Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/january06/09012006/f309012006.html

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Excerpts:
Why does your father want a third term?

I am not aware of this third term thing you are talking about. My father is a man of integrity; he doesn’t have any intention to remain in office beyond 2007. He is already building a retirement home and a library in Abeokuta. He is an old man. He may look young to the outside world, but he is an old man. I personally think he is older than 70 years. He just said he is about 70 years because nobody recorded his age when he was born. And his military service, perhaps, made him look fit as a person, but he is not a young person. I have been with him when he looked at obituaries in the newspaper and said: ‘That person who died was the son of my classmate.” He is not as young as people think.

In I979, when it was fashionable to stay in power and he was just about 42 years of age, he didn’t stay in power. Why would he stay in power now? What for? Let me tell you, it is the Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, and the Nigerian press that are campaigning for the third term. They are using it as blackmail. Atiku thinks the presidency is his birthright and as such, it should be delivered to him pronto! Otherwise, who among my father’s close friends is campaigning openly for his third term in office?

But top players in the private sector are urging him on. Can’t he shut them up?

That’s true. The only reason why they are asking Baba to stay is because they are afraid of Atiku. They know he will come and take over everything they have built with his unquenchable greed. Look, quite a lot of people are putting pressure on Baba to stay. Even the Americans are passing messages through me. Forget about all those scripted public statements. They want him to stay. The amount, efforts and resources required to change the constitution are just not worth it. Come 2007, Baba will leave the scene. He is not responding to these campaigns and counter-campaigns because he is busy doing so many things. You can see that planes are falling off the skies left and right. Baba has no time to get involved in these claims.

Let’s look at the celebrated Debt Relief. Is it wise for the government to give away $12 billion as payment for a debt Nigeria never owed?

I think my father belongs to a generation that doesn’t believe in debts. He is of the old school and they hate debts of any type.

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It seems to me that there is a kind of ''implosion'' here. The lid has been blown open. What do Nairalanders think about all these ''revealing'' news?

Gbenga with all the intelligence he claim to ve should ve known better than to grant this interview
everyone is free to his own opnion but there are some things that should be left unanswered by a 'first kid'.
like the questions relating to the late first lady and his business relationships. anyway its good to know that he knows the Nigerian Press has no love for him with or without bribe.

The interview mentioned "Sowore." I believe of the famous Elendu Reports.

Is there any Link to this interview?

Sowore is no longer with Elendureports.

http://www.elendureports.com/

check out the news magazine(this week's edition i think)
but it was reported in Nigeria's 'this day newspaper' 9th January
their web page is www.thisdayonline.com

One interesting thing to me is the reply to the Alams question. There's this eleventh commandment popularly circulated amongst gangs and thieves, I heard. It goes ''thou shalth not get caught''

Anyone in doubt again as to what ''actually'' happened to Alams?

The smart thieves, including Gbenga himself, are walking tall and free everywhere. His dad is a kingpin. I bet his dad (OBJ) applied Maradona's tactics (Courtesy of IBB) in swindling the country. That's why the man has two face - one for evil and the other for good! And that's why he's surrounded by the good, the bad and the ugly - Okonjo-Iweala, El-rufai, Akunyili, Chris Uba, Anenih, Chigbue, Borishade, Ali must go, no, come, Soludo etc etc, just try and see the mixture. I just hope that they've not sold us all as 21st Century slaves!

why do you think they are singing for third term? its to cover up their tracks cos if they should leave power then..........God help us all in this Nation

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/cover/january06/09012006/f309012006.html ( to Ono )

There's a fuller version of the original interview here.

Quite an interesting interview.
I think the response of Atiku's media assistant in thisday reveals the typical arrogant attitude of Nigerian politicians.
"The V.P doesn't belong to a culture in which children trade words will elders. Young men who attack men old enough to be their father are dismissed as rude and uncultured"
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=37726

Rather than rebutting the allegations of corruption and greed against his boss, he turns around to attack the 'messenger'

In the end it left me sad and depressed about the future of the country

this is just a diversionary show

We ain't seen nothing yet. God is going to make all the politicians bring out their dirty deals to the public. If they do not talk , their children and grand children will. Lets watch them put themselves to shame. Everyone will reap what he or she has sown.

read the full un-edited interview here http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/content/view/2241/55/

@ Ono
Long time, how are you bro? Where is Conscience ?
I have missed both of you.

Interesting interview of Gbenga Obasanjo.

Regarding 1979 election, his Dad actually claimed to vote Shagari for president while he voted LKJ as Lagos governor.

Man..Gbenga is sugar coatin errthing--did the press really expect him to tell the media what they really doing wit naija money--I THINK NOT--Mehn--they just all a bunch of liars...and who ask gbenga if he was a doctor or not--what the hell that gotta do with Betterin Naija..talkin bout i make straight A's in John Hopkin--i got my PHD--dont nobody give a care..mehn i tellin u some people forget that GOD dey..I sorry for them..punishment dey go chop...

I don't even know what to say. All i know is that i like Obasanjo and i apperciate his good works.

I dont believe every content of that interview. There must be some + and -. Nigerians are just very wicked.
NL let's watch and see, the truth will always prevail one day.

i hear he has denied ever granting sowore an interview.

Right from day one, I always been having the feelings that this Sowore of a person has some hatred for Obasanjo's family. I have always found most of his reports fake and malicious.

i guess the man just made true the phrase there are educated illiterates, he made straight As and that qualifies him as an intelligent person, can't stop laughing. Implicates himself by telling us the 11th commandment "THOU SHALL NOT GET CAUGHT".

