Gleaning Wisdom from Obasanjo’s Letters

by Deji Yesufu

In his book, My Watch, former President Olusegun Obasanjo quotes the biblical prophet Ezekiel as his central text: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me…”

These were God’s words to Prophet Ezekiel and it forms the underlying principle behind his life and ministry. By quoting that scripture in his latest memoirs, Olusegun Obasanjo is saying that he believes that God has called him to be a watchman over Nigeria; who must issues its leaders and people warning at strategic times.

When those warnings are heeded, things will go well; when those warning are ignored, things go foul in the polity.

Olusegun Obasanjo has paid his dues in the Nigerian project and regardless of whatever failing he might have, he is worth being listened to at this time. Young Obasanjo was an engineer in the Nigerian military, when he was thrust into the centre of the violence of the civil war.

Providence made him lead the last bastion of offence against the Biafran army, and it was to him that Effiong, the person who succeeded the fleeing Emeka Ojukwu, handed over the flag of surrender. Obasanjo was busy about his duties as second in command to Muritala Mohammed when the mantle of leadership fell on his shoulders, after his boss was killed in a bloody coup in 1976.

Olusegun Obasanjo not only succeeded Muritala, he ensured that the administration’s plan for a transfer to civil rule was achieved. A new constitution was promulgated in 1978, while the civilian government of Shehu Shagari took over power from Obasanjo.

The watchman then retired to his father’s farms in Ogun State and took up the duties of a full time farmer. While at the farm, Obasanjo was watching.

In 1995, Obasanjo incurred the wrath of the then supreme ruler of Nigerian, General Sani Abacha. He was roped into a fathom coup, and was arrested by the demon in dark glasses and slammed into prison.

It was clear that he was going to be killed along with other political detainees of that time. But fate smiled on the Owu chief, Abacha died suddenly in 1998 and OBJ (as many call him) was a free man.

The administration of Abdulsalami Abubakar then handed over power to him, after he had beaten Olu Falade of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) at the polls. OBJ was President for two term, 1999-2007. He would again retire to his farm, to write his books and to watch.

Having laid this precedence, I wish to glean wisdom from three letters Obasanjo has ever written and to endeavour to glean some wisdom from them. These letters are the letter he wrote to former President Ibrahim Babangida (November 1992), the letter to former President Goodluck Jonathan (December 2013) and the letter to the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari (January 2018).

The background to the letter to former military President Ibrahim Babangida was the occasion of the cancelation of the primaries for the two parties, sanctioned by the government of IBB. For reason best known to them, Babangida and those at the seat of power then cancelled the primaries and banned the parties.

It meant that the whole transition to civil rule was going to start all again. Events after that cancelation proved Obasanjo right, when he accused IBB in the letter of unwillingness to hand over power to civilians.

New political parties were formed. MKO Abiola of the SDP went against Bashir Tofa of the NRC. The elections were deemed free and fair, but the Babangida government will again cancel the elections and the situation plunged the country into crisis.

Babangida was unable to handle the situation and thus stepped aside for the Interim Government of Ernest Shonekan.

Mr. Shonekan would however be removed from office by Sani Abacha and thus began a reign of terror in Nigeria, which was only curtailed by the hands of providence when Abacha allegedly died of a heart attack between two Indian prostitutes.

A few months to the playing out of the whole events of 1993, Obasanjo wrote a letter to Babangida, where he took the military President to task on matters bordering on Nigeria. For those who have been complaining about OBJ’s letters to Buhari, his letter to Babangida was not as genteel as these recent ones. It was a bombshell! “I shall be blunt Mr. President,…” said an obviously fuming Obasanjo to IBB in the letter, “for the crisis we face requires blunt, forthright talk and not empty platitudes.”

Incidentally, Obasanjo wrote this letter to IBB just a month after he had been robbed of his car on the express way and the IBB government had responded promptly by replacing his vehicle and meeting his needs.

Obasanjo was not one to be taken away with such niceties, he retorts in his letter: “prolongation of military rule cannot be the answer under the present circumstances…” Thanks to Obasanjo and other pro-democracy groups, Nigeria saw an end to military rule and we began our democratic experiment all over again.

In December 2013, Olusegun Obasanjo was this time driven to write by the lacklustre government Goodluck Jonathan. This time letter was titled “Before it is too late.”

That letter is the longest open letter he had ever written. He begins by reminding Jonathan that the president would be held responsible for whatever becomes of the country.

Then he holds the President to task regarding his denial of his intentions to run another term. Obasanjo made it clear to Jonathan that the bases of his supporting him in 2011 was because Jonathan had promised to do just one term.

He however could not understand the rumours and denial around a second term bid. Then he accuses Jonathan of anti-party activities. Obasanjo ends that letter with the most vitriolic pronouncement on anyone ever. He took Jonathan to task on Buruji Kashamu. Criticizing the president for imposing a drug baron on his own political constituency in the South West.

In response to that letter, Rueben Abati, the President media assistant, wrote a piece titled: “Obasanjo’s Letter: Unbecoming, Self-serving and Highly Provocative.” That title sums up the reaction of the Jonathan government to Obasanjo’s warning.

A few weeks before the 2015 elections, Obasanjo, in a most dramatic fashion, brought out his PDP card membership and tore it into pieces. It was a symbolic action that put paid to the Jonathan’s administration. And true to it, Nigerians proceeded to the polls and voted out an incumbent from office in an unprecedented manner. Many factors led to the end of the Jonathan government. But many political pundits will also owe it to that dramatic action of Obasanjo in tearing his PDP membership. He has since resigned from partisan politics.

Then in January 24, 2018, a little after noon that day, the former president called for a press conference and released a letter on the present government of Muhammadu Buhari. A government he had influenced into power.

In comparison to the two aforementioned letters, this letter to Buhari was the shortest and the mildest. Yet, it might have received the most condemnation from Nigerians. Obasanjo titled this letter “A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigerian Movement”.

Obasanjo begins his letters with the metaphor of the need to kill the lies of poor performance in office. He reminded the president of his poor grasp of economic matters. He warned against the continuous activities of herdsmen killers. He criticized Buhari’s nepotism and his shielding of certain fellows from prosecution on corruption. He asked Buhari to take a well deserved rest and not run for a second term. He then called all Nigerians to join hands to form a movement of a coalition of Nigerian towards providing good leadership for the nation.

The wisdom in Obasanjo’s letters is that he is fulfilling his God given duties as a watchman to a nation. In all his letters, Obasanjo has shown Nigerians the marks of his sufferings: his fight in the Nigerian civil war and his imprisonment and near execution by Abacha.

A man’s depth of suffering many times can become the height from which the wisdom of his understanding exhumes.

Obasanjo’s letters, which always come in form of warnings, have always been able to act as a deterrent for evil to come on a nation. If there is one warning that can be gleaned from this letter to Buhari, it is the call by the former President on Buhari not to run for another term in office.

Unfortunately, like the proverbial Yoruba dog destined to get lost, people end up not listening to the Owu chief. Muhammadu Buhari will bid for a second term in office in 2019 and he would be sorry he ventured on that project.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

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