IBM Haruna: Obasanjo's Letter Unfair, Pointless



28 Dec 2013






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Olusegun Obasanjo



By Emmanuel Bello
Elder statesman, General IBM Haruna (rtd) Friday described the recent letter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan as self seeking, unfair, pointless and unnecessary.

Obasanjo had in his letter made a number of allegations against the Jonathan administration, including allegedly working towards dividing the country.

But Haruna, a former chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum told THISDAY in an exclusive interview that Obasanjo goofed as many issues he raised had their roots in his own eight year rule, noting further that Obasanjo even exaggerated on some of the points raised.

He said: "Some of these issues raised by Obasanjo date back to the 1966 Nzeogwu coup or even earlier. There is really nothing new here as all of us are familiar with the crisis of nation building. Obasanjo has occupied the highest office in the land and should know better how to channel his observations. I don't even know what the motives are but I know two wrongs don't make a right."

On the concern that the letter is capable of derailing the nation's democracy, Haruna said: “Obasanjo's letter can't truncate any democracy. I don't know how it could do that. Obasanjo has only one vote out of the millions who voted for President Goodluck Jonathan. So, how can that one vote (assuming Obasanjo even voted for Jonathan) affect our democracy?"

On the issue of performance by Jonathan, Haruna said: Jonathan is laying the foundation of for changes and such changes take time to be actualised. Nigerians like quick fixes. We as a people like those who would just throw money around without the concrete changes that should come about. Jonathan is laying deep foundations for a sustainable development.

“President Jonathan is equally free to run again. I'm not a fan of the zoning formula. It is a retarded way of achieving power. I'm not a power-hungry person and I want the best man to win. And if you are a religious person, you would know that power comes from God. Jonathan, like every other Nigerian, is free to aspire to any office. This zoning stuff is only entrenching parochialism."

On the planned national dialogue, Haruna said it would help to deepen democracy and form the basis for negotiations.

He said: “I look forward to the various deliberations. This is not like the last conference where the organiser wanted an endorsement for his third term. This is a platform for discussions on a wide variety of issues. We should be talking. It is better than us warring"

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ibm-haruna-obasanjos-letter-unfair-pointless/167433/

With men like dis around,their still hope.he just said it all.