Get it straight

We gave senatorial slot to Obasanjo, not Iyabo – Mustapha, chairman Ogun central, PDP
By REMI ADEFULU
Thursday, December 18, 2008

Hon. Bode Mustapha, is a former member of the House of Representatives and chairman of Ogun Central Senatorial District of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).


•Hon Bode Mustapha





In this interview, Mustapha who presides over ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s constituency dismisses the idea of dragging the alleged excesses of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello before the former president as a matter of courtesy.

Mustapha who is a very close ally of Ogun State helmsman, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, contends that this is in view of the fact that the Ogun PDP did not consult Obasanjo before making his daughter senator.

The Egba high chief also speaks on the ten years of PDP, Governor Daniel and opponents, Ogun 2011, threat to recall Senator Obasanjo-Bello, Dr Doyin Okupe’s criticism of the party chairman and more. Excerpts:

Ten years of PDP

I think the party has been waxing stronger. To start off, of course, every party must have its own take off period, teething period and initial challenges and these are the things that strengthens the party. But as it is today, the party has a president who is a listener, who listens before he acts. We have a president who believes in the rule of law, we have a president who believes in due process. We have a president who believes in the separation of powers of the legislature from the executive, from the judiciary and that each of the three is independent. That can now be seen in the kind of party leadership we have at the national level and which is now permeating into the zones and the states. The party has come of age and the sky is now the limit for the party.

PDP and democracy dividends

You see, Nigerians have very short memories. We have forgotten that we have had only nine years of unbroken, uninterrupted civilian administration in this country. We have forgotten that a lot of things were wrong when the military was there, but nobody could raise any voice against them, neither did anybody raise any eyebrow. We have forgotten that the whole of the infrastructure of this country had broken down terribly, before PDP came into power. We are talking of power generation, we are talking of increasing power generation, it cnnot be done overnight.

What have previous governments been doing to see to it that power generation was being looked into, like its done in developed countries or even in South Africa? But again, you see, you have to take the blame because you are leading, you are the leader of the nation. So, we take the blame, but it doesn’t disturb us from doing what we have to do. We have a president today who listens, who doesn’t talk much, but acts, and of course, our performance in the party improves daily. And if you look at the states, and I can say of Ogun State in particular. There is nobody, unless you want to be uncharitable, unless you want to be partisan, because in partisanship, you can never see anything good in what your opponent does. But everybody knows that this state has been woken up from a civil service state into a key economic player state.

In this state now, for first twenty something years since the creation of Ogun State, the civil service strength was thirteen thousand. In five years, the PDP government of OGD (Otunba Gbenga Daniel) has employed fifteen thousand people, more than double what it met. It has provided things hitherto that were not there. dualisation of Shagamu to Abeokuta. Upgrading of general hospitals, equipping the general hospitals etc. reducing the pupil-teacher ratio now from seventy five to one as against forty five or fifty five to one. I can go on and on because our governor has a convenant with the people of the state, if his performance is anything to go by, you can see that PDP is doing very, very well and still will do a lot better.

Daniel’s many battles

It is not fair to say the man is fighting people. He is one of the most tolerant leaders and most accommodating leaders I have ever met. At the risk of being immodest, if with my intelligence at my age, I recognise that somebody is my leader who is younger, then please give it to that person. We have been at a meeting all day long with some people, some people who left the party are coming back. What you find out is that the man is either misunderstood or misread or mischief makers go to town to create mishief. Now, who are the opponents he is taking on? Who are the opponents? Senator Ibikunle Amosun hardly spent three months in Abuja when he started calling meetings that he wanted to be governor of Ogun State. He had not even carried out the mandate we gave him to Abuja, ditto Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello. When her brother was getting married, the major, in her father’s house, she allowed the governor in, she stopped the security aides from entering the place. Nobody spoke on the 1st of October independence anniversary this year.

The governor went to her father with an anniversary cake of Nigeria, since her father is his leader, and a father figure to him. Ditto she stopped the security aides from following their principal. The mother of it all and the crescendo was at Ogbomosho. I was there, live and direct. I sat just three rows away. I was in the middle row. The whole action was happening in the left row. I could see it. It was a show of shame It was a show that you never expect from a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And I fell so sad that it is an Egba person who has carried out that show of shame. So, who are the opposition that he (Daniel) is taking head on?

Ogun 2011

If he (Daniel) believes that in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, the governorship should go to a senatorial district that has never produced the governor of this state, is there a crime in that? If other geo-political zones in Nigeria did not agree that the Yoruba had been hurt with the M.K.O. Abiola issue, would you have had a President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was running for the office in 1999. The two presidential candidates of the two parties were Yoruba, himself and Chief Falae. Is that the interpretation of fighting opposition? I don’t understand.

