An apparently angry and frustrated ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has written what clearly competes as one of the most acerbic letters in modern history to President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him of ineptitude and of taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria.
“Nigeria is bleeding and the hemorrhage must be stopped,” Mr. Obasanjo said in the 18-page letter dated December 2, 2013.
He said Mr. Jonathan has failed to deliver on his promises to the Nigerian people, stem corruption, promote national unity and strengthen national security.
He said in the letter titled “Before it is too late” that rather than take steps to advance Nigeria’s interest and up the standards of living of Nigerians, Mr. Jonathan had betrayed God and the Nigerian people that brought him to power, and has been pursuing selfish personal and political interests based on advice he receives from “self-centred aides”.
In the detailed letter, dripping of anger , frustration and what appears a genuine concern to rescue a nation on the brink, Mr. Obasanjo lamented that Mr. Jonathan had become terribly divisive and clannish, destroying his own party, polarizing the country along regional and religious lines and ridiculing Nigeria in the comity of nations.
Without mincing words, Mr. Obasanjo blamed Mr. Jonathan for the crises tearing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apart.
He said apart from using party chairman Bamanga Tukur to cause multiple crises and divide the ranks of the party, the president’s failure to keep a promise he made not to seek a second term is also generating tension within the ruling party.
“It would be unfair to continue to level full blames on the Chairman (Tukur) for all that goes wrong with the party,” Mr. Obasanjo said. “The chairman is playing the tune dictated by the paymaster (Jonathan). But the paymaster is acting for a definitive purpose for which deceit and deception seem to be the major ingredients.
“Up till two months ago, Mr. President, you told me that you have not told anybody that you would contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you that the signs and the measures on the ground do not tally with your statement. You said the same to one other person who shared his observation with me. And only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on. I must say it is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honorable path.”
The former President said Mr. Jonathan told him before the 2011 election he would not seek a second term, and made the same promise to governors, party stakeholders and Nigerians.
The president’s refusal to keep that promise cast him as a man without honour, Mr. Obasanjo said.
Saying it would be “fatally morally flawed” for Mr. Jonathan to contest in 2015, Mr. Obasanjo added, “As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour both of which are important ingredients of character. I will want to see anyone in the Office of the Presidency of Nigeria as a man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honour in his words and character.”
Mr. Obasanjo also accused Mr. Jonathan of anti-party conducts – supporting opposition parties’ candidates in governorship elections in Lagos, Ondo, Edo and Anambra states at the detriment of PDP’s own candidates –, and of pitting party members against one another.
Saying the President had failed to address the underlying causes of the Boko Haram menace, Mr. Obasanjo urged Mr. Jonathan to adopt a carrot and stick approach in dealing with the insurgency explaining that “conventional military actions based on standard phases of military operations alone will not permanently and effectively deal with the issue of Boko Haram”.
Mr. Obasanjo also tackled Mr. Jonathan for allegedly being clannish. “For you to allow yourself to be “possessed”, so to say, to the exclusion of most of the rest of Nigerians as an “Ijaw man” is a mistake that should never have been allowed to happen. Yes, you have to be born in one part of Nigeria to be Nigerian if not naturalized but the Nigerian President must be above ethnic factionalism. And those who prop you up as of, and for ‘Ijaw nation’ are not your friends genuinely, not friends of Nigeria nor friends of ‘Ijaw nation’ they tout about.
“To allow or tacitly encourage people of ‘Ijaw nation’ to throw insults on other Nigerians from other parts of the country and threaten fire and brimstone to protect your interest as an Ijaw man is myopic and your not openly quieting them is even more unfortunate.
Two Ijaw men, ex-militant Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, and a former federal commissioner for information, Edwin Clark, who carries himself around as the political godfather of the president, are known to talk down on people opposed to the president.
Mr. Obasanjo also accused Mr. Jonathan of placing over 1000 Nigerians on political watch list and “training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his killers”.
He wondered why the Presidency was providing assistance for a murderer to evade justice.
“Presidential assistance for a murderer to evade justice and presidential delegation to welcome him home can only be in bad taste generally but particularly to the family of his victim,” Mr. Obasanjo said. “Assisting criminals to evade justice cannot be part of the job of the presidency. Or, as it is viwed in some quarters, is he being recruited to do for you what he had done for Abacha in the past? Hopefully, he should have learned his lesson. Let us continue to watch.”
