Appropriate Response To Obasanjo by Simon Kolawole:

Obasanjo as Nigeria's moral compass

Simon Kolawole Live | THISDAY | 18 January 2015

For the life of me, I will never understand how former President Olusegun Obasanjo does it. When you think he is done, he has just begun. I have watched in utter amusement how he has, yet again, wangled his way into the front page of newspapers on a daily basis. I don’t know of any other former head of state elsewhere who has turned himself into the subject and object of national attention long after he has left power. Obasanjo is always there, always scheming, always screaming. It is his luck, I must say, but, as a mere mortal, I often wonder why some guys have all the luck.

Obasanjo, amazingly, has become a god or a saint to many Nigerians. Many politicians, commentators, journalists, activists and youths who used to criticise him are now celebrating him as our moral compass. The people he has brutalised before — such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi — go to Abeokuta to genuflect to him. Even Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, of all people, goes to Obasanjo's house to pay homage. And President Goodluck Jonathan goes to Abeokuta to kowtow to him, with two respected pastors in tow.

How does Obasanjo do it? Can anyone help me out? He has a word on every issue. He expresses his opinion so forcefully, so eloquently and so mischievously that you just cannot ignore him. He loves to criticise what he is patently guilty of. He loves to vilify anyone who does not worship at his temple. There is no accusation Obasanjo throws at anyone that he himself is not double guilty of. He has launched ferocious media attacks against most of his successors — President Shehu Shagari, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Jonathan. Only Gen. Sani Abacha pre-empted him by throwing him into jail before he could open his mouth.

Obasanjo complains about corruption and Nigerians hail him. What's his moral high ground? Can someone tell me? Has anybody never heard about the Halliburton and Siemens scandals? The damning reports are there in the attorney-general's office. Does the name Dr. Julius Makanjuola ring a bell? Under Obasanjo, he was the permanent secretary of the ministry of defence implicated in a N421 million scandal. Mysteriously, the case was abruptly closed with Nolle Prosequi (no further prosecution) — the first in Nigeria's history.

Well, Obasanjo went on to set up the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), headed by Malam Nuhu Ribadu, which — in fairness — did kick the backsides of many politicians. But EFCC could not tackle Obasanjo's own corruption: from the obscene fundraiser for his private library to his shareholding in Transcorp — a company that was getting juicy stuff from a government superintended by Obasanjo. Have we all forgotten the scandalous waivers granted to all kinds of human beings, officially defrauding our treasury billions of dollars?

Does anybody remember that Obasanjo was in power for eight years and we kept importing fuel, with PDP financiers getting the contracts through local and foreign fronts? Forgotten so easily? Does anybody remember how much we spent on repairing refineries that kept "knocking" for the eight years that Obasanjo was in power? Does anybody still remember Obasanjo saying on national TV that he did not know the price of kerosene and it was "unacceptable" that it was more expensive than petrol? How does Obasanjo get away with hoodwinking Nigerians?

Do we still remember that Obasanjo did not resolve the electricity problem for eight years? Do we still remember the "$16 billion spent on power without results" for which Obasanjo arrogantly refused to appear before the House probe panel? Is it that we have forgotten that the damning report was killed? Do we still remember that Obasanjo did not add one coach to the railways throughout his tenure despite spending billions of dollars? Does anybody still remember how many federal highways were in terrible state for the eight years that Obasanjo spent in power? Have we forgotten the Benin-Shagamu road saga? Just like that?

When Obasanjo discusses insecurity, I cringe. From every available evidence, Boko Haram started right under his nose. If he had aborted the foetus, maybe we wouldn't be engaged in fire-fighting today. I have heard many Nigerians say, perhaps innocently, that if Obasanjo had been in power he would have crushed Boko Haram by now. Really? How well did he crush the less complex militancy in the Niger Delta? Was it not under Obasanjo that the militancy started in 2004 and flourished?

To the best of my knowledge, militants were bombing oil installations and kidnapping oil workers with ease under Obasanjo. At a stage, daily crude oil production fell to about 900,000 barrels — from the height of 2.5m. In fact, we were later told that why Obasanjo picked Jonathan as the running mate to Yar'Adua was to appease the Niger Delta. Of course, nobody was appeased. The attacks continued until Yar'Adau offered an amnesty deal. How these facts conveniently escape us is beyond my understanding.

Insecurity? Abacha's regime aside, more Nigerians were assassinated under Obasanjo's watch than at any time in our history. The abridged roll-call: Chief Bola Ige, a serving minister; Chief Marshall Harry, co-ordinator of the Buhari presidential campaign in 2003; Chief AK Dikibo, PDP chieftain and ally of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Chief Uche Ogbonnaya (OGB), an ANPP senatorial candidate in Imo state in 2003; and Mr. Barnabas Igwe and his wife, Amaka, in Onitsha. The assassins were never unmasked. What is insecurity?

