Former President Olusegun
Obasanjo on Friday said he once refused to use government’s fund to complete a
Christian Association of Nigeria building in Abuja.
Obasanjo spoke during the Book
Launch and 85th Birthday of Eminence Prelate Sunday Mbang of the Methodist
Church Nigeria held at the Admiralty Centre, Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island,
Lagos State.
The former president, who was the
Convener of the programme in honour of Mbang, described the former president of
the Christian Association of Nigeria as a lover of Nigeria. The book, a memoir,
chronicling the journey of the octogenarian, is titled, ‘My Life and Times.’
Obasanjo, 84, was Nigeria’s
president between May 1999 and May 2007. He was also a military head of state
from February 1976 to October 1979.
The former President recalled,
“He (Mbang) asked me in his capacity as the head of the Christian Association
in Nigeria that I should bring money to complete the Ecumenical Centre as they
called it then, now it is known as National Christian Centre. I said, ‘No, I
don’t have; I won’t put government money into that type of thing because if I
do it for Christians, I have to do it for Muslims, I have to do it for Babalawo
(traditionalist), I have to do it for Sango worshippers. No.
“But he insisted. Again,
persistence. I had no choice to agree to now become a fundraiser for the
completion of the National Christian Centre and I did. I got people together
–the rich, the not-so rich, the poor, the not-so poor and we raised money to complete
the National Christian Centre. I don’t believe he has been given credit for
that work because if he had not gone the way he did, may be that centre will
still remain uncompleted till today.”
At the programme, he reminisced
how “pressure” was mounted on him in 1999 to contest as president after he was
released from prison.
Obasanjo recalled how he met the
cleric before his election in 1999, saying, “I came out of prison and pressure
was mounted on me to contest election as president. Initially, I resisted and I
said how many presidents do you want to make out of me but the pressure
continued to mount.
“Then, I caved in. When I caved
in, I decided to go round and one of those I visited was the Prelate of the
Methodist Church in Nigeria, Sunday Mbang. I haven’t met him before but I made
a courtesy call and I said, ‘Sir, I have come to see you’ but before I
finished, he said, ‘I will not vote for you and I don’t know what you come here
for’.”
He said though the cleric might
not had voted for him but he won the election.
“As the President of CAN and me,
a Christian, he then became my boss religiously and I became his boss
politically and of necessity, we had to work together. Somehow, interest
started developing. This man who will say it as it is a man that you need to
have around you so that you can say it as it is,” he said.
Despite the resounding
secessionist agitations as well as many local and international predictions
that Nigeria is close to becoming a failed state and will soon break up,
Obasanjo said Nigeria would continue to exist no matter what happens.
The former President noted that
the enemies of the West African nation with over 200 million people won’t win
in their agenda to see the breakup of the country.
He also said the cost of staying
together as a nation was cheaper than the cost of dividing Nigeria.
Read Also
What Buhari, Obasanjo, Ooni told
new Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III
Obasanjo coaches PDP on choice of
2023 presidential candidate
Bank supports stage plays on
Awolowo, Obasanjo
Obasanjo said he would continue
to work for the peace and progress of a united Nigeria, adding that the “many
enemies” who don’t want to see the country’s continued co-existence would fail.
The former head of state made the
statement at a time when secessionists’ agitations, fuelled by perceived
injustice and worsening security situation, have increased across the country
especially in Southern Nigeria.
The regime of the President,
Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has been battling with secession groups
including the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra led by detained Nnamdi
Kanu; including the Yoruba Nation separatist group spearheaded by Prof Banji
Akintoye and embattled Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho.
Speaking directly to the
celebrant, the ex-President assured the Christian leader that the enemies of
Nigeria won’t win.
Obasanjo said, “We are here to
honour somebody we should honour, and learn from him (Mbang), to show that we
genuinely love and appreciate him for the service he has rendered to the
Christian community in this country and world over. And to assure him that
whatever happens, we will continue to work for unity, peace, security and
progress of this country.
“I know that these are things
that are dear to his heart. We want to assure you that Nigeria will continue to
exist because the cost for Nigeria not to continue to exist is much more than
the cost for us to make Nigeria to continue to exist.
“There are many people –high and
low – who can be described as enemies of Nigeria but they will not win over
those who are friends of Nigeria.”
Also at the event was the Akwa
Ibom State Governor and Chairman on the occasion, Udom Emmanuel, as well as
dignitaries from all walks of life.
Mbang spoke about how he became
friends with Obasanjo, adding that, “since then “we have become brothers, but
of different mothers.” He thanked the former head of state as well as other
dignitaries present for the honour.
Emmanuel thanked Obasanjo and
Mbang for keeping together over the years, assuring that they would remain his
fathers.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com