Threat to recall Iyabo Obasnajo

Why should it be in bad taste? When she keeps on embarrassing this senatorial district? Excuse me, do you know what it takes to be called a senator of the Federal Republic? We gave her that slot not because of her, please get that straight. What is her political antecedents? What is her political pedigree? The governor wanted this thing for her because of her father. It was her father we gave it to. Is that how to become a senator from being a commissioner? I don’t know, if you understand what I mean. So, if she has that opportunity, why is she abusing that privilege?

Obasanjo sidelined?

How do you mean that we sidelined the father? Should we fold our arms and continue to watch her embarrass the leader of the party in the state. I’m sorry we expect that anybody who has passed to be a senator must understand what decorum is all about. We did not go to the father before we made her a senator. Why should we? She is a mother already. She is a family woman. So, what are we talking about? She is supposed to know the right from the wrong.

Daniel’s plot against speaker

That is balderdash! Was Governor Daniel in the House the day they agreed to buy cars? Excuse me, let us always talk about issues. Is it a fact that they bought cars or not? Was he (Daniel) party to their buying cars? When the Etteh thing started, it was said that there is somebody who had a hand in it somewhere. You should expect that to be said. We should talk about issues, but I have to defend that statement that it was the governor that was bankrolling. Is Keyamo a baby? Is it the first fight Keyamo will fight? Was it the governor who bankrolled Keyamo on the Police Equipment Fund?

Between Bankole and OGD

Who told them they have political differences? Are you aware that an elder has settled the rift between Bankole senior and the governor, and I was privileged to be at the reconciliation meeting. I am giving to you wholeheartedly and free of charge. Whoever is saying there is a rift between the Speaker and the governor should come and prove to us what they are saying. May be, they must know things I don’t know.

Okupe’s criticisms of PDP chair

If he said so, it is unfortunate if he said so then, may be he does not believe in what is called party discipline. He also aspired to be governor If he were to be governor, would he take it that a senator is dancing while he sits down, and her buba will be hitting his head will he take it? And it is very, very uncharitable of him to have critiised our state chairman. We have a state chairman who is a gentleman. We have a state chairman who is honest. PDP has had state chairmen who are dishonest people. Who are light fingered who you could never trust with a dime. We have a state chairman who is godly. Over and above that, we have a state chairman who is a statesman, and if Doyin is saying what he is saying, may be he is dancing to some people’s tunes. How many times have we seen the activities of Dr Okupe politically in Ogun State. Where are his followers? We are on the ground in Ogun State, but we won’t allow Okupe to insult the state chairman.



http://odili.net/news/source/2008/dec/18/505.html

That's how democracy works in Nigeria.

An he has the audacity to look us in the face and tell us

I didnt even bother to read everything. It's just amazing how things work in this country called Nigeria.
Why do they call these wicked people honourables? have they done anything to deserve the title?
I for one cannot pin point a single thing, any or all of the senators and honourables have done for me and my family or the nation at large?

why dem dey dash monkey senatorial seat naw?

Why do they call these wicked people honourables? have they done anything to deserve the title?

BARAWO. aunty funmi you will be better in the senate than these fools

BARAWO. aunty funmi you will be better in the senate than these fools

Naaa, i may push laws that will emasculate men in Nigeria.

that may be a good idea. too many useless, good for nothing, not fit for purpose - surplus to requirement men in that country

that may be a good idea. too many useless, good for nothing, not fit for purpose - surplus to requirement men in that country

They are becoming a liability to my country. I'd say let them step aside for women to come in and run things.

this will be of interest to you funmi. just another confirmation of hausa foolishness if you needed one

[b]Why the military toppled Shagari[/b]
By DURO ADESEKO
Saturday, December 20, 2008

•Dosunmu
Photo:Sun News Publishing

    * More Stories on This Section

Former Minister of Works and Housing and member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Dr Wahab Dosunmu, has revealed why the government of President Shehu Shagari was toppled by the military.
In an exclusive interview with Saturday Sun, Dosunmu said the military struck because the North did not want power to go to the South after Shagari’s tenure.

He also said that the military, having asked Shagari to drop the Minister of Transport, Dr. Umaru Dikko, from the cabinet, decided to take over government because of the former president’s refusal to heed the warning.
Dosunmu spoke on these and many other fundamental issues.

As Minister for Works and Housing in the Shehu Shagari administration, what would you say was responsible for the fall of that administration?
The military took over.

