Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has accused
President Goodluck Jonathan of driving the country to the precipice and
allowing deceit, corruption and mutual distrust to tear at the fabric of the
nation.
In an eighteen-page letter entitled “Before it is too
late”, dated December 2, 2013 said, which the former president said he was
making open, upon the president’s failure to act or acknowledge earlier
letters, Obasanjo accused Jonathan of decimating the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP through his determination for a second term against earlier promises of
serving one term.
He also accused President Jonathan of spawning a support
base of ethnic militants, corrupt politicians and armed militia, all for the
personal agenda of political survivial.
President Jonathan, however, in a response to the former
president’s accusations warned aides not to speak on the matter. President
Jonathan in his response issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Rueben
Abati promised to personally respond to the former president.
Read full letter after the cut.
December
2, 2013
His
Excellency,
Dr.
Goodluck E. Jonathan, GCFR
President
and Commander-in-Chief
of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Presidential
Villa,
Asokoro,
Abuja.
Dear Mr.
President,
I am constrained to make this an open letter to you for a number of reasons.
One, the current situation and consequent possible outcome dictate that I
should, before the door closes on reason and promotion of nation interest,
alert you to the danger that may be lurking in the corner. Two, none of the
four or more letters I have written to you in the past two years or so has
elicited neither an acknowledgement nor any response.
Three, people close to
you, if not yourself, have been asking, what does Obasanjo want? Four, I could
sense a semblance between the situation that we are gradually getting into and
the situation we fell into as a nation during the Abacha era. Five, everything
must be done to guard, protect and defend our fledgling democracy, nourish it,
and prevent bloodshed. Six, we must move away from advertently or inadvertently
dividing the country along weak seams of North-South and Christian-Moslem.
Seven, nothing should be done to allow the country to degenerate into economic
dormancy, stagnation or retrogression.
Eight, some of our international friends
and development partners are genuinely worried about signs and signals that are
coming out of Nigeria. Nine, Nigeria should be in a position to take advantage
of the present favourable international interest to invest in Africa – an
opportunity that will not be open for too long. Ten, I am concerned about your
legacy and your climb-down which you alone can best be the manager of, whenever
you so decide.
Mr. President, you have on a number of occasions acknowledged the role God
enabled me to play in your ascension to power. You put me third after God and
your parents among those that have impacted most of your life. I have always
retorted that God only put you where you are and those that could be regarded
as having played a role were only instruments of God to achieve God’s purpose
in your life. For me, I believe that politically, it was in the best interest
of Nigeria that you, a Nigerian from minority group in the South could rise to
the highest pinnacle of political leadership. If Obasanjo could get there,
Yar’Adua could get there and Jonathan can get there, any Nigerian can. It is
now not a matter of the turn of any section or geographical area but the best
interest of Nigeria and all Nigerians.
It has been proved that no group –
ethnic, linguistic, religious or geographical location – has monopoly of
materials for leadership of our country. And no group solely by itself can
crown any of it members the Nigerian CEO. It is good for Nigeria. I have also
always told you that God has graciously been kind, generous, merciful and
compassionate to me and He has done more than I could have ever hoped for. I
want nothing from you personally except that you should run the affairs of
Nigeria not only to make Nigeria good, but to make Nigeria great for which I
have always pleaded with you and I will always do so. And it is yet to be done
for most Nigerians to see.
For five capacities in which you find yourself, you must hold yourself most
significantly responsible for what happens to fails to happen in Nigeria and in
any case most others will hold you responsible and God who put you there will
surely hold you responsible and accountable. I have had opportunity, in recent
times, to interact closely with you and I have come to the conclusion painfully
or happily that if you can shun yourself to a great extent of personal and
political interests and dwell more on the national interest and also draw the
line between advice from selfish and self-centered aides and advice from those
who in the interest of the nation may not tell you what you will want to hear,
it will be well.
The five positions which you share with nobody except God and
which place great and grave responsibility on you are leadership of the ruling
party, headship of the Federal Government or national government,
Commander-in-Chief of the Military, Chief Security Officer of the nation, and
the political leader of the country. Those positions go with being President of
our country and while depending on your disposition you can delegate or devolve
responsibility, but the buck must stop on your table whether you like it or
not.
Let me start with the leadership of the ruling party. Many of us were puzzled
over what was going on in the party. Most party members blamed the National
Chairman. I understand that some in the presidency tried to create the
impression that some of us were to blame.
