When carefully planned criminal activity is being effected, first evidence is a rather heavy smokescreen.

What the anti "so-called" 3rd Term eagerness is about is likable to pronaco's quest , i.e. selfish ambition and diverse ego trips. The anti "so-called" 3rd Term eagerness is about selfish ambition and diverse ego trips. The only reason President Obasanjo and any who would like to see him consolidate the gains of his administration's efforts may want continuity are glaring enough for any objective analysts to deduce - a Nigeria that is slowly but surely improving in almost every area. Even the enemies of the President are now saying so. Please note that Mr President has not decided either way yet.

Even if a Third Term was written into the Constitution, is not Nigeria intelligent enough to know that there must and shall be criteria to be fulfilled before any sitting President can qualify (and or apply) for a third term? This surely is the real issue. No one criticises Great Britain (and yes , I know they practice a Parliamentary System) for having the flexibility in their governance (they do not have a written Constitution by the way) to allow for continuity.

What did ex-President Ibrahim Babangida leave for Nigeria when he left office? What further training and experience has he accrued since? Likewise ex-Head Of State, Muhammadu Buhari? Likewise Abacha (though belated, what did he leave behind)? We must compare with the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo for sure. Let us for a moment leave off the past leadership of the latter.

What visible, generic, but evidence-based gains at home and internationally acclaimed dividends are attributable to the focused and available agenda of the Obasanjo-led government can we identify? Let me enumerate some (just a few) as follows:

1. Nigeria’s Image has changed significantly from the Pariah to Hopeful, Courageous, Potential-ladden status which has boosted such confidences in the international communities that Nigeria is now considered a viable nation to invest in.
2. We now have a rather boisterous and healthy competition between State Governors in terms of governance and the delivery of democratic dividends to the populace.
3. Transparency in being gradually entrenched, not only into the psyche of all Government Officials, but into the leadership and functionaries of Government itself, right from the top. Not saying that it is 100% alright yet, but for the first time for example, we now have a very public display of the income and expenditure of vital arms of Government. This never happened before in the history of Nigeria.
4. The anti-corruption drive regardless of the criticisms is clearly commendable even by the fiercest critics of the person of Olusegun Obasanjo. In short, the business-as-usual attitudes are gradually being eroded.
5. Communication has greatly enhanced socio-economic interests of a vast majority of the whole populace to date.
6. The Economy has not been as buoyant (all objective indices considered) or comparable with regimes of the immediate past for so many years!
7. Freedom of speech like never before in the history of Nigeria such that those who deprived Nigerians of this freedom are now freely disrupting the polity and claiming a lack of that same freedom. In fact, some who had to flee into exile are back in full force with their agents of destruction.

This is not a campaign, just a sound of caution to those who are being railroaded into an anti-Federal Government drive that had been promised by some people right from the inception of the Obasanjo regime. The strategy devised to make the nation ungovernable like ethno-religious fracas etc. is not being attributed to the tensions created by a Third Term drive!?

We still have a very long way to go and I have my personal views regarding a Third Term or not for Mr President. I would personally like for him to hand over to someone capable, who will be adequately mentored/supported to continue to deliver the reforms agenda. This is something I have already communicated accordingly about three years ago to the Presidency in writing, on a public forum. However, the issue is being blown out of all proportion by people, most of whom have a hidden selfish motive/agenda.

Should there be an amendment to the Constitution that enables the President to spend another four years for the purpose of consolidation of the reforms agenda and the President is willing to continue to serve, I will support this objectively, based on performance.

When people who claim to be champions of democracy lose an election where they also rigged and refuse to accept defeat, they prove their hypocrisy in my view. When those who claim that President Obasanjo is a dictator themselves refuse to negotiate or budge on issues bothering on national integrity and well being, they only show that they are as kettles calling the pots black. How else can one describe people who nurse a virulent ambition to rule Nigeria, having ruled before and want to rule again, except that they are deceptive? Especially when they gather themselves, threatening fire and brimstones, if they do not get their wish to discredit the government of the day, which is putting stumbling blocks in their way. “Their way”, meaning the business-as-usual way of pilfering away the resources of Nigeria to a point of standstill.

They claim that Obasanjo should give others a chance; fair enough. However, when amongst them is one who has had seven years plus, as deputy in the top role, but will not be satisfied till he has another eight or more in the top role. Amongst them is another who has had at least nine years in the top role already, yet claiming eligibility for another shot of a possible eight if not twelve years. The history of evidence relating to performance is however still very fresh for each aspirant. Clearly, some oxen have been gored and some individuals and groups seek urgent redress at the expense of the rest of Nigeria.

