Pie1ect and Akolawole, i take it you've both called a truce, abi?
Thank God we're back to the topic.
Remember there are sanctions for breaking the rules on this land and off-topic posts are among the 'donts'
please i don't want either of you going off for 7days cause i'll miss you
so guys stay within the law!

@Kola

I'm sorry for not being born in 1935 or 1920. Hmm...Here I was thinking it pays to read a bit of history. Never knew you had to be there to be able to say anything worth listening to.
I was under the impression though that OBJ became the president of Nigeria after Murtala Mohammed was assasinated february1976. Incidentally, Murtala's government was very popular with the people at the time. And when he died, OBJ as his deputy was the obvious choice. He was not "forced to take up the mantle" by anybody. I suppose you were one of those who "forced" him to lead Nigeria. In case you need reminding, Murtala was the one who set in motion the machinery that effectively brought about the second republic headed by Shehu Shagari. NOT Lt. Obasanjo. Get your facts straight. Obasanjo, to his credit, voluntarily gave up his post when the time came. And I respect him for that. But don't attempt to tell me the second republic was his grand idea. I no gree.
And about the 79' elections, what about it? What if he voted Shagari? What was the point in announcing it, anyway?
This is one of the fundamental problems with Nigeria. You are guys are too sentimental. What does it matter if a yoruba man or ijaw man is the head of states? As long as he has progressive ideas on how the country should be ruled, anybody should be given an opportunity to do that.
By the way, I've read those books you mentioned from cover to cover. "My command" twice.
Who are the kingmakers? You, my friend, are blinded by your sentimentalist views.
If OBJ leaves, I am sure whoever comes in will want to continue whatever good legacy he's put in place.  Assuming the man kicks the bucket tommorow (God forbid), will Nigeria crumble? If his reform policies cannot hold when he leaves, then they clearly are not good enough. And that's just a fact.
Its like a programmer writes a program, and after he's done, nobody can read it except him. What would you call that kind of program? Junk is what I call it.

Obj has had 8 years(eight). Not one or two. There are people with better ideas( no insult to the man, mind you). I don't think he's the be-all and end-all. Simple as that.

BTW, it such a good feeling to be back on the topic. Your move, mate.

@Bagoma,
I feel you.  No shaking.

@ Johnny

When you talk about continuity, are you talking about the  national football team? B'because YES, they have continuity problems.
If you are talking about our government, Mba.  Continuity was never our problem. Our problem is mis-management of the system. OBJ don play him part, somebody else should be allowed to show what he has to offer.  WHat is it with you guys? You want to believe everything the man tells you. For heaven's sake, what kind of stupid reform policy is it that cannot get a single refinery in the country working to full capacity after 8 years?
C'mon say something original, man.

Thanks Bagoma. You are always there for me( laugh).
To my Friend in Bolton, i wont even respond to your #65 for Bagoma and other good people's sake.
OBJ has said it several time that he's leaving in 2007 so why are we doubting him?

Kola, I'm impressed.  It's simply b'cos you've not got anything else to say (it's not for Bagoma's sake).
You basically said I don't have any rights to question OBJ's actions b'cos I was born in 83'.
Maybe why we are doubting him is because there's been clamour for a third term and he has not said anything to the contrary. Could you please link me to his comments denouncing a third term?

Please see Seun's post #1 & #11
People have the right to make any noise, that is them.
Dont forget Abacha's Vision 2010.
How they start it where it ends.
What of IBB's 007, Adisa started it with Alexander Akinyele? Where is Adisa now? Up till today IBB has not confirm though he has a website to that effect.
God help us.

To the doubting thomasses, check this out

http://vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/headline/f119082005.html

Governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Bukar Ibrahim, also yesterday became the first among his colleagues to openly throw his weight behind the campaign for President Obasanjo to seek a third term in office, saying Nigerians want him to stay beyond 2007.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200511280392.html

pls can somebody help me ask that nincompoop which nigerians are saying president obasanjo shld stay beyond 2007?

why oh why are we blessed with idiots for leaders?

Many of President Obasanjo's statements could be interpreted as denial of the third term ambition, but they are all ambigous. After the shameful speech by the PDP chairman in which they failed to declare their stand about the 3rd term bid, I was left to conclude that General Obasanjo has a third term ambition.