The situation became clear only when
the National Chairman spoke out that he never did anything or acted in any way
without the approval or concurrence of the Party Leader and that where the
Party Leader disapproved, he made correction or amendment, that we realised
most actions were those of the Chairman but the motivation and direction were
those of the Leader. It would be unfair to continue to level full blames on the
Chairman for all that goes wrong with the Party. The Chairman is playing the
tune dictated by the Paymaster.
But the Paymaster is acting for a definitive
purpose for which deceit and deception seems 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 you statement. You said the same
to one other person who shared his observation with me. And only a fool would
believe that statement that you made to me judging by what is going on. I must
say that it is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue a more credible and
honourable path.
Although you have not formally informed me one way or
the other, it will be necessary to refresh your memory of what transpired in
2011. I had gone to Benue State for the marriage of one of my staff, Vitalis
Ortese, in the State. Governor Suswam was my hospitable host. He told me that
you had accepted a one-term presidency to allow for ease of getting support
across the board in the North. I decided to crosscheck with you. You did not
hesitate to confirm to me that you are a strong believer in a one-term of six
years for the President and that by the time you have used the unexpired time
of your predecessor and the four years of your first term, you would have
almost used up to six years and you would not need any more term or time.
Later, I heard from other sources including sources close to you that you made
the same commitment elsewhere, hence, my inclusion of it in my Address at the
finale of your campaign in 2011 as follows:
“…PDP should be praised for being the only
party that enshrines federal character, zoning and rotation in its Constitution
and practices it. PDP has brought stability and substantial predictability to
the polity and the system. I do not know who will be President of Nigeria after
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. That is in the hand of God. But with PDP policy and
practice, I can reasonably guess from where, in term of the section of the
country, the successor to President Jonathan will come. And no internal
democracy or competition will thereby be destroyed.
The recent resort to
sentiments and emotions of religion and regionalism is self-serving,
unpatriotic and mischievous, to say the least. It is also preying on dangerous
emotive issues that can ignite uncontrollable passion and destabilise if not
destroy our country. This is being oblivious of the sacrifices others have made
in the past for unity, stability and democracy in the Nigeria in giving up
their lives, shedding their blood, and in going to prison. I personally have
done two out of those three sacrifices and I am ready to do the third if it
will serve the best interest of Nigerian dream. Let me appeal to those who have
embarked on this dangerous road to reflect and desist from taking us on a
perishable journey. With common identity as Nigerians, there is more that binds
us than separates us.
I am a Nigerian, born a Yoruba man, and I am proud of
both identities, as they are for me complementary. Our duties, responsibilities
and obligations to our country as citizens and, indeed, as leaders must go side
by side with our rights and demands. There must be certain values and virtues
that must go concomitantly with our dream. Thomas Paine said “my country is the
world”, for me, my country I hold dear.
On two occasions, I have had opportunity to work
for my successors to the government of Nigeria. On both occasions, I never took
the easy and destabilising route of ethnic, regional or religious consideration
rather I took the enduring route of national, uniting and stabilising route. I
worked for both President Shagari and President Yar’Adua to succeed me not just
because they are Moslems, Northerners or Hausa-Fulani, but also because they
could strengthen the unity, stability and democracy in Nigeria. We incurred the
displeasure of ethnic chauvinists for doing what was right for the country.
That is in the nature of burden of leadership. A leader must lead no matter
whose ox is gored.
In the present circumstance, let me reiterate what
I have said on a number of occasions. Electing Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, in
his own right and on his own merit, as the President of Nigeria will enhance
and strengthen our unity, stability and democracy. And it will lead us towards
the achievement of our Nigerian dream.
There is press report that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
has already taken a unique and unprecedented step of declaring that he would
only want to be a one-term President. If so, whether we know it or not, that is
a sacrifice and it is statesmanlike.
Rather than vilify him and pull him down, we, as a
Party, should applaud and commend him and Nigerians should reward and venerate
him. He has taken the first good step.
Let us encourage him to take more good steps by
voting him in with landslide victory and the fourth elected President of
Nigeria on the basis of our common Nigerian identity and for the purpose of
actualizing Nigerian dream…”
When you won the election, one of the issues you
very early pursued was that one term of six years. That convinced me that you
meant what you told me before my Speech at the campaign. Mr. President,
whatever may be your intention or plan, I cannot comment much on the
constitutional aspect of your second term or what some people call third term.
