Obasanjo

Obasanjo-Atiku Family Feud Versus North, The Presidency, And Other Concerns

Dr. Abubakar A. Muhammad

He has dominated the Nigerian news for too long neither because he has been the president of this country for the past six years nor for good reasons but because he has been the most incompetent, selfish, treacherous, and evil leader Nigeria has ever had. And if anyone dislikes this description let him stand up and tell us the dividends of democracy the man OBJ has brought to the Nigerian people. Time and again the Nigerian sad story has been about the suffering masses, not only suffering but also dying because the man at the helm of our affairs; the man that has been in total control has sadly been short on positive performance that one expects from a visionary and compassionate leader. It can be said, in a nutshell, the president who has been so blessed and opportune to lift up the fortunes of his people and move the country forward has completely failed in every sense of the word. Never mind the way and the manner he has become ‘the president’ but that since he was saddled with this great responsibility he has bungled everything and has made no positive impact whatsoever on the people whose mandate he stole [thanks to the support of our Judiciary]. And to make matters worse and confounded it seems OBJ is fighting the battle royal for his third term [never mind the publicity stunt and denials of his house boys like Femi Kayode]. What troubles me and should other right thinking Nigerians is that OBJ and his clique do not believe it had long been time for them to leave the space for others who would more than likely make positive impact and save our country from the destructive tendencies that have been the hallmark of Babasanjo’s PDP [Presidency of the Despotic President]. Obviously his lackeys do not understand that the man OBJ has outlived his productivity and it is best for our country that he goes back to Ota farm from where he was ‘dragged’ to take up leadership he was incapable of discharging.

This brings me to the well publicized, high profile family feud between OBJ and ATK, a feud that may sooner than later be extended to Babangida, Abubakar, Danjuma and other ex-military generals and political elites who played the role of imposing Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo on us. That was the infamous plot of 1999, the plot wrongly acronymed ‘northern’ when indeed the bread and butter northerners had nothing to do with it. As our ‘leaders’ the gang of collaborators believed then they could trust OBJ to do their bidding for a time and then discharge him with honors. They were able to convince or cajole the northern electorate [through devious means] that the best level headed Nigerian who should lead the new democracy was OBJ and that his second coming would actualize amends with the westerners or southerners in general and convince them that the slogan of power shift is real seeing their own is put on the saddle of leadership. The fact that this jaundiced and primitive analysis failed did not surprise me. It turned out that OBJ was the most diabolical, not to say vindictive man when it comes to ethnic cleansing. He saw that his first assignment was to pull back whatever progress the North as a region had made in the glorious years of Ahmadu Bello’s political, social and economic achievements. Today you look back with nostalgia and sadness to see what remained of the Arewa’s economic powerhouse, the NNDC; the media houses of the ubiquitous and powerful KRTV and the New Nigerian Newspapers; the education giants of Ahmadu Bello University and Kaduna Polytechnic; not to mention the Kaduna Textiles, the Hamdala, the NDA industries, the Bachita Sugar, Agricultural and Marketing Boards conglomerates with the Dala in Kano as pyramids of food sufficiency; and then the net work of roads that traversed the nooks and crannies of Northern Nigeria. Today all these historic sights are either extinct or stand as mere images of themselves. I stand bold to say the idea of making amends with the Yorubas over the MKO affair was a hoax cunningly crafted by our leaders to convince us that we owed the Yoruba people an apology over June 12, and so according to them the right thing was to shift political power from the North to the South. Frankly, it has been hard for me to digest this faulty and nonsensical argument. In a democracy the idea of one-man one vote is a universal principle and it blows my mind that Nigeria should be an exception to this golden rule of democracy. There will never be a democracy in Nigeria unless Nigerians come to grips with the truism that democratic ideals are achieved when people from all walks of life: color, ethnicity, creed, gender, and economic orientations decide freely to vote for the person of their choice in a free political environment. Therefore it behooves us to realize that political power shift was a gigantic plot for self-succession by a handful of power drunk ex-military brass and because all along they were on their own as a cabal of self interest it is immoral to associate the average northerner with the plot of the ex- army generals in 1999. The political assassinations of MKO and General Abacha were indeed continuum of the military’s integrated plot to ensure their own survival so that only those that would cause no harm would remain relevant. While MKO’s political credentials were well known, I trust the cabal had to remove General Abacha to usher in the more ‘amenable’ OBJ because General Sani Abacha had become to many of them the Achilles’ heel. It is important to understand this drama through which the whole country suffered the pains caused by the military sabotage and deception. But then what has Atiku Abubakar, the vice president, got to do with the plot? In taking the position of vice president, rather than becoming the civilian governor of Adamawa in 1999, he was able to identify where the real power was and because he was among the politicians that had aided the retired military icons [his role as one of OBJ’s financiers and diehard supporters], he was indeed considered an accomplice per excellence. That is why the current imbroglio between him and Babasanjo is a family feud. Lest I be mistaken I am not denying anyone including retired army generals, political elites, commoners or royals their constitutional right to be voted for political offices including the presidency, so long as such person(s) can shed off the military or royal toga and accept democratic not militaristic government the Obasanjo junta runs. The fight between Obasanjo and Atiku centers on power; it is not a fight over disloyalty, but one between an old and jaded man who has no problem breaking his words [he does not give a hoot to honor] and a politician waiting in the wings to become president. The duo’s fight will not break up Nigeria [as people of doom and gloom continue to speculate]; to be sure it may even strengthen it. The war is about OBJ who is desperate to continue in office, in part to cover up his filthy behind. It is no wonder the threat by Turakin Adamawa must be removed at all costs. And that is why OBJ and his bootlickers begun the campaign of calumny to demolish the vice president.