We know that. But there must be a cause of the military take-over.
The then Minister of Transport, Alhaji Umaru Dikko loomed large in that government. He was virtually next to the president. He even had more access to the president than the then Vice President, Alex Ekwueme.
There were elements in the military that did not like Dikko. They (military high command) told Shagari that the man should not be reappointed as a minister. But Shagari reappointed him. So, that is one of the reasons they decided that the government would not last.
I also heard that some elements in the North did not want the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to implement its zoning programme, so that after Shagari’s eight-year term, a Southerner does not replace him. The Southerner that would have replaced him would have been Alex Ekwueme. They wanted to pre-empt that and they felt it was better to do it early during his second term.
There are other reasons that may be adduced. But those two I can affirm to you.

It is believed that you organized the venue where Abiola declared himself president at Eleganza Sports Club, Epetedo. How true is this?
Well, I was not the sole brain behind it. I must share that credit with my brother, Ademola Adeniji-Adele and to a lesser extent, Omotilewa Aro-Lambo. But it was M.K.O Abiola who requested us to find a location where he would make his declaration. Some of our leaders in the Justice Forum were reluctant to take part because they thought it was going to be against the law.
Adeniji-Adele and I volunteered to procure a location and I came to Epetedo and found a location in the Premier Palace, the Eleganza Sport Centre and I spoke to the late Kudirat Abiola about the location and M.K.O came to join us there that evening.

The event ended at about 8pm and by 9pm. Abiola was declared wanted. So, he went underground on June 11, 1994. He reappeared on June 23 and again, I was privileged to provide accommodation for him in Surulere on the eve of his World Press Conference. Abiola and I spent the night together preparing for the following day and the speech he was to read to the world press. We sent the speech to Dr. Doyin Abiola that night for correction and waited until we had the final draft. Abiola and I did not have more than three to four hours sleep that night.

We had a decoy for the press. We took them to Eko Club and when it was time for the conference, we brought them to the location. We went in a convoy to the Surulere venue, where he spoke to the whole world. We then went in a procession to his house in Ikeja. The police were waiting, but they did not touch him and we parted ourselves in the back. We left around 9 or 10pm thinking that all was well. After mid-night, they came for him.

What was the idea behind Abiola declaring himself president? Alhaji Lateef Jakande said it was not well thought out by NADECO leaders because you knew the consequence of another man declaring himself president when there was a sitting president.
There is one thing we call Monday morning quarter back in the United States. It is an American slang. On Sunday afternoon, they play American football; quarter back is the leader of the team. At the end, somebody loses and somebody wins. When going to work on Monday morning, they would say: you should have done this and you should have done that. That is Monday morning quarters – backing. It is good for Alhaji Jakande to say that now. At that point, he was in Abacha’s government and if anything had dented Alhaji Jakande’s reputation, it is that service to Abacha. During the struggle in South Africa in Mandela years, they did not have the wherewithal to challenge the white supremacy, but they went ahead and suffered for it. If you say you must wait until you can match your oppressor, you will never protest.

It is alleged that your main plan was to get Abiola arrested and that you would have been frustrated if Abiola was not arrested by Abacha because there was nothing Abiola or NADECO would have done.
Abacha could not have left him. If he had left him, then Abiola would have sought recognition from foreign countries and form his government. He would have gone into exile. At the time we did what we did, we knew we were in a struggle. We challenged the oppressor. Imagine if the whole of Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta and other major towns protested in the streets. Just because the peoples were not ready, you should not blame the leaders. Maybe in retrospect, we did not read our people well. Maybe we were leading a bunch of cowards.

Why did NADECO leaders discourage Abiola from taking the bail he was granted at an Abuja High Court?
People are making spurious statements. There was no time NADECO met and told Abiola not to accept bail. I challenge anybody to quote any NADECO leader who advised Abiola not to accept bail. Abiola himself took the decision. When he was incarcerated, we were outside and we could not decide for him.

There was no means of communication between NADECO and Abiola?
No. He was arrested on June 24 and he was taken to court on July 14 and I decided that I was going to attend the trial so that I could see him. Of course, I was sitting in the court room that early morning with Kudirat Abiola and one of my wives when the police came to pick me up. So, none of us in NADECO saw Abiola from the day the police arrested him until he died.

Former governor Bola Tinubu, the late Funso Williams and yourself were leading contenders in the Lagos Alliance for Democracy (AD) governorship primaries in 1998. Questions are still being asked concerning the result announced by AD. What is the truth?
Well, if the truth must be told, there was no credible primaries. Out of the 20 local government areas in Lagos, in nine local governments, there were no primaries at all. And in the 11 local governments where there were primaries, it was handled in the old Nigerian way. The people who were brought from outside Lagos to conduct the primaries were told what to do and which of the candidates to favour. Figures were bandied around.

