Dear Obasanjo...Letter From A Loved One By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
Dear Obasanjo,
No matter how annoyed
the servant cannot beat his master, but the master can and in most cases
loose his respect.
Oby I am tempted to
skip the pleasantries and hit the nail on the head especially the mood
in the land that is ravaged in blood, poverty and corruption, but I
believe that it would be rude. However for all we have shared I should
have the privilege to tell you the truth, which is why I am going
through the pains of making this letter public...You are my President,
by your theory of age and position as President, you have my respect I
do not have a choice but without the people that respect is weak. A lot
of people have written you public letters in the recent past from
Awoniyi to Audu Ogbeh although in most cases you do not adhere to the
advice in the letters and that is when you are not upset and posturizing
as God.
Away from my
introduction, my dear Oby, do you remember the day before the forces of
PDP carried you, the same forces that took brother Abacha away. do you
recall when you just left prison then you were a christian, a born again
one at that, now I almost can say you are not. Then when you spoke it
was broken with the whooping cough that you acquired in the prison but
yet we listened to you, all of us that loved you from Solomon Lar, even
Alex whom many believed would have been better than you loved you, the
Awoniyis, all stuck their gun for you, IBB provided stolen money, Daddy
Danjuma was there and what more could you have asked for. We saw in you
a uniting factor and even though Olu Falae was more sound than you we
loved you more, by 2003 you were already bad market but for one goof by
Buhari on the religious ground and your rigging machinery you won by
slides yet to be seen even in America's Florida.
People are given
second chances in life, for you, 1976 was the first, 1999 the second and
by 2003 through a stolen mandate we believed at least some good would
come out of Aso Rock, you seem to have started off well at least your
economic team seem on the road to bring succor to the way of the
ordinary Nigerian that really loves you but with days to your terminal
date a lot seems obvious...Maybe you do not know or you are too far away
from reality...
At the last Niger
Delta Council meeting, it struck me that all is coming all too late, it
was a hypocrisy filled event, in which sir, you showed the court jester
that you are, thank God that you were truthful enough to tell the
audience not to clap at nothing because that is the plain truth, the
event was just a talk-shop when the issues were still left unattended.
Your education
Minister one whom I respect has advised you to sell Unity Schools and
Oby you have kept silent, even in the face of threatened strike from
teachers you are more concerned with impeaching Dariye and dealing with
Atiku...This is no news after all how many times have we gone on strike,
how many times did you listen to us...teachers, doctors, nurses,
students, journalists, (although for selfish reasons) even Senators
threatened to go on strike.
Oby your Finance chaps
have done well with the sector but inside the players would tell you
there is more than meets the eyes...Afribank may soon be Enron, in Unity
Bank despite being the biggest merger there is a lot going on inside.
Apart from all these that can be regarded as teething problems...the
so-called benefits in that sector still remain on paper. Oby this is
unacceptable. I wont say much but I will tell you what people are afraid
to tell you and that is, your reform programme has FAILED. It may not be
a totally informed failure but in terms of percentage rating it has not
been a pass-mark and that is my church-mind.
Take heart Oby you are
not a complete failure do not mind us critics, we can be like this, we
may know the way, we may know the road but most times we cannot drive,
but Oby in corruption you have proven that a thief can catch a thief or
better that it takes a thief to catch a thief because your chief weapon
of blackmail has proved effective...a lot of Governors can tell. For all
we care, for all we say, Oby darling this has been the very root of your
successes. So never mind us, we are just jealous.
Dear President, I was
of the opinion that even if nobody voted you, two constituencies would,
the military and farmers...for the latter because you will facilitate
the availability of fertilizer, move us to the next level of farming
which is mechanized but you, not surprisingly failed. And this is one
area if you had focused on, the Nigerian for his love for food would
have loved you for life...because food prices would have been at an all
time low. Yes the former is your first bus stop, lately you have made
them happy with 206 car gifts, this is good at least they will think
twice before planning a coup, but Oby never underestimate the man with
the gun.
One thief in
government once said that telephone nay communication was for the rich
but today as poor as I am, my mother can afford one though the tariffs
are still suicidal, I can ask how...ki na lafiya and know what the
situation in the homefront is. It is to your credit, though I still
often say, the telecom companies have brought the services not your farm
nor Obasanjo Holdings, so maybe the credit is not wholly yours.
Anybody can become
angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the
right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the
right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy. My
dear Oby you have failed in anger management, you have managed the
nation in anger and it has not paid off, the citizens do not fear you,
they do not respect you. You have ruled us like an Emperor on a
conquest, you have refuse to see that even if you had the best of plans,
it would make no way if not properly executed. As an example, we know
most of your Governors have helped themselves to the pudding however
these are the men you gave green cards for their second terms, they were
your and most still your party men.
Uncle Sege like we
sometimes call you, last year you were abusing everyone on national
television, the occasion was the Presidential forum on aviation, since
that time, more crashes have occurred. Sometimes your actions betray
your naivety, you initiate programmes that only to the learned showed
that you just woke up. For all I care take it or leave, I do not hate
you, but do I love you, that is some asking, but I know that Nigerians
want affordable Sugar and Salt whether it is from Dangote or Ota Farms,
In Abuja they all want transportation whether by Okada, SUV or the
Presidential fleet.
In rural Nigeria like
the woman asked at the Niger Delta Council meeting, give them access
roads, fertilizer should not be a political franchise. Mr. President
Nigerians want portable water, constant electricity, if these and so
little garri with groundnut is made available...you will go to sleep and
the word kidnap or hostage would be alien in our vocabulary...I once
told you that if a vicinity had just 10 hours of electricity crime rate
in that community would be down by 40%, give them recreational
facilities to vent out juvenile energy and these boys and girls with a
council library would find robbery, prostitution and such vices very
repulsive.
I end this letter by
saying that I know that you wont even bother to reply me, your aides
wont mind at least I am not exposing any Cheque forged or otherwise, i
am not an Atiku's pally, I do not belong to AC, ACD, I am just nobody
but a citizen that has stakes, for those who read for you I pray they
tell you another foolish journalist, essayist is making noise..King
Solomon was said "go learn wisdom from the ants". A word is enough for
the wise, age I know has bestowed that upon you sir, use it, better late
than never. Your friend on behalf of friends that care, our membership
excludes Ojo Madueke, Ahmadu Ali, Fani Kayode, we are those whose
mandate as stolen, at least let it be used for our benefit.
A personal soul
searching visit to the Baptist church of which you profess would prick
your conscience...May Almighty Allah give your wisdom in times like
these, Nigerians are not happy. I anxiously await your reply which may
never come, at least
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