Mr. Obasanjo did not mention the name of the murderer he accused the President of protecting but he seems to be referring to Hamza Al-Mustapha, a former security aide to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who is facing trial for allegedly masterminding the killing of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Moshood Abiola, the winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election.
Mr. Al-Mustapha was freed by the appeal court in July but the Lagos state government has since appealed the judgment at the Supreme Court.
The former President also called on the National Assembly to rise up and take decisive action over the recent allegation in the country that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation failed to remit billions of dollars in proceeds of crude oil sales to the federation account.
“This allegation will not fly away by non-action, cover-up, denial or bribing possible investigators,” Mr. Obasanjo told the President. “Please deal with this allegation transparently and let the truth be known.
“The dramatis personae in this allegation and who they are working for will one day be public knowledge. Those who know are watching if the National Assembly will not be accomplice in the heinous crime and naked grand corruption. May God grant you the grace for at least one effective corrective action against high corruption which seems to stink all around you in your government.”
Mr. Obasanjo said he wrote the letter in the national interest, saying nothing, at this stage of his life, would prevent him from standing up for whatever he considers to be in the best interest of Nigeria, Africa and the world.
He said he was ready for whatever backlash his letter would provoke from the presidency.
“Knowing what happens around you most of which you know of and condone or deny, this letter will proke cacophony from hired and unhired attackers but I will maintain my serenity because by this letter, I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your government, to the party, PDP, and to our country, Nigeria…,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
“I have passed the stage of being flattered, intimidated, threatened, frightened, induced or bought… Death is the end of all human beings and may it come when God wills it to come.”
Source: Premium Times
Truth! Kudos for Baba. Ur courage is second to none. Nigerians are much more aware of these happenings. Only by threading the path of true patriotism that Nigeria can be saved. Baba. Thanks for talking “progressively”.
Mr president I think there is an adage that says “A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE” pls remember that you are a christian & the Bible says “A GOOD NAME IS BETTER THAN RICHES” don’t allow your aides to cause you to err pls. Thank you sir!
God will save Nigerians from the hand of these looters.GET should resign from office and bury is face in shame 4 how fars he has basterdise the economy with wastages and diversion of Nigerians hard earned currency.But Mr President should remember that history is never a friend nor enemy,it shall represent your true image..a word is enough for the wise.
Don’t be in haste to drop ur comment too soon. Nigerians let’s watch dis drama as it unfold. Talk for d benefit of d people not bcos u feel cheated.
OBJ is just ranting bcos he has lost grip with the govt. We are wiser today. leave gej to continue the good work.
Baba you have spok well but remember that the eyes of the lord are watching you.goodluck is good leader it is you people are spoiling his administration.
Obasonjo has spoken well as an elder statesman since he had given the letter to GEJ he shouldn’t have taken this to the public, in any case he who was frustrated from seeking a third term has no moral justifcation from to speak against GEJ who is seeking a second term which he is constitutionally entitled to
No matter the intimidation, the lies, the
propaganda God shall prevail. OBJ….You are
talking of honour and integrity, you slept
with your sons wife; Your daughter was
involved in a fraud scandal; you were
involved in the Haliburton scandal; you are one of the richest men in Nigeria despite
having a few thousand when released from
Jail; you used EFCC to bully those who
disagreed with you; You greedily went for
a 3rd term and tried to bribe your way
through the NASS; we had epileptic power supply all throughout your tenure, bad
roads, Ore-Shagamu; Lagos-Ibadan, the
North, South, East and West. No trains were
working, we had no agricultural strategy,
no power strategy and no strategy at all. You are only angry because you have loose a grip… All your aguement if not genue. Condeming the president of suporting Opposition party is that genue.OBJ God has turn your so called wiseness to pure foolishness. you force GEJ on us as presidnt but see what God has turn it to for You. Enjoy it too and stop crying and wining like a little baby Sir.
Nigeria is not in support him again
There’s no how power can b achieved by coercive rather u settle wit ur pples cos there’s political God father and elite in politics…….beware u=re lossing grand 4 oppostion……u both loss at d end.
who,s obj
GOD’s will be done and may Nigerians allow HIS will to be done….. God bless Nigeria my country.