That is for both legal and judicial attention. But if constitutionally you are
on a strong wicket if you so decide, it will be fatally morally flawed. As a
leader, tow 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 trust, a person of honour in his words and character. I will respect you
for upholding these attributes and for dignifying that Office.
Chinua Achebe
said, “One of the truest test of integrity is its blunt refusal to be
compromised.” It is a lesson for all leaders including you and me. However, Mr.
President, let me hope that s you claimed that you have not told anybody that
you are contesting and that what we see and hear is a rumbling of overzealous
aides, you will remain a leader that can be believed and trusted without unduly
passing the buck or engaging in game of denials.
Maybe you also need to know that many party members
feel disappointed in the double game you were alleged to play in support of
party gubernatorial candidates in some States where you surreptitiously
supported non-PDP candidates against PDP candidates in exchange for promise or
act of those non-PDP Governors supporting you for your election in the past or
for the one that you are yet to formally declare. It happened in Lagos in 2011
when Bola Tinubu was nocturnally brought to Abuja to strike a deal for support for
your personal election at great price materially and in the fortune for PDP
gubernatorial candidate.
As Chairman of BOT, I spoke to you at that time. It
happened in Ondo State where there was in addition evidence of cover-up and
non-prosecution of fraud of fake security report against the non-PDP candidate
and his collaborators for the purpose of extracting personal electoral
advantage for you. In fact, I have raised with you the story of those in other
States in the South-West where some disgruntled PDP members were going around
to recruit people into the Labour Party for you, because for electoral purpose
ta the national level, Labour part will have no candidate but you. It also
happened in Edo State and those who know the detail never stopped talking about
it. And you know it. Ditto in Anambra State with the fiasco coming from undue
interference. If you as a leader of the Party cannot be seen to be loyal to the
PDP in support of the candidates of the Party and the interest of such Pasrty
candidates have to be sacrificed on the altar of your personal and political
interest, then good luck to the Party and I will also say as I have had
occasions to say in the past, good luck to Goodluck.
If on the altar of the
Party you go for broke, the Party may be broken beyond repairs. And when in a
dispute between two sides, they both stubbornly decide to fight to the last
drop of blood, no one knows whose blood would be the last to drop. In such a
situation, Nigeria as a nation may also be adversely affected, not just the
PDP. I wish to see no more bloodshed occasioned by politics in Nigeria. Please,
Mr. President, be mindful of that. You were exemplary in words when during the
campaign and the 2011 elections you said, “My election is not worth spilling
the blood of any Nigerian.” From you, it should not be if it has to be, let it
be. It should be from you, let peace, security, harmony, good governance,
development and progress be for Nigeria. That is also your responsibility and
mandate.
You can do it and I plead that you do it. We all have to be mindful of
not securing Pyrrhic victory on the ashes of great values, attributes and
issues that matter, as it would amount to hollow victory without honour or
integrity.
Whatever may be the feud in PDP and no matter what
you or your aides may feel, you, as the Party Leader, have the responsibility
to find solution, resolve and fix it. Your legacy is involved. If PDP as a
ruling Party collapses, it will be the first time in an independent Nigeria
that a ruling political party would collapse not as a result of a military
coup. It is food for thought. At the prompting of Governors on both sides o the
divide, and on encouragement from you, I spent two nights to intervene in the
dispute of the PDP Governors. I kept you fully briefed at every stage.
I
deliberately chose Banquet Hall at the Villa to ensure transparency. Your aides
studied all the recordings of the two nights. But I told you at the end of the
exercise that I observed five reactions among the Governor that required your immediate
attention as you are the only one from the vantage point of your five positions
that could deal effectively with the give reactions which were bitterness,
anger, mistrust, fear and deep suspicion. I could only hope that you made
efforts to deal with these unpleasant reactions. The feud leading to the
factionalisation of the Party made me to invite some select elders of the Party
to mediate again. Since I was engage din assignment outside the country, I was
not able to join the three members of the elders group that presented the
report of our mediation to you.
I was briefed that you agreed to work on the
report. It would appear that for now, the ball is in your court and the Leader
of the Party. I can only wish you every success in your handling of the issue.
But time is not your friend nor that of the Party is this respect. With
leadership come not just power and authority to do and to undo, but also
responsibility and accountability to do and undo rightly, well and justly.
Time
and opportunity are a treasure that must be appreciated and shared to enhance
their value and utilitarianism.
