| The Nigerian Tragedy: How Guilty Is Obasanjo? |
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| Written by Remi Oyeyemi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturday, 29 December 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Nigerian Tragedy: How Guilty Is Obasanjo? My most important achievement is to have ensured that there is hope for every Nigerian today," Olusegun Obasanjo on May 30, 2007, 24 hours after he became the EX-President
These are the rulers of Nigeria up till date: Nnamdi Azikwe/Tafawa Balewa tandem, Aguiyi Ironsi, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari, Mohamadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida,Ernest Shonekan, Sani Abacha, Abdusallam Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo and Musa YarAdua. Of all these rulers, who has done the most to destroy Nigeria? The answer may vary and it may also depend on whom you ask. This piece has become necessary to answer some questions raised by my previous article Obasanjo: A digbolugi in the House? These are my answers to those questions raised as to why Obasanjo is a bonafide digbolugi. I am in agreement with so many commentators on the Nigerian issues that no one man can be solely responsible for the destruction of a country like Nigeria. I also agree that no one can bear all the blame of what has been going wrong and what is presently wrong with Nigeria. But I am very convinced that it is very establishable that one man can play more roles than the others. In my estimation, Olusegun Obasanjo has done more than any past or present rulers of Nigeria to destroy the country. It would be unfair to assume that Obasanjo did not achieve anything in his eight years during his second coming. But the way I see it is like a child who sat for a test and gets 18%. Obasanjo got some marks for his efforts, but he failed woefully. Here are the kernels of my case not in order of importance or chronology:
e. When the issue was taken to Court based on the abracadabra mathematics of Richard Akinjide, Obasanjo violated another rule of impartiality. He removed the Chief Judge of the Federation, Justice Teslim Elias just days before the case was to be heard and installed one of his henchmen, Justice Fatai Williams who carried out the predetermined outcome of the case.
f. Obasanjo is the one who destroyed the Nigerian Tertiary Education by summarily taking over the University of Ife, Ile Ife; University of Nigeria,Nsukka; University of Benin, Benin and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The objective is to help thwart the educational progress of the South in favour of the North. His henchman is retired Colonel Ahmadu Ali who later became his hatchet man to destroy the PDP as its national chairman.
h. As a result of the Obasanjo sell out of Nigeria to IMF, he became the first Nigeria ruler to devalue our currency which the Shehu Sahagari administration later worsened. Even during the Civil War, a crisis situation, the currency was steady. That devaluation to satisfy the IMF was never done with Nigerias interest as the motive.
i. Obasanjo is the one as Head of State who forcibly stole the land from the people of Nigeria with his 1978 Land Decree to pave the way for other crimes against Nigerian peasants and farmers. Others have alleged that this also has to do with his establishing his Ota Farms. This decision was the root of the Bakolori Massacre in the early 1980s in Sokoto. I use the words forcibly stole because this policy was not arrived at through democratic process but through Military fiat.
j. It was Olusegun Obasanjo and his hatchet man, Professor Aboyade that nailed the financial coffins of the Southern States prepared by Murtala Mohammed to assuage the Northern States. This was through the Aboyade Technical Commission, which recommended the removal of the remaining 20% of the rents and royalties enjoyed by the Niger Delta after Murtala Mohammed had initially slashed it from 45% in 1975.
n. Obasanjo is the Nigeria ruler who destroyed Nigerias secularism. He personally put Sharia in the 1979 Constitution (at least he said this much during his BBC interview, though not that this was unknown before then)without consultation and against the wish of the Constitution Drafting Committee which he himself put together under the chairmanship of Chief Rotimi Williams. The effects of this treachery is still a pain in the neck for Nigeria stability up till today.
Hear President Obasanjo on Sharia applications in September 2002 :
"The fact that people get worried about Sharia, I am not
worried about
If I understand the former president very well what he is saying here is that Sharia worries a lot of people who hold back their investments because of it, and this not withstanding, Obasanjo is not worried about it! This is TREASON by NEGLIGENCE. Can any of Obasanjo's apologists convince me that this is a responsible statement from someone entrusted with the welfare of our nation? If Obasanjo could be so intellectually limited not to understand the meanings and implications of such statement, he deserves not just serious pity but profound rebuke.