They say people are hungry and suffering; granted. Are they fighting for the people? What are their records of service to the people they claim to be fighting for in real terms when they had the opportunity? Of course, some have a record of never seeing anything good in any government. Some have a record of never acknowledging anything good in any leader. Some have a clear grudge, based on a diversity of issues, some of which we may never know. All of these jeopardize the genuine concerns of say the Niger Delta, Southerners, etc. who are genuinely marginalized or have faced continued neglect.
A bit like the gay and lesbian community always comparing their lifestyle choices or whatever you want to call it with racial hatred.

There are real issues on the ground to be addressed no doubt; but, I am imploring Nigerians to be wise and objective in their aspirations and choices.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is yet to declare whether or not he is running at the next elections. The British want to know and questions are being asked. However, no one is overflogging the issue at the expense of the nation. True, it is not a Presidential system practiced in the UK. However, you hardly hear shallow and rather irrational arguments like there are over a million people capable. Is it only Tony Blair that can lead? Likewise, in the era of Margaret Thatcher, when the time came, the party acted.

At specific times in the history of different nations, any good leader appearing, with evidenced based successes have been allowed time to entrench critical changes in the system. It happened in India, China, etc. Why have Rtd Col Umar and co. not challenged the leadership of Ghadaffi of Libya? They always leave him out of any examples of dictatorships and or lengthy tenures of office. Libyans are no fools are they? I am not suggesting anything other than for us to open our eyes and minds and work for the best interests of Nigeria always.

In any case, whatever we do must be done in a civilized way through dialogue and good sense. If some people feel that they are better placed to rule Nigeria, let them support reforms and ensure a free and fair election at the appropriate time without using their money to destroy both the political terrain and the voters. Let them come out with a clear manifesto and argue and campaign based on what they have in store for Nigerians. By the way, as a matter of necessity, if their gambit does not pay off, they should neither cancel a clearly free and fair election nor work tirelessly to tear the polity apart when they do not have their way like spoilt children.

I believe that God is exposing the Truth in the polity. There is more to come. At the end, it will be that the person that has the best interests of Nigeria at heart shall be revealed with God’s Choice of who to take Nigeria forward come 2007.
Regardless of my personal and or inspired take on the issue of continuity, I know that God is a Just God and regardless of man’s machinations, God Shall Prevail. Hold tight brothers and sisters; God’s Divine Favour upon Nigeria is intact; not by power and or might, but by His Spirit. Meanwhile, let the Hand of God Stretched forth to Judge and Cleanse Nigeria continue the Work in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.

Come O smokescreens with your mother … Nigeria’s Moving On … in the march to prosperity. Nigeria Shall be free and saved in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and continue to guide our President, Olusegun Obasanjo to finish his Divine task to set Nigeria on the right path in the journey to prosperity, in Spirit and Truth. Amen.

Prophet Folayan Osekita MBA.
United Kingdom.

Prophet, are you suppourting obasanjos 3rd term? :Your answer will determine my barrage of replies

Oga Prophet, there will indeed be replies to your rants here, wait for it.
We had not in fact read this before your religious onslaught.

Please,

Do try and concentrate on reading the article and feel free to respond , both rikkyjen and jibitoye , it's in plain English language and clear enough to me. Shalom.

In recent times it appears it has become fashionable to critise the government weather there is a real reason to or not. I do not support the third term but, we really need to start looking at propective people to take over. The known thieves are starting to ride the wave of the anti-third term campaign so that in the end they will be regarded as hero's and be elected to destroy the gains we have so far achieved.

Please Nigerians weather anti Obasanjo or not, be weary of these people Atiku, IBB, Marwa, Kalu, Buhari and several others. My personal Choice whould be the Governor of Cross River State. I hope he decides to run.

Dear Prophet,

It is heart warming to read your piece. Obviously there was the original and almost instantaneous temptation to post a reply refuting all the claims you have postulated here in favour of OBJ’s government.

Before I delve into my reply to your post, I will like to note that I do not have an ambition to pose as a perpetual gadfly here even in the face of reality.

I have mentioned in many places that indeed if there was a Divine appointment for OBJ in 1999, it was to be a stop-gap leader to prepare Nigerians for the journey towards full blown accountable democracy. That was the mandate. OBJ was not intended to be the solution to Nigeria’s problems.

Obviously, between 1999 and today, there have been some steps towards rebuilding the nation (and that also is a relative fact) as you have mentioned and those that easily come to mind include improved communications, a sort of agricultural revolution (viz-a viz the cassava initiative), pragmatic tackling of our national debt palaver, increased confidence in the stock market and of course the consolidation in the financial sector.
These are indeed the dividends of democracy and should not be ascribed solely to OBJ’s ingenuity. He will obviously be the recipient of laurels for leading the government of the day when this all happened.

Now, you have made claims in your post that are a bit superfluous even for OBJ’s achievement in government.