Election did not hold everywhere. They came out with a figure that gave Bola Tinubu the highest score and the late Funso Williams followed him and I came third. Our leaders in Afenifere knew that there was no credible primaries. But they had to have a candidate. Tinubu was the preferred candidate, to them. It is as simple as that. Funso Williams should not have contested at all because he was not even part of our struggle. But the late Ganiyu Dawodu, for reasons best known to him, pitched his tent with Funso Williams without telling his other colleagues in Afenifere. So, there was crisis at the end of the primaries and it was difficult to have a very clear candidate.

There was this moving around. Bola Tinubu came to me and was accompanied by one of his friends, Akinyelure. He came to the house of my friend, Yomi Finih, in company with my other friend, Chief Gbolahan Dehinde and Tinubu literarily prostrated that I should support him. That time, he was yet to be pronounced as AD candidate. It was a weekend. Williams thought he had won and Tinubu thought he had won. Because Tinubu and I were in the struggle, I decided to support him because I could not conceive of Williams, who was in government when we were being chased about, to be the main beneficiary of our struggle. Tinubu and I sat down and wrote an agreement. Of course, Tinubu did not implement five per cent of our agreement after his inauguration as governor. The following day, I issued a press release to announce my support for Tinubu, calling on others to rally round him. When William’s forces realized that I threw my hat in Tinubu’s ring, they gave up the struggle and came on board.

Was there any meeting among you, Pa Abraham Adesanya and Tinubu?
Yes, before the primaries, the late Adesanya, at a meeting of NADECO, said Tinubu and I should see him because we were the two contestants who concerned him. Williams, he said, had no stake. So, Tinubu and I went to Adesanya on two occasions. On the third occasion, I was alone and Bola was also alone with Adesanya. The first meeting was deadlocked because neither Tinubu nor I was ready to step down. On the second occasion, it was still deadlocked. While Bola and I were waiting for Adesanya in the living room, Adesanya’s wife emerged and was hailing Tinubu as, ‘my governor, the next governor.’ Bola was reluctant to reciprocate but was looking at me. Mama turned to me and said, Ngbo, ta lo ma se bi ki se ohun? (Who else can be governor if not Tinubu?) I replied, Emi ni ma. (It is I who can do it).

She asked: ‘Are you Wahab Dosunmu? And I said, yes. She turned back and said, ‘I am sorry o.’ That told me what was going to happen. At the last meeting I held with Adesanya, he asked why I wanted to go into the contest against Tinubu and Williams, who had the resources. I told him I didn’t have money but I had friends who could raise money. I said I could raise N10 million within two days. Adesanya asked, ‘you can raise that?’ I said yes and he said I could go ahead. I didn’t know what he discussed with Tinubu, but what I said earlier was the outcome.

You used to be secretary of NADECO. Why did you leave NADECO and Afenifere?
I never left NADECO. I don’t think anybody in NADECO has left even to date. It has, of course, virtually gone out of operation since the Fourth Republic came into being. After the burial of Abiola and the return of some of us from abroad, there was this debate on whether NADECO and Afenifere should participate in the General Abdulsalami Abubakar transition programme. After all said and done, majority decided that it was in the interest of the struggle that we participated in the transition programme. Our people were elected in many states and from that time on, NADECO ceased to exist. People are putting Afenifere, NADECO and AD in confusing manner.

The truth is that as of June 1993, when Abiola was elected, it was the SDP and the status of Chief Abiola that won the election across Nigeria and not only in Yoruba land. So, Afenifere, prior to that, had nothing to do with the election of Abiola. The active forces within SDP then were Jakande and Dapo Sarumi group in Lagos. I am sure that is what happened in other states. If Babangida had not annulled the election, the prominence and resurgence of Afenifere would have been much more difficult. The annulment brought Chief Anthony Enahoro’s MNR into prominence. Adesanya, Lanihun Ajayi, Adebanjo, Bola Ige, operated within MNR and worked with others to form NADECO.

Those of us who were in that struggle formed NADECO and remained there. The NADECO, of which I was secretary until I went on exile, had the responsibility for what happened in terms of elections and the formation of AD. Nobody can deny or dispute the fact that AD is the child of circumstance of the annulment of Abiola’s election. When I see and hear people now extolling the virtues of Chief Awolowo, which we all know is unequalled and they link it to AD and juxtapose the existence of AD to what happened in the first or second republic, I think it is stretching the truth.

