Double Standard is Obasanjo’s Legacy

By

Kunle I Sowunmi

How do you want to be remembered? Is a question that continues to hunt every soul not only the politicians but also everybody that is a position to make a change in any society? A Yoruba adage says “ The king whose time and period brought happiness to the people will have his name written in gold so also the king whose time and period brought sadness will always be remembered.

I am not too good in citing the exact verse in the Bible to support my argument but the bible says when a society is scheduled for punishment God will give them a wicked leader and in obeying the rule of the leadership the society will be dealt with positively or negatively. In one of Harold Robin’s novels “ Never Love a stranger” the writer ended the book with a very soul searching quotation by saying “ To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die. The question is how will the present leadership in Nigeria be remembered? How will Obasanjo’s legacy be written?

General Aremu Okikiola Mathieu Obasanjo the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria I am not sure will want to be addressed as General but his behavior has not revealed anything civil in his style of leadership. This former military dictator turned politician has not done anything to warrant a change that can make him look like a civilian meaning under his “Agbada “ is the green kaki uniform. As a student of history with special study on Obasanjo since he emerged as General Muritala Mohammed’s second in command in 1975 I have not seen anything to make Obasanjo qualify to be a civilian not even he was striped off his pride and cried to God Almighty from Jos Prison where he was programmed for guillotine by late General Sanni Abacha the then brutal Head of State Nigeria ever had.

Obasanjo wept bitterly, rendered into pieces his garment like David, praised God like Solomon, prayed like John the Baptist, He even wrote a Christian Book titled “ the Power of Prayer” after his family and his friend abandoned him in the wilderness. His families were busy sharing his properties. His farm at Ota lost direction like a fatherless baby, his house at Abeokuta was deserted the military men posted there disappeared.  Ita Eko in Owu Area of Abeokuta was a place nobody cared about. The General’s pride was buried.

The Balogun of Owu and the only recognized General from Abeokuta cried like a baby from the small prison room of Jos, which was not equipped with air conditioner. Obasanjo a man of robust shape particularly in the Tommy and cheeks did not find the place very interesting at all. He became closer to God and promised God many things if he could be released among the things he promised were to formerly apologize to Fela Anikulapo family for the wrongful acquisition of Fela house and death of his mother who was thrown from the sixth story building by the unknown soldiers secondly to ask for forgiveness from the soul of his former school mate Moshood Abiola the winner of 1993 Presidential election in which he Obasanjo played an active role in the annulment thereby robbing Nigeria a much more unifying government.

Obasanjo must have asked God to give him a second chance to make amendments in all areas of his life that he had offended the people including the Police officer he publicly slapped and canned for conducting a search on his vehicle along Idi Iroko Road when he first retired as Head of State in 1979 including those Ghanaians he shot their legs for stealing from his farm and his first wife he slapped on the street of Marina in Lagos and a host of other women he had had in the past particularly the  families of the people of Ota  he acquired their land through land use Decree and many more.

God the Omnipresence and ever forgiving God, who is always ready to give human creation second, third even fourth chance as long as we repent? God believed him.  God not only forgave Obasanjo like Job in the Bible he elevated him to the position he will be able to fulfill his promises to HIM. Miracles happened. General Abacha died. The new government under an unknown General from Niger State released him from jailed. He lost weight in the Tommy and cheeks his hidden tribal marks came out vividly. Time can indeed heal wounds, few months Obasanjo became the president of the new government in the 1999 elections. Obasanjo gained all he lost like JOB including his weight and his farm is now making $250,000 per month and his circle of friends increased and a freed civilian president toured the whole world like Ajala. He was outside the country more than his Foreign or External Affairs Minster. Both were competing for Dollar allowance.

Obasanjo continue to forget his promises to God and to his people. He stood between developments of his people particularly Lagos state. He refused to allow state police to be established to help put an end to OPC activities and robbers in Lagos and Yoruba land. He did not approve the new Airport for Lagos at Epe; he made it difficult for Lagos Electricity project to work to maximum capacity, and he did not contribute to the reconstruction of federal roads in Lagos, all the local government funds running into billions were not released despite instruction in simple English Language from the Supreme Court.

Obasanjo forgets that Lagos is the center of commercial activities in Nigeria.  Lagos is like New York to America, London to UK, or like Dubai to the Middle East, and when Lagos is messed up Nigeria is messed up. It is okay for the General to have 42 local government in Kano State which if honest census can be done will not be more than Ogun State in population.  It is okay to have over 20 local governments in Ogun State but not in Lagos State. Every family in Nigeria has a family member living in Lagos state. It is the place with the highest concentration of black man on earth. Lagos is dirty, ugly, and the airport has the worst customer services in the world. The facilities in Lagos are stretched to the limit. No playing grounds, no parks, not even public restrooms; roads are all like pools or canals. Additional local government will help to improve lives in Lagos. It will create jobs it will also take attention away from the center but Obasanjo did not see it that way. To him is a challenge of power, a defense of constitution he never obeyed himself despite court rulings on many negatives actions of his government from the death of Bola Ige to Obasanjo’s Library in which all contactors were levied. 

If Lagos has the highest concentration of black race in the world and Obasanjo’s action is frustrating the effort of the government of such a place is indeed very pathetic to the dignity of men and women of goodwill. Obasanjo at the end of his presidency will not live in Abuja he will relocate to the dusty Ota town, a suburb of Lagos the same place he denied benefits. No matter how devilish Abacha may look to anybody he would never stand between money meant for Kano state over his ego or Babangida over fund meant for Niger state local government not even Sonekan the high chief from Abeokuta will do that against Ogun state government.

Obasanjo must note his promises to God he made from the Jos Prison. In the Language of Caesar in the book written by Shakespeare “ What touches most shall we serve last’ Obasanjo is following this principle to prove to Nigerian he is a Nigerian first before being a Yoruba man but the general is wrong you have to be the son of your father before you can become the son of the country. Obasanjo is a Yoruba man with tribal marks using Yoruba slot at the presidency and using the same Yoruba mandate to punish the Yoruba.

Time is a healer of wounds. His Minster of Education can be removed from office for 55-million Naira deal but his indicted party men can be forgiven for stealing. All contractors can be levied to contribute to his Library but the same person will like Governor Dariye to be punished for corruption. Obasanjo can force his self appointed men to write a constitution for Nigeria maybe he does not know that the idea is even undemocratic and he thinks such a constitution form such a gathering will stand the test of Time? The out come of such a constitution will be trashed and will be kept in his library at Abeokuta because is not a Nigerian Constitution. It is not people’s constitution. It is okay to have 50 percent derivation in 1963 constitution when cocoa, ground nuts and palm oil were doing fine but not okay when oil is now involved which benefits the South-South. Will Obasanjo and his northern friends feel the same way if oil is discovered inside Olumo Rock, Ogun river, Lake Chad or in the within Sokoto Caliphate?

He Obasanjo must note as soon as he leaves office the next president will release the money to Lagos government, the next government will have people’s constitution, with state and city police all included, the next government will have social security for all in Nigeria and the people of South –South will be compensated for the loss of farm land, and environmental failure the attainment of all these will be a shame to his legacy.

Kunle I Sowunmi

kshoid@2wayexports.com

Dallas Texas