By Our Correspondents
— Dec 10, 2014 | Leave a comment
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday stated that Niger Delta amnesty programme influenced insurgency in the north east, describing the programme is a failure.

Obasanjo also stated that Jonathan’s administration’s approach to curbing the activities of the militants “had taken the form of throwing money at the problem, particularly stuffing the pockets and bank of the militants’ leadership with obscene cash in reckless and unsustainable manner.”

The former president expressed these views in his latest book, My Watch, a three-volume memoir which was launched in Lagos yesterday despite a restraining court order obtained by the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu, against the publication or launch of the book.

Assuring the gathering that the meeting was legal, the former president asserted that he “will not be party to anything that is illegal.”

He explained that the way and manner in which the militants were enriched by the federal government fuelled the Boko Haram insurgents.

“The idea is that ‘what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.’ After that (Niger Delta amnesty programme) is accomplished, I suppose the Movement for Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in the south east will make their own demand, which of necessity must heeded. And finally, Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) in the south west will not be left out”, he stated.

Obasanjo also lashed out at the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration on security under their watch, stressing that it was one of the things that “got me worried.”

Commenting on Jonathan’s response to the abduction of female students in Chibok, Borno State, the former president said “the one incident that overtly and graphically exposed the ineptitude, ineffectiveness, inefficiency, carelessness, cluelessness, callousness, insensitivity and selfishness of Goodluck Jonathan was the abduction of about 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State by Boko Haram.

“The reaction and attitude of our president and his household was that of non-belief, to the extent that 18 days passed before he grudgingly conceded to accept the reality of the abduction. If serious action had been taken within 48 hours, the story could have been different. Seventy-two hours was, for me, too late. After all, there would have been logistics required for moving almost 390 girls through the bush and small settlements by the Boko Haram.”

In the third volume of the book entitled ‘Now and Then’, Obasanjo described President Jonathan as a failure to the country.

He said: “After watching, reaching out to, studying, talking to and listening to the president himself and the people around him, I came, sadly, to a number of conclusions that mark Jonathan out as a man of adequate intelligence to run the affairs of Nigeria but lacking in broad vision, knowledge, confidence, understanding, concentration, capacity, sense of security, courage, moral and ethical principles, character and passion to move the nation forward on a fast trajectory.”

The former president also condemned what he described as the selfish interest of Jonathan, saying the president places his personal interest far above both national and party interests.

Referring to the 2011 general elections, Obasanjo claimed that heavy financial prices were paid to Lagos and Ondo states’ opposition to secure votes for the president against the interest of the PDP at the state levels.

“I had watched Jonathan and stood close to him in picking the national chairman of the party and chairman of board of trustees that succeeded me. What I saw and heard from him disgusted me to no end. Where Jonathan’s interests are concerned, there can be no decorum. Everything can be ‘rofo rofo’ and no party or national interests matter.”

He, however, stated his “unrepentant optimism” that Nigeria will once again remain united and regain its glory.

“When I became president in 1999, some people told me that I will be the last president of Nigeria, but there have been many presidents after me up until now and there will be many more presidents for Nigeria in many years to come. Nigeria has many challenges, but if we are determined we will make right everything that had gone wrong.”

On her own part, former minister of education, and convener of the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) Group, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, stressed the need for leaders to serve with a sense of duty, stating that “leadership is not by mistake or by chance.”

Speaking on My Watch, Ezekwesili said that it points out many mistakes that had been made in the country, adding that “we should learn from our mistakes because we cannot afford to continue to make mistakes.”

Reviewing the book, principal partner at Nextier Advisory, Patrick Okigbo, stated that the book gives “one side of the story and that side is vicious enough that it should prompt a response from many quarters.”

According to him, Obasanjo did not fail to name and shame those he considered to have worked against the progress of Nigeria.

“Some personalities who have presented themselves as leaders and reformists will have to present counter evidence to defend their reputation,” he said.

 

Presidency keeps mum

But all efforts to get the presidency to react to Obasanjo’s damning verdict against the president did not yield any fruit by press time.

A text message sent to the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, was not replied, even as another presidential aide, Dr Doyin Okupe, was not forthcoming with any response.

Media aide to the senior special assistant to the president, Mr. Bamidele Salam, simply told LEADERSHIP on telephone that Okupe was very busy with preparations for the PDP primaries to react to Obasanjo claims for now.

 source: LEADERSHIP

why didnt Obj say all dis on time?

Fabdedon:
why didnt Obj say all dis on time?

He was waiting for the right time to get back at his enemies, and this is the right time for the unforgiving general.

This claim is outrageous...

No matter how Obasanjo can't be totally free from all the proplem facing Nigeria especially during the time he was in power up till to date.But one thing is certain either you like him or not,he has come out to say his mind.Infact,I summon his courage.What the country should be looking forward now is to ask other leaders to open up of what they know about backwardness of this country through their mismanagement.A person of IBB should also summon courage to come out and say what he knows about june 12 which everybody believe that there were a lot of forces behind annulment of june 12.This will certainly set him free before he die.

giftbz:


He was waiting for the right time to get back at his enemies, and this is the right time for the unforgiving general.

Thanks but is he going for any seat..which party is he for and against?

Obasanjo is just a vindictive man.
He tried everything possible to end the Niger delta militancy, but failed.
Yaradua ended it in less than one year in office, that is where the envy comes from.

Fabdedon:
Thanks but is he going for any seat..which party is he for and against?

He is neither going for a political office nor supporting any party., his game plane is to reduce the electoral chances of his suppose enemies

OBJ is evil but I love what is currently doing as this will heip Nigerians to learn from our mistakes I.e. if only ethnicity and tribalism we allow us to learn.

If Obj had opposed state sharia , we won't be suffering BH attacks today.

Are you not the primary cause of the problem in niger delta? Why can't you explain the reason why u killed/burn down a own village in Bayelsa State...

Who sign sharia law?...

Collynzo9:
Obasanjo is just a vindictive man.
He tried everything possible to end the Niger delta militancy, but failed.
Yaradua ended it in less than one year in office, that is where the envy comes from.

Yar'adua ended it and we still have abductions, pipeline vandalism and militant warlords? Like OBJ said, we just threw money at the proble!m. We didn't solve it.

duni04:

Yar'adua ended it and we still have abductions, pipeline vandalism and militant warlords? Like OBJ said, we just threw money at the proble!m. We didn't solve it.

If you were too little to know what was happening when militants were on rampage, go and read up on it.
Oil output in the ND today is at maximum, it was reducded to minimum at the peak of militancy, kidnapping of foreign workers was an everyday occurence then.