A former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, says former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is too critical of people and sees nothing good in anyone.
Osoba said this during an interview with journalists in Lagos on Saturday.
He said this while reacting to Obasanjo’s claim that Chief Obafemi Awolowo was never the leader of the Yoruba but was only elected leader by his supporters.
He said, “I would not like to judge Chief Obasanjo because as I am trying to put the facts straight, I don’t want to join him in condemnation of individuals. I respect him for his own strong points and weaknesses. But one thing I disagree with him is his condemnation of virtually everybody and even those around him.
“Wole Soyinka is not good, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is not good, Atiku Abubakar is not good, Reuben Abati is useless, Doyin Okupe is not to be associated with. Who then is good?”
Osoba said even the dead were not spared of unfair criticism by Obasanjo. He noted that even MKO Abiola, who gave his life for democracy, did not escape Obasanjo’s criticism.
He said this was unfortunate because without Abiola, Obasanjo would never have emerged President.
He said, “Whether he likes it or not, MKO Abiola will forever be the symbol and hero of modern day democracy in Nigeria. When Abiola couldn’t negotiate his freedom by signing away his mandate to General Sani Abacha, he laid down his life and I expect Chief Obasanjo to understand the fact that he became a beneficiary and should see Abiola as a hero.
“Nobody can claim to be the only hero in any society. Society is a team. Within our Egba community, the Ransome-Kutis are heroes. Their mother was an activist, Fela was an acitivist, Beko Ransome-Kuti was an activist. Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti took his father’s nature. He was a gentleman but was also an activist with his philosophy of primary healthcare.
“Wole Soyinka is a hero, Ebenezer Obey is a hero; he recorded over 50 records and delivered philosophical lyrics. Akintola Williams, an Egba man, is the first accountant and is still worshipped today. Society is the totality of a team. A tree can never make a forest and that is where I disagree with Chief Obasanjo. To reduce Soyinka to a wine connoisseur hurts me.”
The veteran journalist, who described Obasanjo’s book, ‘My Watch’, as a distortion of history, said Awolowo was unanimously elected as the leader of the Yoruba in 1966 shortly before the civil war.
He said Obasanjo was privy to the meeting where Awolowo was elected but only wanted to denigrate the late sage for reasons best known to him. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Chief Osoba, you really have not contradicted Obasanjo. In 1966 there was need for a tribe to be represented by someone for a specific issue, and Chief Awolowo was elected to play that role. Does that now make him leader of Yorubas for all time? The kind of leadership Obasanjo had in mind when he said there is no such thing as the Leader of Yorubas is NOT the leadership you acquire by voting. He meant a natural leader to whom all Yorubas gravitate. But we know there has never been any such leader in Yoruba land. Otherwise, how come in Awolowo's life time he always had strong opponents from among the same Yorubas? Why did we have the likes of Samuel Akintola?
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