n. During his first six years in office, Obasanjo spent 512 days - a year and four months - on hundreds of foreign trips. Obasanjos supporters argued that he was trying to convince the creditors to forgive some of our debts. In my opinion, he was not doing Nigeria any favour, he started the borrowing spree any way. Even then, the modalities for the accomplishment of the objective have been questioned for lack of integrity and clarity.
o. The massacre of innocent citizens in Zaki Biam and Odi, without recourse to their legitimate feelings and grievances. p. The give away euphemized as sale of Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries to his cronnies. This has already been reversed by Umar YarAdua. q. Selective waiver on import duties to his friends and cronnies; (the Redeem leader Adeboyes example). Also a policy already reversed by Yaradua. r. Have a look at this incomplete list of victims of assassinations under Obasanjo out of which not a single one was solved in the entire 8 years of his tenure - Chief Bola Ige (Attorney General of the Federation); Dr. Marshall Harry (ANPP National Vice Chairman for South-South); Chief Ogbonnaya Uche (ANPP's Senatorial candidate for Orlu Imo State); Mr Theodore Agwatu (Principal Secretary to Imo State Governor); Hon. Odunayo Olagbaju (Member of Osun State House of Assembly);Hon. Uche Nwoke (ANPP Senatorial candidate in Imo State); Hon. Monday Ndor (Member of Rivers State House of Assembly); Dr. Ayodeji Daramola, gurbernatorial candidate in Ekiti State; Ahmed Ahman Pategi (State Chairman of Kwara PDP); Hon Schnapps Omuvwiebese (Councilor, Ughelli - North LG, Delta State); Mr. Funsho Williams, PDP governoship aspirant in Lagos; Mr. Barnabas Igwe (Anambra State Bar Association, Chairman) and his wife, Mrs. Abigail Igwe; Mr. Sunday Ugwu, Mrs. Janet Olapade among many others. Readers should remember that Tafa Balogun has impliedly alleged that he was subjected to Ribadus rage by OBJ because he refused to carry out the requested elimination of a former PDP chairman! Reliable sources have confirmed that the only reason Balogun had to spend 6 months in EFCC guest houses as opposed to long time imprisonment and deprivation of all the stolen billions was to prevent him from spilling his guts out. s. His refusal to give Lagos State its entitlement in financial allocation for several years and in violation of repeated court orders. If Lagos State did not have the means to survive as a rich State, it is better imagined the kind of sorrow and sadness that would have been brought to bear on the people of the State. Obasanjo did not care about decency, etiquette, decorum or self restraint required of a leader in position of responsibility. He was and still is unruly, a thug and above all a digbolugi ex-president. He gave Chief Bola Tinubu undeserved credibility and reasons to be forgiven his non-performance. t. He behaved like a thug and bandit through out his tenure and he is still behaving the same way out of the office. This is manifested in repeated violation of several Court orders. Cases involving Lagos State, Vice President Atiku and Anambra State are examples. u. Allowed Charles Taylor, the Liberian war criminal to stay in Nigeria in opulence. v. He subverted the will of Nigerians again by denying them the clamour for SNC to honestly and sincerely look at the structure of Nigeria, resource control, cultural and social issues and as an opportunity to self determine. He organized a kangaroo one instead.
w. He arm-twisted officials of Nigerian state to raise 7 billion naira for his personal library. This is abuse of power. x. He is reportedly worth 25billion Naira in 2007 from his savings of about 20,000 naira in 1999. The issue of Transcorp LLC is still out there. He reportedly bought a farm settlement in Oyo State. He recently moved into a new house. I do not grudge him for this, since I have a couple of mansions myself. But I like to know how he came about this stupendous wealth in which he now revels. How much was his monthly salary for 8 years? Where did the billions come from? y. Finally, he organized the worst election in Nigerias history in 2003. One of the Governors rigged in then actually admitted this. The governor was upset with INECs Iwu for doing a sloppy job in this regard in not aligning his total number of votes to that of Obasanjo as President in his state in 2003. Obasanjo improved on this record of worst elections in Nigeria, in 2007. z. On top of all the above, add his uncouth public behaviors and pronouncements. Recall his insulting a Priest publicly (even though I am not a fan of Christianity and its adherents); his insult on the injury of the Lagos bomb explosion victims. Rather than showing understanding and sympathy with them he reportedly rebuked them saying "shut up. I took the opportunity of being here to see what could be done I dont need to be here". (Vanguard, 29th January, 2002). Add to this his deliberate effort to create disharmony in Yorubaland through his revision of Yoruba History as related to Owu.