Tank u 4 ur comment over dis issue,Bt who knw the right person here? dis is political issue bewear. “God bless Nigerian”
O.B.J. how many u do ur own time.u banned everything so u wl including turkey so ur farm wl grow how wicked?.imagin the price of common turkey meat today,see who is talking.u think u can fool us for ever?.atlest nigeria can boast of rail ways.jst imagine a bed sharer talking.O.B.J better u go and hide unless u wnt comedian to use ur speech against u.jst dnt come & appear & corrupt our minds.let him stay there many better things God has use him to creat & recreat.G.E.J do what u knw best dnt mind the man that wipe a village over night & yet has the got to talk.blood monger……better u dnt whimp like a child d hook in ur neck wl be there cus its ur passed did that hung it there.sooooo fu*k off.
i wonder why people will not think very well before they talk, at this level we are in this country, we don’t need to support anybody rather supporting the growth of this country. in my own point of u, i will advice mr GEJ to check him self very well and do the needful bcos he is d one on grand now and we are not talking about the pass, so please mr president put politics aside and dont encourage corruption, for the letter OBJ write , u dont need to be offended rather check it and know precisely where u need to amend your way, bcos everybody as the right to say what he think about growth of dis country. please sir make us proud in dis country and fulfill every promises u promise us in this country bcos i voted for you. God bless you
the political sarmon proceeding by mr obj is quite alarming & we should understand that nigerians are subject to nigera and verse-versa.i must recommend him so well for this effort if not him and mr lamido sanusi who came out openly to said this who could?there is an adage that said good name is better than riches,thank God international community are watching, till when it’s due for divisible nigeria.
obj’ has his own, obj all most sold all dis cunttry, if nut for GOD intervension.
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Come to think of it, Obj have spoken well.
Need to ask what really happened to ITT during your first tenure as Nigerian Head of State sir,.
Ironically Abami Eda Fela Kuti would’ve been your senior campaign manager….cos he knew much about you Abiola and Yaradua.
Where’s the so called looted Money recovered from the Abacha’s.
Baba, You and your good friend Abdulsalami Abubakar enjoyed saving the looted amount into your respective account. Only God will judge.
Today, you’ve turned to a preacher trying to put someone else through…..Have you repent? If yes, then where is our money.
Is only God will safe us with our Bad Leader. To be sincere Jonathan need to step down cos suffering is too much for the Citizen………
OBJ you spoke well no body above mistake if he truelly do mistakes. You are an elderly & state man as well keep on advicing.
“No Leader is a leader until Christ comes.dere lamentation is not 4 u but 4 dem and dere families,eny government dat favour dem dey wil not make coments,any one does not favour dem u see dem jumping up and down.dere al volturs.FIRE WILL VISIT DEM VERY VERY SOON.
Our nija is in the hand of God,we need your intervation before is too late.
Nigeria is in the hands of Almighty God and no matter what people say, Nigeria will certainly come out of it strongly. Yes, OBJ has said something and could have access to some privileged information which most of us could not have, however he is NOT the messiah Nigeria needs. As a Nigerian, I would rightly advice that Mr. President should not bother contesting in 2015 because there are several hand writings on the wall which will work against him if our votes are to count. He is loosing credibility by the day. The support he had in 2011 has since dropped drastically if his aides will be bold to tell him the truth and with the problem in PDP, I personally do not think he will sail through. Am from Niger Delta too, I will say he should leave the office when the ovation is still on instead of being disgraced out. Yes, I have looked at the achievements so far and I will say he has not done well whether he is from my region or not, I will say the truth. I wish him good luck!
Wat is it dat our leaders are turning dis country into.Time for sober reflection…Wil baba b our Mandela?…d lies corruption PDP meks our nation a subject of ridicule.God am angry.
Mr obasanjo why all this you can’t just wake up one morning and start talking to somebody u single handed put in seat this way there must be something behind this, first of all check your days in office compare ur self n say something OK thank you
obj is one’s a bad leader pls nigeria is not ur’s i no obj nedd money form mr jonathan and he refuse to gave him that is why he fight mr jonathan