How did Obasanjo become our moral compass? How did he become such a highly sought-after role model? Has anybody ever managed to read the affidavit Obasanjo's own son, Gbenga, filed while seeking a divorce from his wife on the ground of incest and adultery? It doesn't matter? Has anybody ever taken time to read the letter Iyabo wrote to her father, giving graphic details of his megalomania and duplicity? It doesn't matter? Has anybody ever done a recap of the blatant rigging of elections under the "saint"? It doesn't matter?

Obasanjo pontificates on impunity and we hail him. What happened to us? Dr. Chris Ngige, as governor of Anambra state, was abducted by Obasanjo's associates. Have we forgotten the illegal impeachment of Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja as governor of Oyo state? What about the impeachment of Chief Joshua Dariye as governor of Plateau by eight out of 24 lawmakers? For three years, Obasanjo unconstitutionally withheld Lagos council allocations because of political differences. It took Yar'Adua only a few days in power to undo the impunity.

They say, 'Oh, Obasanjo is a patriot. He has the best interest of Nigeria at heart.' Really? Can Obasanjo look up to heavens and say, solemnly, that he had the best interest of Nigeria at heart when he was picking his successor? Such a character cannot be my own moral compass. With a moral compass like Obasanjo, though, Nigeria is doomed and damned. Copied

OBJ is nothing near sainthood however, he is a letter writer with precision and mortal blows.

How he does it is his own gift! The letters have always been a summary scorecard of incumbents with telling consequences.

The buhari bombshell letter has been delivered #BuhariToDaura2019 no shaking.

Tell them jare

I will not bother responding to the obvious flaws in the article . The writer in trying to impress revealed himself to lack knowledge of the complicated working of Nigeria and even the underlying economy.

********He did not add one coach to the national railway ***********
Is this writer for real?
Is this writer expecting the coaches to be put on rail lines which were under repairs after being abandoned for over 20 years .
A coach does not a railway system make .



How did he become a moral compass?
It is simple to answer .
He left Nigeria better than he met it .
From a few jobs in oil ,gas , civil service( That was about all there was)
By the end of Obasanjo tenure there was millions of new jobs in

Telecommunications ( mobile and internet)
Banking
Insurance
Entertainment
Construction
Manufacturing

He also left an healthy bank balance .
You can fault Obasanjo's politics but his handling of the economy and national security is not one of them.

oduastates:
I will not bother responding to the obvious flaws in the article . The writer in trying to impress revealed himself to lack knowledge of the complicated working of Nigeria and even the underlying economy.

********He did not add one coach to the national railway ***********
Is this writer for real?
Is this writer expecting the coaches to be put on rail lines which were under repairs after being abandoned for over 20 years .
A coach does not a railway system make .



How did he become a moral compass?
It is simple to answer .
He left Nigeria better than he met it .
From a few jobs in oil ,gas , civil service( That was about all there was)
By the end of Obasanjo tenure there was millions of new jobs in

Telecommunications ( mobile and internet)
Banking
Insurance
Entertainment
Construction
Manufacturing

He also left an healthy bank balance .
You can fault Obasanjo's politics but his handling of the economy and national security is not one of them.

Your aguement falls on its head for the following reasons

If during OBJ regime that lasted 8 years when crude was selling at an average of $90 he could not revamp the railway, he could not revive the refineries after spending about $12b, he could not revamp power sector after spending over $16b. For goodness sake, he could not complete Lagos-Abeokuta Road the passes through Ota (his farm) and Ifo-Ibogun (his birth place) not to talk of East-West Road or 2nd Niger Bridge, why is he now condemning PMB regime achievements within 3 years with crude at an average $55 per barrel.

His letter is the height is hypocrisy. He is just playing on gullible Nigerians intelligence. He is not in a position and we never be able to match PMB achievements.

OBJ that I know will condemn anything that will shade him. Remember, after June 12 election he said Abiola was not the Messiah, does he think he is the Messiah?

I do give it to him he made savings in ECA and foreign reserve, so PMB is doing with our merger earnings now on top of all the lofty projects and the ongoing diversification of economy.

We should learn to give kudos to whoever that deserves it. I give the highest kudos to PMB and his team for he courage and drive to move Nigeria from the brinks of total collapse and setting us on the path of recovery which will ultimately lead to bouyancy. I have to say we are not there yet, but we are on the way there the way we are going in Agric, mining of other minerals, building of refineries, North-South Rail projects, Lagos-Calabar Rail projects, 2nd Niger bridge, road repairs and constructions, blocking of leaks in government spendings, etc.

Remember, these are all happening when our main source of income (crude oil) crashed.

BabaAduras:


Your aguement falls on its head for the following reasons

If during OBJ regime that lasted 8 years when crude was selling at an average of $90 he could not revamp the railway, he could revive the refineries after spending about $12b, he could not revamp power sector after spending over $16b. For goodness sake he could not complete Lagos-Abeokuta Road the passes through Ota (his farm) and Ifo-Ibogun (his birth place) not to talk of East-West Road or 2nd Niger Bridge, why is he now condemning PMB regime achievements within 3 years with crude at an average $55 per barrel.

