1. OBJ – I truly believe he means well for Nigeria but he suffers from “my way or the highway”, which is not always a bad thing in a country like Nigeria especially when one understands/appreciates his own infallibility. Unfortunately, OBJ always have to have his way.

2. Umaru Yar'adua – I feel he was a sincere leader but his health held him back from being a great performer.

3. GEJ – I think he’s sincere but lacks the skills needed to be a great administrator. He’s also too close to shady characters and lack the advisers/handlers needed to govern a country like Nigeria. He’s the opposite of OBJ. If only he could surround himself with true reformers like OBJ did during his tenure his shortcomings can be easily overlooked. So far, I can’t think of any significant reform under his tenure…

4. Tinubu – a visionary but his willingness to scrap in the mud with opponents makes it hard for neutral parties to see his vision or appreciate his quest. His saving grace is that when it’s all said and done, the result of his work speaks for itself and can be seen with people associated with him, e.g. Fashola.

For Tinubu, I beg to differ. He is just a pot who believes kettle is blacker. Show me the difference btw APC (thugs) and PDP (hooligans).

Wallie, I disagree on all three.
First off, OBJ was arrogant and profligiate, constantly trying to pass himself off as some kind of Kemal Ataturk of Nigeria. There was way more posturing, dirty politicking, and hypocritical pontificating, than there was actually any doing. For some reason, he thinks he's the ish where Nigeria is concerned. Death will probably need to save him from a well-deserved comeuppance, same for IBB.
In fact, by the time Jonathan leaves office, he'll probably have as much bragging rights as OBJ, for all the huffing and puffing of the latter.

Secondly, Yar'Adua: He had no business being in office in the first place. If he had any integrity, he should have not put himself forward for the job. Then what do we have to say about all that drama leading up to his death?

GEJ: Oh please . I have no quarrels with him being there, as a SS president is prolly what we need at this time. But the dude doesn't have any special qualities. He just looks sheepish, and seems overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Add some naive petulance to the mix, and that just about sums up GEJ.

Tinubu: Intelligent hoodlum if ever there was any. For a people that produced talent like Obafemi Awolowo, Tinubu ain't no hero. He's just a necessary evil we have to bear for now.

AjanleKoko:

Secondly, Yar'Adua: He had no business being in office in the first place. If he had any integrity, he should have not put himself forward for the job. Then what do we have to say about all that drama leading up to his death?

Make Segun Adeniyi catch you, it seems you have not heard that UMYA was God's gift to this country and death denied us a golden route away from our destruction?

AjanleKoko:

GEJ: Oh please . I have no quarrels with him being there, as a SS president is prolly what we need at this time. But the dude doesn't have any special qualities. He just looks sheepish, and seems overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Add some naive petulance to the mix, and that just about sums up GEJ.

He does not just look sheepish, he is clueless to boot.
When Reuben Abati interacts with his boss, does he not feel like renouncing his PHD? How did this man earn a PHD? Even if it was in Physical Education. This man cannot run a piss up in a brewery. I do not blame him as he seems a nice man at heart. I blame a system that produces such a man at this critical juncture of our growth as a country.

mbulela:
Make Segun Adeniyi catch you, it seems you have not heard that UMYA was God's gift to this country and death denied us a golden route away from our destruction?

Na him sabi.
I am unapologetic when i say, apart from Obafemi Awolowo, and Nnamdi Azikiwe, we have not had anybody in office in this country with the required charisma, temperament, and mental acuity required for high office.

Awo had the administrative genius. Zik had the charisma and vision. It's a shame these gents never teamed up, but ended up on opposing sides. The rest of the pack have been clueless eediots, opportunists, hypocrites, common criminals, and vicious thugs.

mbulela:
He does not just look sheepish, he is clueless to boot.

I don't really judge politicians based on how clued-up or clueless they appear to be.
After all, George W. Bush was regarded as not-so-smart, compared to Tony Brown. Yet they were both accomplices in the biggest military scam of the past decade, the war in Iraq.

But nobody should come and tell me GEJ is misunderstood. We understand him very well

AjanleKoko:


But nobody should come and tell me GEJ is misunderstood. We understand him very well

I wish there was even something to understand.

AjanleKoko: Wallie, I disagree on all three.
First off, OBJ was arrogant and profligiate, constantly trying to pass himself off as some kind of Kemal Ataturk of Nigeria. There was way more posturing, dirty politicking, and hypocritical pontificating, than there was actually any doing. For some reason, he thinks he's the ish where Nigeria is concerned. Death will probably need to save him from a well-deserved comeuppance, same for IBB.
In fact, by the time Jonathan leaves office, he'll probably have as much bragging rights as OBJ, for all the huffing and puffing of the latter.

Secondly, Yar'Adua: He had no business being in office in the first place. If he had any integrity, he should have not put himself forward for the job. Then what do we have to say about all that drama leading up to his death?

GEJ: Oh please . I have no quarrels with him being there, as a SS president is prolly what we need at this time. But the dude doesn't have any special qualities. He just looks sheepish, and seems overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Add some naive petulance to the mix, and that just about sums up GEJ.

Tinubu: Intelligent hoodlum if ever there was any. For a people that produced talent like Obafemi Awolowo, Tinubu ain't no hero. He's just a necessary evil we have to bear for now.

AJ, one cannot deny the positive impact of some of what OBJ did during his tenure and I’ll rank the creation of the now ridiculed EFCC, repayment of our debt, and the revamping of the telecom sector among his greatest achievements.

I vividly remember the state of the telecom sector back in the 90s! Back then I stopped trying to call home because it would take hours, literally, just to get through and when you do, the conversation was filled with a lot of “hello!” “hello… hello o”! Even when the call was made from Nitel!

Also, when the EFCC started out, they instilled fear in even the most hardened politician because Ribadu was fearless and took everybody (or was it just political enemies?) to task. He was ruthless when he had anyone in his crosshairs! Now, EFCC appears to be only interested in 419ers that swindle oyinbos!

With regards to GEJ, he’s like most African presidents that find themselves in a position of power. I fault him, not for his knowledge or lack thereof, but for not having the foresight to choose the right advisors. The truth is that even the most brilliant president cannot know it all but they appear more eloquent than their intelligence because they’re surrounded by brilliant minds.

GEJ has to be able to listen to the experts with different view points, get the facts on issues, and take a decisive stand once he has all the info needed. Unfortunately, I don’t believe he has the right people surrounding him or the people surrounding him are only just presenting him with one side of an issue.

I’m sure Yar'Adua thought he could survive the duration of his tenure or he got fostered into a position he couldn’t refuse. It sounded like OBJ wasn’t ready to hand over power to any other Northerner. Imagine asking the only surviving son of a monarchy to take reigns from his dead father, the king, except the prince has no interest whatsoever in the throne. Kinda like asking Kim Jong Nam to be North Korea’s leader if Kim Jong Un never existed. I also would not blame him for what his handlers did when he became incapacitated.

Oya, your turn…abi you do not believe any politician is misconstrued?

mbulela:

I wish there was even something to understand.

Here's one policy decision that he made that sounded good on paper: removal of oil subsidy. Unfortunately, that whole industry is fraught with so much theft by political heavyweights and “friends” that I think the status quo should remain because the populace is still reaping minute benefits of a liter of fuel being fixed. What’s clear is that whether or not the subsidy is removed, politicians and their friends are still going to get richer.

IBB is the the most misconstrued leader

mikeansy: IBB is the the most misconstrued leader

I would have guess people knew him for exactly what he is - Maradona. Why IBB?