I like to state here that based on my understanding of the contemporary Nigerian history it is my view that without Obasanjos TREACHERY against the people of Nigeria, there would have been no President Shehu Shagari or General Mohammadu Buhari that followed him. Without the BETRAYAL of Nigeria by Olusegun Obasanjo there would have been no Military President Ibrahim Babangida and the Head of Government Ernest Shonekan that followed him. Without the TREASONABLE ACTS of Olusegun Obasanjo against the Nigeria State, there would not have been Head of State, Sani Abacha and Abdulsallami Abubakar that followed him. Yes, there would not have been Obasanjos second coming to finish the destruction he started. I do not like Theophelus Yakubu Danjuma. He is the confessed murderer of Adekunle Fajuyi and Aguiyi Ironsi. He also gave the orders to the Unknown Soldiers under Olusegun Obasanjo whom he helped to install, to murder the foremost nationalist, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, mother of Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Dr. Bekololari Ransome Kuti and Baba Africa, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. But despite his criminal tendency to kill innocent peoples, he seemed to believe in fairness to a certain degree. It was Danjuma who insisted that Obasanjo as Number 2 under Murtala Mohammed ought to be the one to take over after the later was assassinated. But to Danjumas dismay, Obasanjo allowed Ibrahim Babangida to go free after his (IBBs) role in the assassination of Murtala. IBBs act was his inability to explain the escape of Lt. Col. B. S. Dimka from Radio Nigeria without firing a single shot if he (IBB) was not in the know of the coup while he was commanding armoured vehicles that stormed the station when the coup failed. This is why Danjuma and IBB are not friends till today. I had the temptation to equally blame Yakubu Danjuma too for the woes of Nigeria for helping Obasanjo to take reigns of power. But the fact that he never sat on that seat as a ruler of Nigeria gave him a lesser level of responsibility and culpability as Obasanjo had. The fact that they fell apart when Obasanjo became untamable wild animal in Aso Rock is evident that Obasanjo always did what he wanted without regard to what others think or what is desirable. One can be assisted to get a job, but he can not be assisted to do it. If Obasanjo did not allow IBB who committed treason against Nigeria to live, Nigeria would have been saved the 8 agonizing years of his rule. Rather according to Ebenezer Babatope in his NOT HIS WILL: The Awolowo-Obasanjo Wager Obasanjo without remorse cast a deciding vote to kill an innocent man whose participation in the coup could not be conclusively proved. But this is not the only reason Obasanjo is responsible for the locust years of IBB as Nigerias ruler. By forcibly imposing Shagari on Nigeria, he pre-planned the coming of Buhari and Babangida and as such he is responsible for the damages they have all collectively done to Nigeria. Shagari created the condition to invite Buharis iron rule and bias that led to the advent of smiling self proclaimed Evil - Genius in IBB. Apart from being responsible for the havoc Babangida has inflicted on Nigeria, I also believe that he is responsible for the inflictions of Sani Abacha on Nigeria. These are my reasons: If Obasanjo, knowing fully that IBB is a traitor to the Nigerian State, had allowed the law to take its course, there would be no IBB today and the course of Nigerias history would have been different. But he subverted the law to preserve IBB who in the course of his continued treachery against Nigeria promised fake elections until he was cornered during the June 12 imbroglio. While the crisis of June 12 was on, he (OBJ) went to Nairobi where he declared that M.K.O. Abiola was not the Messiah Nigeria is looking for. Then shortly after his return, a meeting was held at his Ota Farm. At this meeting in his house attended by General Mohamadu Buhari, General Tunde Idiagbon, General Alani Akinrinade, Mrs. Titi Ajanaku and many others. My then Editor-In Chief, Mr. Bayo Onanuga also received invitation to this meeting. They were there to see how the problem of Abiolas mandate should be resolved. In the course of his contribution, General Buhari had reportedly referred to Abiola as my president. He would be the second person during the meeting to do so, the first person being General Idiagbon. Obasanjo had flared up over this saying that Abiola was not his president and that no one should call him president in his (Obasanjos) house. He had gone ahead to add that he was not prepared to fight another civil war. This last statement was said to have infuriated General Akinrinade who said that if there has to be another Civil War so be it. He was said to have rebuked Obasanjo for his cowardice and for supporting injustice because of his spinelessness. Obasanjo did not take kindly to this, so he went ahead to conspire with IBB to install Shonekan, thus preparing