His letter is the height is hypocrisy. He is just playing on gullible Nigerians intelligence. He is not in a position and we never be able to match PMB achievements.

OBJ that I know will condemn anything that will shade him. Remember, after June 12 election he said Abiola was not the Messiah, does he think he is the Messiah?

I do give it to him he made savings in ECA and foreign reserve, so PMB is doing with our merger earnings now on top of all the loft projects and the ongoing diversification of economy.

We should learn to give kudos to whoever that deserves it. I give the highest kudos to PMB and his team for he courage and drive to move Nigeria from the brinks of total collapse and setting us on the path of recovery which will ultimately lead to bouyancy. I have to say we are not there yet, but we are on the way there the way we are going in Agric, mining of other minerals, building of refineries, North-South Rail projects, Lagos-Calabar Rail projects, 2nd Niger bridge, road repairs and constructions, blocking of leaks in government spendings, etc.

Remember, these are all happening when our main source of income (crude oil) crashed.

Error xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Crude oil never averaged $90 under Obasanjo .
On the day Obasanjo became president , the price of crude oil was $9 / barrel .
He started saving at $15/ barrel
It rose to a maximum of 30something dollar a barrel by the end of his first term

oduastates:
I will not bother responding to the obvious flaws in the article . The writer in trying to impress revealed himself to lack knowledge of the complicated working of Nigeria and even the underlying economy.

********He did not add one coach to the national railway ***********
Is this writer for real?
Is this writer expecting the coaches to be put on rail lines which were under repairs after being abandoned for over 20 years .
A coach does not a railway system make .



How did he become a moral compass?
It is simple to answer .
He left Nigeria better than he met it .
From a few jobs in oil ,gas , civil service( That was about all there was)
By the end of Obasanjo tenure there was millions of new jobs in

Telecommunications ( mobile and internet)
Banking
Insurance
Entertainment
Construction
Manufacturing

He also left an healthy bank balance .
You can fault Obasanjo's politics but his handling of the economy and national security is not one of them.

old old were you when obj was the president? let start from there

BabaAduras:


Your aguement falls on its head for the following reasons

If during OBJ regime that lasted 8 years when crude was selling at an average of $90 he could not revamp the railway, he could revive the refineries after spending about $12b, he could not revamp power sector after spending over $16b. For goodness sake he could not complete Lagos-Abeokuta Road the passes through Ota (his farm) and Ifo-Ibogun (his birth place) not to talk of East-West Road or 2nd Niger Bridge, why is he now condemning PMB regime achievements within 3 years with crude at an average $55 per barrel.

His letter is the height is hypocrisy. He is just playing on gullible Nigerians intelligence. He is not in a position and we never be able to match PMB achievements.

OBJ that I know will condemn anything that will shade him. Remember, after June 12 election he said Abiola was not the Messiah, does he think he is the Messiah?

I do give it to him he made savings in ECA and foreign reserve, so PMB is doing with our merger earnings now on top of all the loft projects and the ongoing diversification of economy.

We should learn to give kudos to whoever that deserves it. I give the highest kudos to PMB and his team for he courage and drive to move Nigeria from the brinks of total collapse and setting us on the path of recovery which will ultimately lead to bouyancy. I have to say we are not there yet, but we are on the way there the way we are going in Agric, mining of other minerals, building of refineries, North-South Rail projects, Lagos-Calabar Rail projects, 2nd Niger bridge, road repairs and constructions, blocking of leaks in government spendings, etc.

Remember, these are all happening when our main source of income (crude oil) crashed.

Op one thing is most pple on nl were in primary school or kg when obj was the president, so don't argue with them

Thanks for letting us know about the question of if OBJ has the moral authority to write what he wrote. One thing that I think should be of utmost concern to us is the message, and not the messenger. OBJ boldly spoke what has been in the minds of many Nigerians since the inception of this administration, and that should be our focus. This administration was brought in to fix what has already gone bad and it is by this measure that they should be judged.

oduastates:



Error xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Crude oil never averaged $90 under Obasanjo .
On the day Obasanjo became president , the price of crude oil was $9 / barrel .
He started saving at $15/ barrel
It rose to a maximum of 30something dollar a barrel by the end of his first term

Oil was neither $90/barrel nor $9/barell under OBJ
Oil was $16 in 1999 and around $64 in 2007 when OBJ left

https://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/Historical_Oil_Prices_Table.asp

Year Price Adjusted price for inflation
1999 $16.56 $24.28
2000 $27.39 $38.92
2001 $23.00 $31.81
2002 $22.81 $31.02
2003 $27.69 $36.85
2004 $37.66 $48.77
2005 $50.04 $62.66
2006 $58.30 $70.77
2007 $64.20 $75.66

Who remembers this song


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PeKk9kjKqU

oduastates:



Error xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Crude oil never averaged $90 under Obasanjo .
On the day Obasanjo became president , the price of crude oil was $9 / barrel .
He started saving at $15/ barrel
It rose to a maximum of 30something dollar a barrel by the end of his first term

Which OBJ era are you talking about? The military era or the civilian era?