidentally, is very skeletal, non-real time, relatively out of date, both in content and context, and is, in fact, near non-existent in Nigeria. 11. Baba Gbenga allowed certain bankers, like Dr. Bukola Saraki, to deliberately defraud their customers, until their banks collapsed completely, and later let such "chosen few" go un-challenged! (e.g.: Societe General Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) collapsed right under Dr. Bukola Saraki. Subsequently, he became the two-time governor of Kwara State!) 12. General Matiyu Olusegun Obasanjo has still not yet accounted for the various monies returned, earlier looted by former public office holders like Generals Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Theophilus Danjuma, and Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida. 13. In 1998, shortly after OBJ came out from jail for coup plotting, after the death of General Sani (Vision 2010) Abacha, US$1 = N12. In 1999, after General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Admiral Mike Akhigbe raped Nigeria (upside-down), US$1 = N22. Today, in 2007, after 8 years of General Olusegun (I Dey Kampe) Obasanjo's extreme autocracy, US$1 = N130! 14. General Okikiolakan Matiyu Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR) wanted to extend his tenure in office, firstly to a third term, and then, to a life presidency. Nigerians stopped him, and they have not known peace thereafter! 15. General Aremu Olusegun Matiyu Obasanjo sold away the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsular (for a minor fee) to Cameroon, without even consulting the National Assembly. 16. General Olusegun Okikiolakan Obasanjo sent Nigerian troops to Liberia, Darfur, and Somalia WITHOUT approval of National Assembly. POST SCRIPT: By the way, Hi, Mr. I Love Nigeria (pass Adedibu, Chris Uba, Odili, Fayose & Anenih)! I hope you do not expect Aso Rock Villa to pay you the dollar equivalent of one (1) kobo for whatever mindless praise-singing you think you are luxuriating in here. For your information, it was not well researched. Please, do not disgrace Baba 3rd Term with your embarrassing boo-boos. If you must do some ego massaging, or arsehole licking, then, do not make it a "do-or-die" affair. It attracts unnecessary ridicule to the office of the President and Commander-in-chief of Nigeria. Period! Muchas gracias, mis amigos. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III) Posted by Abraxas| 06.05.2007 04:02

ithinkbetter  Villager

# 9 hi, frisky larr, Sir: ...is my pleasure to duly inform you, sir, that our constant contact with german's immigrational administrative office has finally, after long collaborational cooporation, positively materialised a welcomed result. ...please, sir, expect your overdue repatriation back to nigeria in obasanjo's farm anything from now. ...sorry, sir, i'm not allowed to give more information! best regards!:D :D :D Posted by ithinkbetter| 06.05.2007 05:52

Frisky Larr  Villager

# 10 My gratitude to Abraxas who confined his objection to factual arguments, even though they do not address the issues raised in my essay. SOC Okenwa and Mikky Jagga are still on the usual trail, which I have become used to in the course of time. Mild in attacks this time though, but still personal rather than contextual. The subject of my essay is "All about Obasanjo..." and I did not stray a bit from the subject contrary to the observation of the respected compatriot SOC Okenwa. In the year 2003, highly learned American professional politicians and a very huge majority of the American population thought it was the right thing to go to war in Iraq. Today it is unlearned and non-professional politicians like Michael Moore who ended up being on the right side of the fence. Being learned judges in the Nigerian supreme court with the backing of an overwhelming majority of Nigerian Obasanjo-haters does not amount to wisdom. My minority position and all it stands for is not tantamount to wisdom either. What matters is the exchange of facts. I will probably not be defending a lot about Obasanjo today if the lynching attitude has not simply gotten out of control and taken up the bandwagon pattern. But as usual, no amount of facts can stirr up reasoning in the mind of committed haters. God bless you all! Posted by Frisky Larr| 06.05.2007 06:59

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