Are you saying that some people are opportunists?
I don’t think they are opportunists. Some of these people have been on the frontline. But people appropriate things to themselves. If you read the papers, in the last two weeks, you will not read about Abiola at all. The groups in Afenifere have not mentioned Abiola. It is obvious that the Abdulsalami administration realized that if AD was not registered, the South West will not have a voice.
I read in the papers that Wale Osun said Afenifere should not be open to all and that it should be ideological. I don’t understand why he should make such statement as if they have a monopoly of caring for our people.

What is it that any of the governors and Wale Osun would have done that others have not done all over the country. They are talking of cardinal principles, not about development? Is education, an exclusive property of a section of the country? Nobody has a monopoly of caring for the people; what tenets of Afenifere are they talking about? People should not confuse issues. If Afenifere is going to survive, I hope what the new leader, Reuben Fasoranti, will prevail. If not, they will go their own ways and others will go their own ways. Nobody in my own part of Yoruba land can tell me that they care more for the people of Lagos State than I do in any form.

Those who said others who don’t subscribe to Awolowo ideas are excluded are not right. As great as Awolowo was, I join others to say the man was unequalled. We don’t today have the like of Awolowo. Not even Abiola. But to say those who don’t agree with him should be ex-communicated is asking for too much. What is the essence of our education that I cannot disagree with Mr. X or Mr. Y? Because you want to go in one direction and I want to go in another direction automatically excommunicate me as a Yoruba? I take exception to that.

In Lagos, people are hailing Governor Babatunde Fashola for his performance. What do you say to this?
I wish him well. If he succeeds, Lagos would have succeeded. I want him to succeed.

So, there is nothing wrong with the way he is handling the affairs of Lagos?
I see nothing wrong with Fashola per se. I don’t have information other than what you and I know. But that does not mean that I don’t have questions about the programmes that were handed over by Bola Tinubu and which Tinubu is still supervising. All the things that are going on, Tinubu has a hand in it and to his economic benefit.

Can you give examples?
Examples abound all over the place. On the so-called company doing construction in Lekki, it is believed that Tinubu is behind the project. If you are doing things for the people of Lagos and you are doing it for your economic benefit, there is a question as to transparency. Who are the people behind these companies? We need to know them. That has nothing to do with Fashola doing his work or not doing his work.
What I am saying is that, yes, I have issues with Lagos State government on the fate of our peasants in Ibeju Lekki, Eti Osa and other places. Such companies hold the land and the lands belong to the peasants. I cannot be happy with that.

The PDP complained about debts owned by Lagos State government during Tinubu era. What is the position now?
You see, if debt is targeted at development, like raising fund to build roads and things like that, you cannot fight that. Nobody can use the annual appropriation to build capital intensive projects. When you see phantom projects, like the madness they call the Atlantic City, that they want to sandfill the Atlantic Ocean and build a new city, I think it is madness, when there is land lying fallow in Agege and Ikeja division. You want to sandfill the ocean just because you want to make money by selling land to your friends. If you go to Oko-Awo and Ebute Elefun, you will see sandfilling. Nobody consider the environmental effect on people living in the area. They don’t give a damn.
Look at the so-called sun-burn-yard hotel that Tokubo Afikuyomi has bought for tourism. It is likely to be a waste. We don’t have the fact. They call it private – public partnership. Who is the private and who is the public? How much of our money has gone into that? At the end of the day, it will just be a waste of our money. They are doing propaganda and we don’t have the facts.

You were with the conservatives as a minister in NPN and you were with the progressives as NADECO secretary. Would you say that the political elite in Nigeria are the same?
I do not subscribe to these slogans or labels of progressives and conservatives. They are meaningless. The purpose of being in government is service, service, and service. Anything short of that does not appeal to me. When I say service to the people, it is to the down- trodden. To those who cannot help themselves. When I served as minister for housing, the party in government, NPN, had in its manifesto to provide shelter for Nigerian people. I had the honour to implement that programme, whether anybody liked it or not; we did. We built more than 45, 000 housing units in more than 200 locations. No other Federal Government has done that since independence. So, when Shehu Shagari was creating universities of technologies all over the country, was that conservative? When the River Basin authorities were being made to produce food through the green revolution, was that conservative?

You agree that the elite are the same?
Yes, not only are the elite the same, the so-called youths and the elderly are all the same. People in their 40s end up stealing money. Look at what Jakande did and the mark he left in Lagos State. As Awolowo grew older, he became wiser and much more effective, organizing his people. http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2008/dec/20/national-20-12-2008-02.htm

these are some of the foolish men nigeria contributed to the world

who are the WE you fooloish old fool.

earTHMama:

They are becoming a liability to my country. I'd say let them step aside for women to come in and run things.

lmao

which women?
have u forgotten Iyabo,Etteh and Grange so soon?