I learnt he denied ever making that interview too, I wonder why someone would wake up one morning and just decided to make up an interview, very strange

Look! this is all crazy!

These people are all thieves...that we know but i am goin to stand with Atiku on this one; this is cos gbenga has no moral right to talk about the imorality of Atiku. if he was in the same position he would probably have done worse.

he announced on radio that there wasnt any interview from him.....these fools are also getting daft o!

where is the greed....why has not spoken abt his father's friend...annenih who took billions of naira for road construction and nothing was done...at least atiku is using his stolen money to buy businesses thereby creating jobs....this doesnt make him right but sure makes him better than his fellow thieves

cabali, isn't it rather silly to side with an allegedly corrupt vice president instead of calling for the EFCC to investigate him?

Seun:

cabali, [b]isn't it rather silly [/b] to side with an allegedly corrupt vice president instead of calling for the EFCC to investigate him?

and isn't it silly to call on a committee established by a corrupt person to investigate corruption.r the people in EFCC angels?

Why are we all arguing about this matter,u all should know that Obasanjo has decided to stay till he dies,check out all the TV stations,you will see adverts praising the Preseident and his good works infact he is regarded as the messiah,we are in an era where the old will refuse to simply go away and let the young ones bring fresh ideas,look at our leaders,they are all recycled,we have had them right from when we were born ,how are we going to move forward,please we all the young ones should keep praying for the future of our country and that of our unborn kids because Nigeria is ours and I bet you brothers n sisters,HOME IS HOME,so don't give up,God will perform a cleansing exercise very soon.

I have a strong, sneaky feeling Gbenga never granted a formal interview to be published in public.I have my resons for saying this.
Check out the interview again.Read it carefully.It runs clearly like a conversation between two freinds,not like a formal interview.
Nobody,no matter how dumb,in Gbenga's position will publicly make the statements credited to him in an interview he knows will be published.Even if those things he said are true,in a formal interview he would either not mention them or he would say them in a smart,political way.Remember he is a Doctor,stays in the US, widely travelled and a president's son.He would know the damage such an interview will bring to his father and family,not to mention himself.
Nobody in a public interview makes statements like:
"That’s true. The only reason why they are asking Baba to stay is because they are afraid of Atiku. They know he will come and take over everything they have built with his unquenchable greed.  or
What was your relationship with the late Mrs. Stella Obasanjo?     She was my father's wife; she was the man's wife. That's it!

I think Sowore took advantage of a private discussion with his friend to come up with his "interview" story.

Well lets watch and see how events unfold

ROSCODADDY:

Why are we all arguing about this matter,u all should know that Obasanjo has decided to stay till he dies,check out all the TV stations,you will see adverts praising the Preseident and his good works infact he is regarded as the messiah,we are in an era where the old will refuse to simply go away and let the young ones bring fresh ideas,look at our leaders,they are all recycled,we have had them right from when we were born ,how are we going to move forward,please we all the young ones should keep praying for the future of our country and that of our unborn kids because Nigeria is ours and I bet you brothers n sisters,HOME IS HOME,so don't give up,God will perform a cleansing exercise very soon.

i dont care what he decided on....all i care is that God forbid he will be there for third term...

funloving:

I have a strong, sneaky feeling Gbenga never granted a formal interview to be published in public.I have my resons for saying this.
Check out the interview again.Read it carefully.It runs clearly like a conversation between two freinds,not like a formal interview.
Nobody,no matter how dumb,in Gbenga's position will publicly make the statements credited to him in an interview he knows will be published.Even if those things he said are true,in a formal interview he would either not mention them or he would say them in a smart,political way.Remember he is a Doctor,stays in the US, widely travelled and a president's son.He would know the damage such an interview will bring to his father and family,not to mention himself.
Nobody in a public interview makes statements like:
"That’s true. The only reason why they are asking Baba to stay is because they are afraid of Atiku. They know he will come and take over everything they have built with his unquenchable greed. or
What was your relationship with the late Mrs. Stella Obasanjo? She was my father's wife; she was the man's wife. That's it!

I think Sowore took advantage of a private discussion with his friend to come up with his "interview" story.

Well lets watch and see how events unfold

and what different does that make if it is private or public.....

Well you are right. The interview was not meant to be made public; it was an intellectual conversation but I believe that Sowore just wanted to make himself popular by publishing all those revelations. Or maybe he felt it was something we all needed to hear.

Seun:

Well you are right. The interview was not meant to be made public; it was an intellectual conversation but Sowore wanted to make himself popular by publishing all those revelations.

Good old Sowore even when we were at Unilag he loved the limelight

Gbenga Obasanjo's comments were made in confidence to a reporter who had been allowed to ride in Gbenga's car on the return journey from a public event, and Gbanga probably had no idea he had been speaking to a journalist until his candid private comments made newspaper headlines.  Certainly a hard lesson has now been learnt by the first son regarding whether or not to utter a solitary word to any Nigerian hack in the future

In all probability the statements Gbenga made about Vice President Atiku are absolutely true, as it is generally known within Aso Rock that Atiku is the most pathologically greedy and corrupt public official whose paws continue to scoop from Nigeria's treasury daily.  It will be ineresting to see if Atiku dares travel to Europe or America after he leaves office and decides to start squandering his loot stashed in offshore banks.

Sowore is Obasanjos enemy right from day one. A colleague made me to understand that he has always been a bad person. I hope he will not go with Year 2006 campaign.