the way for the coming of General Sani Abacha. It has been reported in some quarters that one of the reasons why Abacha roped in Obasanjo for the phantom coup was because he (Abacha) blamed him(Obasanjo) for not allowing IBB to hand over to him. He believed that Shonekan was recommended by Obasanjo as opposed to him. With Ernest Shonekan, who was generally seen as a traitor across the board, the nations crisis deepened. For the 82 days of his inaction, the context was ripe for an ambitious General Sani Abacha who promptly removed General Dongoyaro on assumption of power. Dongoyaro had initially refused to cooperate with him (Abacha) in removing IBB from power shortly before the installation of Shonekan as Interim Head of State. In order not to lose focus of the point under consideration, readers should look at the chain of events from Obasanjo to making possible the coming of IBB, through the imposition of Shagari and its corollary in Buhari dictatorship. OBJs open collaboration to deliberately frustrate the June 12 mandate (this is not to suggest he is the only culprit in this treachery), and creating the conducive atmosphere for Abacha to step in, make him(OBJ) responsible for the sins of Abacha. Though, he eventually survived the punishment Abacha planned for him, which in retrospect would have served him (OBJ) well, his second coming is a litany of woes for the Nigerian nation. Some of them are included in the list above and the rest are too current to warrant regurgitation here. In conclusion out of 47 years of Nigerias Statehood, Obasanjos acts of omission and commission have negatively ricocheted and haunted for 22 years (1975 -2007) and will definitely do so for several years to come, except if there is a miracle. The evidence of this is the imposition of the Umar YarAdua as the president, just like he did Shehu Shagari. Nigerians will regret for a very long time that first day that Obasanjo stepped on the national stage, because the consequences of YarAdua Presidency which he once again imposed is going to be dire for the tottering country. I know you have heard about Ribadus exit. Illegitimacy can not bring forth any legitimacy. This is the way events are indicating. This is the way History is pointing. This is what can only be. Three plus three has to equal six. If you get any other result, then jibiti or 419 is involved. This is because you can not plant onions and reap tomatoes. From the foregoing, I can not but submit that Matthew Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo-Onyejekwe has done more than anyone to bring Nigeria to the present tragic state. As a bonafide son of Oodua myself, I cannot point to anything of note or of pride that Obasanjo has done for the Yoruba. If I miss it, I will like to be educated. Rather he has brought ruinous ignominy to our heritage. He has worked consciously to destroy the legacy of integrity and accountability. He has manifested noxious rapacity, crude uncouthness, chronic lack of etiquette, unrestrained odious loquacity, unalloyed wickedness, conspicuous cruelty and brutish banditry in his manners and utterances in and out of power. Though, he claimed to be one of us, I refused to believe so. Then, the controversy about his paternity surfaced only to reinforce my initial belief. But since it is established that his mother was from Owu Quarters in Abeokuta, he can still legitimately claim to be a Yoruba. But this ought not to stop him from bearing his fathers name as in Onyejekwe. Nevertheless, with his behaviors so far, I am still insisting that Ai kuku bi san se radarada meaning Barrenness is far better than an unworthy child.
Like me, Obasanjos fans are all entitled to their own views, but neither I nor they are entitled to our own facts. I can only work with what is in the public domain and what my profession as a journalist has privileged me to know, some of which have been published and some of which can not necessarily be published for reasons that are more than obvious. Or still might be published at an auspicious time. It is my contention that if your child comes back from the school with failed grades as is obvious to overwhelming majority of Nigerians in this case of Obasanjo, I do not think the next thing is to indulge him or praise him, especially when he has shown himself to be unduly stubborn and incorrigible. This is why I agree totally with my own Albert Einstein, Wale Adebanwi that an Afenifere in which General Olusegun Obasanjo, for instance, sits cannot continue to bear such a name. There is no other reason other than the fact that Obasanjo is an undesirable and wicked element. Thus if stating this view and calling Olusegun Obasanjo, who has found it impossible to go quietly after messing up the country, a digbolugi is considered irresponsible, then I will bear the tag with all the honour and pride I can muster without any iota of remorse. Here, I rest my case. remi@oyeyemi.net
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Posted by Robot| 29.12.2007 10:18