Olusegun Obasanjo claims to be waging war against corruption but it took him five years to begin his ‘war’. Contrary to what the jobbers in Asorock want the public to believe, OBJ’s ‘war on corruption’ is not sincere; it is an absolute precondition imposed on him by the West, the IMF, World Bank, the Paris Club of debtors who are sick and tired of a leader of a country that claims to be poor only because corruption remains unabated under his very nose. He has unguardedly claimed his war on corruption is going well and that the big fishes, except the biggest in Asorock have all been caught. Here is the mother of all lies: that the president has ordered his own hatchet man, Nuhu Ribadu, to take the corruption search light right into his master’s bedroom. This comes with the litany of corruption charges against Olusegun Obasanjo by Governor Kalu Orji of Abia State. The news came at the wake of the FBI’s raid of Atiku Abubakar’s choice house in Maryland under the guise of his involvement with a Louisiana legislator, Mr. William Jefferson. The FBI was tipped for the raid and it had had hoped to find some incriminating evidence of business deals between the vice president and the congressman. What was even stranger was the unsolicited response from the presidency that the raid was a private affair thereby distancing itself from the vice president’s ordeal. Obviously that smelt a rat because in my view the invasion of Atiku Abubakar’s residence could not have taken place without the blessing of the president; this is not to rule out the possibility that Ms. Jennifer, the vice president’s wife is according to the records, the owner of the house, and as such she is an ordinary citizen of the United States, and is therefore subject to its laws. All said, it was reprehensible that some paid writers on electronic print and Internet concluded, albeit hastily, that the vice president of Nigeria was an international criminal. While the Orji Kalu’s allegation is a tip in the iceberg and it was nothing new, most Nigerians believe the president is corrupt big time, and so the idea of asking his own ‘corruption czar’ to investigate OBJ’s financial misdeeds must have come to you “as a joke carried too far.” At the very least one would expect the president to ask the National Assembly investigate the matter or raise an independent commission to investigate not just the Orji Kalu’s charges of alleged improprieties but all other businesses the president owns including the Ota Farm, the Bells Institutions, the OBJ library funds and holdings, his personal and family assets in and outside Nigeria, from 1999 to date. Nothing short of this can satisfy Nigerians to believe that not only is the president sincere in his war on corruption but that he [himself] is clean. But then both the president and Nuhu Ribadu know full well that no such criminal investigation is tenable under the immunity clause of section 308 of the constitution, and so the president’s asking his personal appointee to investigate him is bunkum. It is window dressing as it is also deceitful. The vice president’s current travails have nothing to do with his ‘disloyalty’ to the president but it is a step up to dismantle whatever remains of his clout to vie for the job of the president; and to make matters worse, the vice president stated publicly [for the first time] he would not be a party to OBJ’s plot to succeed himself again. During his media chart the president rejected the statement by Atiku Abubakar that he [the president] indeed swore to him that he would quit office in 2007. This was what Mr. President had to say: “The idea of swearing, I think the vice president got it wrong there. For what reason would I swear?” He continued: “For instance I do not swear. The only swearing I have done publicly was that of depending the Nigerian constitution.” It was clear the president was speaking with both sides of his mouth. Atiku never stated that the president had sworn to him publicly, so OBJ’s defense is only self-serving. But then in the next breath, may be due to the president’s amnesia, he said: “Even when I discovered there were proven cases of doubtful loyalty on his part, I think because I wanted to resolve it between me and him, I brought a Bible and a Quran. And I said between us, let us swear because we should not have a divided house.” Wait a minute! Did I hear Mr. President say: “let us swear?” Of course double speech with OBJ is nothing new, and Mr. President, that is why Nigerians do not believe you even ‘when you give them your words.’ No, OBJ’s outburst centers on the collision course the vice president has finally taken, one that I hope will set him free from the clutches of a vindictive autocrat that has never been able to take off his military uniform even as a ‘civilian’ president. And that is why OBJ, remains a great danger to democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria.