This third term bid is unpopular and it makes it look as if the people who are saying that President Obasanjo is corrupt (see Questions for Mr. President) are right. Such an action is tantamount to making a mockery of our democracy which he has helped us to nurture.

Left to me, he should throw his weight behind Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iyeala or Governor Muazu of Bauchi State. Someone said that the Governor Duke is also good. President Obasanjo should nominate a good person in his administration, create a role of presidential adviser for himself, and then use his influence to try to get his candidate into power so the reforms can be continued.

He should not run for third term, even if his intentions are sincere. He should bow out when the ovation is loudest, just like he did as a military head of state. He shouldn't cling desperately to power like the corrupt politicians he says he's fighting.

Third term bid a political propaganda.

The Presidency has denied it and the President himself has not said he is interested.
So why this hullabaloo?

He is interested in the third term. He has said that he will not do anything that is unconstitutional, but he has not categorically said something like, "I am not interested in contesting for third term". He sidesteps around the issue everytime, using words that leave open the possibility of him contesting for a third term if the constitution is ammended to allow it. At this point I am 99% sure that he would like to go for a third term if possible. We are not babies.

But if he would listen to me as a friend of the federal government, my advice will be that he should start grooming one of his 'political children' for the position. A third term bid will destroy his credibility. It will give amunition to those who have a more revolutionary vision for this country. It will be like destroying what he has tried to build with his own hands.

true talk seun.
he' somehow somehow interested else he'd have denied it sharply in his usual manner.
anyways i keep my fingers crossed with the knowledge that in nigeria anything can happen

I like the baba...do you? As much as i like him...third term...ummm....help me out here

Swish:

I like the baba...do you? As much as i like him...third term...ummm.help me out here

SsssssHhhhhhhhhh.
ZIP IT! SHUSH!
If you are not with them , you are an Enemy.
A word is enough for the wise.
Pls do not say I told you.
'Siddon Look' na Dog name.

i think he want run the seat until he die

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/editorial/ed15122005.html

The summary of the above link is this. The national association of nigerian students have thrown their weight behind our president's third term and he has rewarded that association by making a personal donation of five million naira. Only death it seems can prevent what is going to be.

If Baba is ready to die for this country, let him go ahead and go for the third term, because anything can happen to him. Having said this, I still believe that his third term as President is the best thing for this country. Nigeria is full of corrupt politicians, Baba had tried in his own way to minimize it, believe me if he hand over to someone else who is not as sturbborn as he is, visionary and statesman as he is, then Nigeria will be back to square one. To me, a person like OBJ is the best person to rule this country, he mean well, he is stubborn and he is powerful both in Nigeria and abroad. Can anyone tell me who else can succeed him and the mafia will allow such person to win the election, certainly no one is feasible. IBB had ruled us before, he cant offer us anything than chaos he left behind. Atiku had been VP for 8 years, we all witnessed how he take care of Privatisation policy. Marwa is fair especially with his governorship achievement in Lagos state, but the fact is that he is also a military retirees and of course from North which makes him to be proned to manipulations. I beg let Baba continue if he is prepared to die for this country because I cant guarantee his life if he is sworn in for third term. Wait a minute, had anyone read the lips of the western world as regards Baba's third term ambition? Try and read their lips, they all seems to believe Baba is the best person who can handle this country.

hmmm! e get as e be ooo!
but lets wait and see.

na wa o! Let OBJ rule till he drops dead, as for me and my house, we shall leave nigeria to those vultures and wicked souls that are bent on bleeding it to death, those of u that support Baba for 1 extraday in office can stay behind and suffer the consequences. i don't need to tell u that it may include plane crashes every month!

Daviddylan if you leave, you are chicken......
And if you are outside and you refuse to return you are fowl.

Nobody is going to solve your problem for you. U are a MAN abi u be WOMAN, even WOMAN don take up the cause

pendelite:

Daviddylan if you leave, you are chicken......
And if you outside and you refuse to return you are fowl.

Nobody is going to solve your problem for you. U are a MAN abi u be WOMAN, even WOMAN don take up the cause

Sorry pendelite, those that have tried to solve nigeria's problems are either killed or chased into exile. ask nadeco pple!
i don't think you would refer to the likes of Philip Emeagwali, Chinua Achebe and prof Wole Soyinka as chickens because they have decided to domicile here in the usa.
When nigerians are set to change, we shall be all but glad to return!