Transparency: I do not agree we have  yet, a transparent regime in Nigeria. We were all witnesses to the fact when OBJ, while still in government was able to acquire a license to set up a private university in Nigeria. Shall we assume the process was transparent? Shall we assume this does not constitute a vital conflict of interest? Shall we assume that being the President does not give him leverage in the process of acquiring such?  In advanced democracies that you are wont to compare us with, would this not have been a major political scandal? (What was David Blunkett’s offence for being bundled out government if you remember?).

Anti-corruption: If you ask me, that is a sham too. Justice can never be said to be done when the people it is meant to serve have no faith in the system. It has been said in a lot of instances that the EFCC is an organisation that tends to chase after opponents of whatever the people in Abuja profess to believe and aspire to? And again, what has happened to the culprits of this so publicised arraignments? Where is Wabara today? Where is even Alams? What happened to Tafa even with the mouth-watering amount said to have been looted by the nation’s number one security officer?
What else could effectively describe corruption when court orders are daily been disobeyed and the government notorious for selectively effecting any judgement that suits it?

Freedom of speech: I bet you will agree that this also is enacted in the constitution along with the freedom to associate, freedom to rally and other freedoms so protected by the constitution. Has OBJ’s government had a pass mark in this? NO. It is daily becoming a past-time for the opposition (which is a requirement in any thriving democracy) to have their opinions forcibly stifled even in our democracy.

On PRONACO: if we could remember there was a government sponsored confab sometime last year. What can we say became of it? Was the whole idea not that there should be a parley for people to share ideas on the way forward?
If this did not happen, should people sit down and just pretend it is alright. PRONACO is not an anathema in a democracy. As far as I am concerned it is a forum of people with like interests to come up with ideas on what they believe should be a solution to our national questions.

As a minor addendum, you also mentioned that Tony Blair was yet to declare whether he is running or not at the next elections. I wonder where you get your facts from. Tony Blair has stated categorically that he will not be running at the next elections. The only problem now is that his rivals want to know when exactly there would be a succession within the Labour Party ranks. Get your facts right on that one.

You also postulated that the goal of achieving the best successor should be achieved in a civilised way through dialogue and good sense. This was evidently lacking in what has been a sham of the constitutional amendment process headed by Senator Mantu. We all know that the framework of our national existence needs to be overhauled, but you don’t achieve that within a few weeks just by taking representations from a select few who are sympathetic to the desires of the leaders of the day. Nigeria is bigger than anyone even OBJ.

Yes, there is an obvious exposition on the lie that our Presidency has been in the last seven or so years. Now the swords have been drawn. We shall wait to see who gets slain but remember that in a duel, no one goes unhurt. The question now is: do we need this battle? Or even how did OBJ manage to get us in this state?

My take on third term is very simple: OBJ should be thanked for taking up the battle to put the nation back on a pedestal. Indeed so far he has delivered on the mandate he was given. OBJ should however wake up to reality. He should instil confidence in our political process by declaring his intention not to prolong his stay at Aso Rock. As if by magic, credible people will start making political permutations to secure a successful succession in 2007. But as we have less than a year to the purported election OBJ’s insincerity about the entire process has put it almost in jeopardy. Who then is a lover of Nigeria?
I also find it bemusing that OBJ in all his supposed ingenuity had not been grooming worthy successors to his legacy since 1999. That questions his integrity if at all.
Our Yoruba people have a saying: “Bi ina ba ku, a fi eeru bo ju, bi ogede ba ku, afi omo re ropo” which literally means that each begets his own young to take over from where providence has made it to get to. Haba OBJ!
OBJ and his cohorts are tempting the Almighty by presuming he is the all-knowing answer to our problems. He is not. Only God can give wisdom to any man. He should quit the stage and let the men of the land decide who the next King should be.
On the contrary, he might decide to play the game but there will be repercussions. That we all know.

Atiku, IBB, Marwa and the rest might not exactly fit the bill but I think our democratic experience should not be made to suffer because we all of sudden seem to lack men of courage that will challenge the status quo. If they be the ones that will mount challenges, please let us pray out of all of this someone realises that OBJ is not all powerful and can be wrestled politically. Let us go beyond their personalities and hope something good comes out of that democratic journey. It is a journey and we might not even get there in this generation, but we don’t have to abort and turn around now just because it seems the logical way out (N.B: seems).

Mariory , another interesting and mature post , more grease to your elbows , ,

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Jibitoye , thanks for correcting me on Blair , my point was and is about his reluctance until pushed , and even so , he said on live tv that perhaps that was a mistake , so , did he want to or not , you decide , Also, interesting at least you finally choose to deal with the issues , keep this up , I won't debate your choice to see the cup as half full , I choose to see the cup as half full. I will not get into peddling proficiency in terms of who knows best , am only a servant of God contributing my quota. Thanks for your comments in finding the piece heartwarming. This is what we need. A healthy forum for debating issues. Nice one! Peace.