But what advice does one have for the North? While the northern electorate and Nigerians in general watch this unfolding drama between the ambition of the vice president to succeed OBJ and the bizarre ambition of his boss to transform into a lifetime president so that he can actualize his merciless ‘economic reforms’ through NEEDS, NAPEP, and other bankrupt reform slogans, the North in particular must remain focused on its agenda to win the presidency in 2007. In this pursuit all hands must remain on deck to win over other parts of the country, including our traditional friends of the South-south because in a democracy it is foolish to believe you are the best and you can do it all alone. It is a well-known fact that nothing has worked for the North since some of our ‘northern leaders’; ex- military and political elites sold out the region when they reached the decision in 1999 to bring a dead wood into Asorock. And it is no secret that the NEEDS of Nigeria to merely survive as a nation had never been in such great peril [thanks to the political misfits in the ruling PDP]. It may be said while the president and his clique are meeting their NEEDS program that also allows him to serve his Western masters we too in Nigeria have NEEDS do away with him and his henchmen and to send him back to his chicken and hog business at least for a while before he returns to the jail again, to answer his ethnic cleansing charges and other economic misdemeanors against Nigeria. Yes for now the president can run but he will never be able to hide. My view is that the current OBJ-ATK vendetta is welcome news as it is bound to expose the skeletons the duo have kept from us even as they continue to milk us dry. May the light of day come when the two will face a real crime commission to account for their inglorious and unproductive term in office. I would disagree with Governor Attahiru Bafarawa that the two first citizens should go back to their farms in 2005. This is because by our constitution, the number two citizen can still vie for the lofty office of the president, not because he may win but because, like other candidates, he is still eligible for the office of the president unless a dint of ill luck incapacitates him before the elections. The North must begin the campaign to win the presidency and God knows the sky is the limit if our leaders take with them the masses and are able to engineer a viable and credible campaign. Even in a democracy a consensus candidate is possible from the maze of able politicians we have but we must watch and demand from our candidates integrity, skills, performance, selflessness, and above all fear of God and service to the country. In my view the Nigerian future leader in Asorock must come into the arena not because he is from the South or the North; not because a political party has zoned the office of the president to a state or politico-geographic territory; not because he is a money bag but because he is patriotic and unquestionably capable of moving our country forward again. And so let the Orji Kalus vie for the presidency; let the Bamangas, the Shinkafis, the Atikus, the Rimis, the Ogbeys, the Odilis, the Fawaheinmis, the Falaes, and yes the ex- army generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Aliyu Gusau, and a host of them vie for the presidency and may the best among them win. It is an open field and only the best among the very best should win. I simply happen to believe the North this time around has the fortunes of winning, and regardless of party affiliations our elders and electorate should seek to reconcile various contending interests to come up with the best contenders for the presidency. Herein lies the role of the ACF to advise, counsel, assist and enlighten the electorate and the candidates while the Arewa Union should do all the political calculations to get the best candidate the masses can rally behind. As the saying goes: “Once bitten twice shy.” There is reason to believe the North has learned great many lessons under the current presidency.