Ref to #78 above
Whenever s'body from "A", "E" & "A" states speak against OBJ, Is that a SUPRISE?

I trust my very good people from that side jare
I wont mention their name.

Akolawole:

Ref to #78 above
Whenever s'body from "A", "E" & "A" speak against OBJ, Is that a SUPRISE?

Haba, this OBJ thread still dey on?
Ehh, Kola which one be "A", "E" & "A" again?
@twinstaiye

I think you'll find that Atiku and Obj came in the same time, so Atiku has spent as much time as OBj.
If Atiku has mishandled anything, it is because he got the backing of his boss. Nobody should try and tell Obj was a bystander while Atiku ran the rule over who gets what in the privatisation thingy. I stand on my conviction that all this "activity" from Mr. president in the last 1-2 years is just to get sympathisers for his third term ambition. And he sure as hell is succeeding, going by the amount of sympathisers on this board alone. When the "time" comes around again, you'll see some shameless people flocking to OTA to "beg" Obj to run again, and then we'll hear some "prayer/vision" crap.

Pie1ect
You have hit the nail by the head.
In our Country, we were always blessed with Sycomphants, Milo Group. People will spring up everytime, everyyear to cook up xtension_of_stay stuff. Do you know that "Baba no regret"( Abdulsalam Abubakar) get during his short rule as well. He refused to buy their IDEA

Now even Presidential Aspirants are unsettled, they are scared of power of Incumbency but we all know OBJ is very very ARROGANT. He always like to do things in his own way.He will not go beyond the stipulated time, BUT HE MAY BE THE DETERMINANT OF WHO WILL BE NAIJA'S NEXT PRESIDENT.

pIE1ECT
Look at this :

http://odili.net/news/source/2005/dec/16/45.html

If Obasanjo want, let him stay till 2014. All am concerned about is my daily bread.

But it's total madness for someone to think he is the most qualify for a job out of 120 million people.

I can rule this country better than Obasanjo.

Joftech,
You are not qualify if u are a yorubaman.

I can see the whole charade reapeating itself.
-->ICAN President and other "elder statesmen", including every leader of a top organisation( who can be bought, of course)  beg OBJ to "continue" his "reforms".
-->OBJ goes to "god" in "prayer" and later emerges with some kind of weird "vision" in which he has been asked to go for a third term, presumably by whomever he talked to(definitely not the Christain God).
To those people who say Obj is the only man that can lead Nigeria at this time:
Bill clinton was one of the best american Presidents in recent times (definitely better than the 2 Bushes), but when his time came, he stepped down honourably. I'll like to see our leaders do that, but that's too much to ask, isn't it?
They must rule, because they are the only sensible people in a country boasting a population of over 120million fellows.

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has side-stepped a question on whether he intends to try for a third term in 2007 elections, raising what was already a national obsession to a new level of frenzied speculation
Obasanjo keeps Nigeria guessing on 3rd term plans

Nigeria's government has t[b]old the United States to mind its own business[/b] over speculation that the president may stand for a third term.
Nigeria hits back at US warning

(actually, it was Femi Fani-Kayode who made the statement on behalf of the president and I think he's going to be scolded by Baba when he returns to Abuja. President Obasanjo does not play with his foreign friends!)

I see Obasanjo's 'let them Say' stance in this third term charade as a direct confession that he is solidly behind those 'begging' him to stay for a third term. What he should remember is that we have heard all that before. In fact, there have been times when God directly instructed him to run elections. However, he should put his ears to the floor like a true African, to test the actual source of his Visions and many dreams. He should indeed be careful not to mistake the voice of Beelzebub as that of God. Dancing around the third term question reveals a weak center in his character. If his plans are politically and morally correct, let Mr. President be a MAN and step forward to declare his intensions. Like my NU SCHOOL friends would say, FLY WEY GET ADVISER, E DE FOLLOW COFFIN KPEME FOR INSIDE GRAVE O!

There is a saying in my place:
A fly that does not hear or see the signal that the burial ceremony is over,
always  follow the corpse into the grave.
Baba ride on jare, carry go, na you biko.
See you in Aso Rock in 2007
Don't mind your enemies, only you can ''rule'' Nigeria
till thy Kingdom come

@ Conscience

what of if he leaves in 2007 nko?