OBASANJO’S SERMON ON CORRUPTION
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s has been acclaimed to be a very interesting character who has continued to intrigue the Nigerian People and the international community with his characteristic melodramatic verbal assaults. Just yesterday again, the former president in his usual character which Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka once described metaphorically thus “ Obasanjo is used to pouring mud on persons and so everybody runs away from him because you don’t know whom next he is going to pour mud on”. Professor Wole Soyinka couldn’t hold back this expression in reaction to Obasanjo’s many gaffes which included amongst others, his denigration of former President, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as having fallen from “Zik of Africa, to Zik of Nigeria and finally to Owelle of Onitsha, a local chief”, when he was conferred with the title. Not long afterwards, Obasanjo’s day of reckoning came and this writer like millions of Nigerians with an eye on history and obvious of the fact that “What a man soweth, so will he reap,” reminded Obasanjo of his own fallen status from the President of Nigeria to a local chief, when he assumed the title of Balogun of Owu, an hamlet in Egbaland.
The former President who spoke at the fourth Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies annual national conference in Lagos, Nigeria lampooned majority of lawmakers at the national and state assemblies as “rogues and armed robbers,” and the judiciary as corrupt. One is shocked and disturbed that the Presidency as in its character and its cronies has not deemed it fit to respond appropriately to this comment by the former President which is capable of causing social upheaval by inciting the people against the legislature and the judiciary. While admitting that the message is true and correct, it is my candid opinion that the messenger, former President Olusegun Obasanjo is unfit and unworthy to label anybody as corrupt because of his antecedents while in office.
There is an African adage which says that when you point one finger at someone, the other four fingers are pointing at you which applies to former President Obasanjo. The questions that comes to mind about how corruption thrived right, left, above, under and center when he was in power are legion. How much was General Obasanjo worth before he assumed the Presidency of Nigeria in 1999, and how much was he worth when he left office in 2007? The stupendous wealth acquired by the former head of state while in office are still subject to query by millions of Nigerian that if it were to be in a sane society, he would by now have been facing public scrutiny.
Former President Obasanjo once again exhibited his insincerity on issues by labeling legislators and judicial officers as corrupt while leaving out the executive as if that arm of government to which he once belonged is peopled by saints, but we all know better.
Former President Obasanjo should better be advised to speak less on national issues because every comment of his is nothing but an insult to the collective intelligence of the Nigerian people who endured his eight years civilian rule of economic, social and political pain, hardship and sorrow. Was it not under this same Former President Obasanjo administration that Nigeria as a country started manifesting signs of lawlessness and executive rascality which other criminal elements in the society continue to exhibit till today when he repeatedly assaulted the constitution which he swore to protect and uphold by refusing to obey lawful court orders?
The Yoruba’s have a saying that “Orisha bi o le gbemi, se mi bi o se ba mi” which literally means that “The gods, if you cannot help my cause, don’t worsen it”. Former President Obasanjo should be asked to examine the state in which he met Nigeria on assumption into office in 1999 and the situation that he left it on quitting office in 2007? The social, political and economic dislocation of the life of the average Nigerian by the Obasanjo administration can only be remedied by God.
Was it not under the Obasanjo administration that we had the National ID Card scam, Transcorpgate, Halliburton bribery scandal, Power scam, Presidential Library scandal, Adedibugate, Anenihgate as Minister of works, Arson and kidnapping by the executive against Governor Ngige and the people of Anambra state, 3rd Term scandal, these and many other corrupt acts were perpetuated by the executive and so what is OBJ talking about. Was it not the same executive arm of government under OBJ that legitimized the political philosophy of do or die into our body politic? The level of corruption under former President Obasanjo administration surpassed his predecessors except that the present administration is setting new records.
Among the three arms of government, the executive can be termed the most corrupt because they are the only arm charged with the implementation of state policies which involves the disbursement of funds. This assertion of the monumental level of corruption by the executive can be examined in the light of the failed state of infrastructures nationwide in comparison to the huge funds that have been appropriated. If the legislature and the judiciary are the only corrupt arm of government according to Prophet OBJ, then we can ask if he is unaware that it takes two to tango? We are saying this in view of the fact that the giver and the taker of bribe are both guilty of corruption if we look at the fact that it’s the executive who offer bribe for budget passage as well as to judges to give fraudulent judgments.
The mess that we have found ourselves in today and into which we are sinking deeper were nourished and watered by the Obasanjo administration. So we wonder, what he is talking about now or does he think, we Nigerians don’t have memory, so he can say anything and expect us all to stand up and applaud him for it? That’s a big lie.
We can only appeal to former President Obasanjo to spare us his further sermons until he publicly apologizes to the Nigerian people for the turmoil he put us through while his emperorship lasted.
Signed
Nelson Ekujumi,
Executive Chairman,
Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM)
26A Adesina Street, Off Obafemi Awolowo way, Ikeja, Lagos.
08023172694, 07033853232
