The man, Mathew Aremu Okikiola Olusegun Obasanjo, could be likened to a man most cherished by Providence. Like the biblical David, God forgives, forgets and remembers his sins no more and continues to shower grace on him. A man from a very poor background, he registered his name on the consciousness of the nation when by divine intervention he received the instrument of surrender from the then secessionist Biafra forces. By this surrender, the fraud called Nigeria was reunited.
After that, he went back to his duty as a combatant soldier indulging in what more than 90 per cent of soldiers do – wine, war and women. Again in 1975, he was appointed the second in command to Gen. Murtala Muhammed, after the coup that overthrew Gen. Yakubu Gowon. However, the unsuccessful coup of 1976 saw his boss killed. Initially, he was said to have refused to assume the mantle of leadership till he was persuaded to do so. On assumption of leadership as head of state, he kept to the promise and letters of the hand-over date as set by Muhammed before he was assassinated. He thus became the first military head of state to voluntarily hand over power to a democratically elected government in 1979.
A recollection into the conduct of the 1979 election won by Alhaji Shehu Shagari will show the kind of character Obasanjo is. Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the blessed memory was believed to have won the election. Obasanjo was blackmailed by his kith and kin for not handing over to Awolowo. He, instead, stood resolute and handed over to Shagari. This was the genesis of his political problems in his geopolitical zone resulting in his losing the 1999 presidential election in the South-West. His people held this against him. But he is someone who believes in the unity and indissolubility of Nigeria and also acts in the best interest of Nigeria as an entity. Though as a human, he often can make mistakes.
While as military head of state, he did not hesitate to nationalise most multinational oil companies that were working and have continued to work against the corporate interest of Nigeria. He allegedly handed over to Shagari because as of that time, it was expedient that if he did otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic. After the 1979 handover, the young man as he then was retired to his expansive Ota farm and metamorphosed into a chicken farmer, set up the African Leadership Forum which acted as a watchdog on erring African presidents and heads of state. He is also a founding member of Transparency International.
There is no doubt that Obasanjo’s writings, criticisms, assessments, assertions and pronouncements are acidic, blunt, truthful but hurtful to those in authority who choose to do wrong. He does not make pretensions of this and does so unapologetically. Some of his criticisms propelled Gen Sani Abacha to send him to the Gulag on trumped up charges. But, like the proverbial cat with nine lives, he came out.
In 1999 and 2003, though the general elections were not perfect, Obasanjo was declared President. His two-term tenure expired on May 29, 2007. During his second missionary journey, Obasanjo virtually reversed all the economic policies he pursued as a military head of state. In place of nationalisation and economic control, he enunciated privatisation, commercialisation, liberalisation, monetisation, and banking consolidation among others.
When his second and final constitutional tenure was about to expire, some opportunists drummed up a clamour for a third term for him. Obasanjo maintained a stoic silence which people interpreted to be tacit support and even government sponsorship for the Third Term advocates. Eventually, he ensured Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua succeeded him, even though he had earlier said that he knew who would not succeed him.
What could be seen to be the most outstanding quality of Obasanjo is his unshakable belief in the Nigerian Project. Since leaving office and assuming the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, which he recently voluntarily relinquished, the former president has been the object of all manner of criticisms. No matter what anybody or any judgment that may be passed on Obasanjo, his regime, his lifestyle, his wealth, his women, his battles, one thing is sure, he is a phenomenon and we better celebrate him while he still lives.
•Sir Onyeukwu, a financial and management consultant based in Lagos
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What a write up. Ateast there is somebody out there that not only has eyes to see but in addition has brains to think and analyse. Obasanjo, like many others that are black-booked by Nigerians are actually heroes of the country.
ReplyDeleteAwolowo did not win the 1979 elections.Obasanjo just did the right thing by handing over to the winner.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I love this write up.
ReplyDelete