Let me humbly give a parting word of advice to our political leaders, especially the State Governors. It is disheartening to know that many of Your Excellencies have performed way below the expectation of your people though you have resided at the State House for more than six years now. I understand some of you indeed have nothing to show on the ground and yet you continue to receive the federal allocation each month and the story going round is that some of you have privatized such huge funds intended for the development of your States. Your Excellencies, it is also alleged that some of you have become absentee Governors and are leaving numerous services you swore to carry out undone, hence the backwardness of your States. If you want to borrow leaf from Mr. President who has spent over two years of his administration by flying air sorties across the Continents you may need credible excuses for doing so as I know you are not involved like Mr. President in chasing ‘debt relief’ and then as you all know he has not really achieved much even though he has tried to give himself credit. It is more than likely Mr. President has been pursuing his other personal businesses that we the commoners are not privy to know but they were all put under the guise of seeking ‘debt relief’. Your Excellencies, it troubles me that some of you are taking your money allocations with you whenever you undertake Overseas business trips and along with you too is the large retinue of hangers-on yet you know that mixing your personal savings or kickbacks with our allocations is not right. Yes, Your Excellencies you can spend all you want but please beware of money laundering because these days the corruption czar will not fail to set you up. Indeed the stories of Governors Dariye and Alamieyeseigha are still fresh, so take the Hausa saying to heart: “Gani da ido ya isa tsoron Allaah.” [To observe is to fear God]. Your Excellencies it is alleged that some of you have made a habit of sending numerous friends and party supporters to Makka for Hajj and Umrah [all at our expenses] under the pretext you are running a Sharee’ah State and as such magnanimity is required. You may wish to know Your Excellencies that Hajj is a requirement for only those that have the means. It is fine if you are using your own money but absolutely not if the money is withdrawn from our treasury. What about the story that some of you are behaving like Royal monarchs? Among other things, it is alleged Your Excellencies periodically round up people and distribute to them treasury bills like the Sarki would to almajiri or to his talaka. In such cases, Your Excellencies, I would rather buy them the fishing nets and show them how to fish than to do the fishing for them. Your Excellencies, if indeed the above allegations are true, how on earth can you achieve much for your people? Besides your authority is a trust from God and Islaamic Law demands that you honor it because you will surely be asked by God, Almighty, how you guarded the trust? “Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the trust to those to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice. Verily how excellent is the teaching, which He [Allaah] gives you. Truly, Allaah is Ever All-Hearer, All Seer.” [Al-Qur’aan: 4:58]. Some reported statements of the Messenger of Allaah [SAW] are also worth adhering to. He said: “A person who is appointed in authority over people, and he betrays them, will not be allowed to enter Paradise, after his death.” [Buhari and Muslim]. He also said: “For him who takes illegally what is [another] Muslim person’s due, God will make Hellfire his due and deprive him from Paradise, even if it is a small twig of arak tree.” Your Excellencies, it goes without saying that you must fear Allaah [SWT] in all your responsibilities and discharge your duties without fear or favor.

Of course one will admit, Your Excellencies, that some of you are making headway and are providing great services like education, job opportunities, health services, drinking water, power and other infrastructures for socio-economic development. A Governor that holds monthly briefing on the expenditure of his administration, its accomplishments and failures, and then allows the public and media to scrutinize his handling of their resources must be applauded for doing what is required of him under an Islaamic government. Our political leaders must henceforth come to grips with today’s social, economic, and political realities that have virtually decimated hopes and have turned our people like beggars in their own land. It is a shame and un-excusable that the North, which used to be the bread and butter basket of Nigeria and the neighboring countries can no longer feed its own people. That today the North relies on the Federal government allocations for most of its projects including the basic funds to pay its own workers is something new and unacceptable. Worse still some of our leaders hesitate to use vision and talent; ingenuity and expertise to create an environment of promise and well being for their people. Why would it be hard for our leaders to create conducive environment for agriculture that has from time beyond our memory been the economic mainstay of our people? Why is it so easy for our leaders to continue to downplay the importance of education in the North without which very little progress may be realized in all fields of endeavor, let alone the idea of catching up with the South? Yes, the number of schools from the primary to secondary schools have multiplied over the years but so have our children that are today at the cross roads and it is disingenuous that our leaders continue to use unreliable statistics to tell us they have built more schools than those built in the past. And to make it more unpalatable is the fact that today’s schools are without well trained and dedicated teachers; they are schools without classrooms and instructional materials; and they are schools without mission, without curricula and standards that have over the years become the bane and measure of successful education. Enough is enough and the North as a whole must do something drastic to bring about reforms and improvements in our schools. And judging from the money that comes to the states from the federation account, and it has been in the billions of Nairas, it is un-pardonable that Northern States continue to lag behind other States because our leaders have failed to bring education into limelight. Surely our governors, legislators, local governments and business entrepreneurs would need further to invent local resources and revenues to augment capital expenditures; they will need to build local industries as well as resuscitate those that had been allowed over the years to die an unnatural death. I trust such commendable efforts can create job opportunities for the teeming millions who are today without jobs and without hope. This is what democratic dividend is all about and we in the North do not have to be paupers or beggars in a union from which our region has the best possible potentials for leadership and greatness in all fields of endeavor.

And I would like to use this forum to wish all Muslims in Nigeria happy Ramdhaan. May Allaah [Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaah] make it easier for all of us and reward us immensely for our noble efforts and sacrifices, aamiin.

Dr. Abubakar A. Muhammad writes from the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.