It is instructive that after half a dozen African
Presidents have spoken to me to help you with unifying the Party based on your
request to them and I came in company of Senator Ahmadu Ali to discuss the
whole issue with you again, strangely, you denied ever requesting or
authorising any President to talk to me. I was not surprise because I am used
to such a situation of denial coming from you. Of course, I was not deterred. I
have done and I will continue to do and say what is first, in the best interest
f Nigerian and second, what is in the best interest of the Party. I stand for
the aim, objectives, mission and vision of the founding fathers of the Party,
to use it as a wholesome instrument of unity, good governance, development,
prosperity and progress of Nigeria and all Nigerians.
I have contributed to
this goal in the past and no one who has been raised to position on the
platform of the Party should shy away from further contribution to avoid
division and destruction of the Party any altar whatsoever.
Debates and dialogues are necessary to promote the
interest and work for the progress of any human institution or organisation. In
such a situation, agreements and disagreements will occur but in the final
analysis, leadership will pursue the course of action that benefit the majority
and serve the purpose of the organization, not the purpose of an individual or
a minority. In that process, unity is sustained and everybody becomes a winner.
The so-called crisis in the PDP can be turned to an opportunity of unity,
mutual understanding and respect with the Party emerging with enhanced strength
and victory. It will be a win-win for all members of the Party and for the country.
By that, PDP would have proved that it could have internal disagreement and
emerge stronger.
The calamity of failure can still be avoided. Please, move
away from fringes or the extremes and move to the centre and carry ALL along.
Time is running out.
I will only state that as far as your responsibility as Chief Security Officer
of the nation is concerned for Nigerians, a lot more needs to be done to
enhance the feeling of security amongst them. Whether one talks of the issue of
militancy in the Niger Delta, the underlying causes of which have not been
adequately addressed, if addressed at all, kidnapping, piracy, abductions and
armed robberies which rather than abate are on the increase and Boko Haram
which requires carrot and stick approach to lay its ghost to rest, the general
security situation cannot be described as comforting.
Knowing the genesis of
Boko Haram and the reasons for escalation of violence from that sector with the
widespread and ramification of the menace of Boko Haram within and outside the
Nigerian borders, conventional military actions based on standard phases of
military operations alone will not permanently and effectively deal with the
issue of Boko Haram. There are many strand or layers of causes that require
different solutions, approaches or antidotes. Drug, indoctrination,
fundamentalism, gun trafficking, hate culture, human trafficking, money
laundering, religion, poverty, unemployment, poor education, revenge and
international terrorism are among factors that have effect on Boko Haram.
One
single prescription cannot cure all these ailments that combine in Boko Haram.
Should we pursue war against violence without understanding the root causes of
the violence and applying solutions to deal with all underlying factors – root,
stem and branches? Nigeria is bleeding and the hemorrhage must be stopped. I am
convinced that you can initiate measures that will bring all hands on deck to
deal effectively with this great menace.
Mr President, the most important qualification for your present position is
your being a Nigerian. Whatever else you may be besides being a Nigerian is
only secondary for this purpose. And if majority of Nigerians who voted had not
cast their votes for you, you could not have been there. 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 a 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. You know that I have expressed my views
and feelings to you on this issue in the past but I have come to realize that
many others feel the way I have earlier expressed to you. It is not the best
way of making friendship among all sections of Nigeria.
You don’t have shared
and wholesome society without inclusive political, economic and social
sustainable development and good governance. Also declaring that one section of
the country votes for you as if you got no votes from other sections can only
be an unnecessary talk, to put it mildly. After all and at the end of the day,
democracy is a game of numbers. Even, if you would not need people’s vote
across the country again, your political Party will.
Allegation of keeping over 1000 people on political watch list rather than
criminal or security 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 own killers, if it is
true, it cannot augur well for the initiator, the government and the people of
Nigeria.
Here again, there is the lesson of history to learn from for anybody
who cares to learn from history. Mr. President would always remember that he
was elected to maintain security for all Nigerians and protect them. And no one
should prepare to kill or maim Nigerians for personal or political ambition or
interest of anyone. The Yoruba adage says, “The man with whose head coconut is
broken may not live to savour the taste of the succulent fruit.”
Those who
advise you to go hard on those who oppose you are your worst enemies.
Democratic politics admits and is permissive of supporters and opponents. When
the consequences come, those who have wrongly advised you will not be there to
help carry the can. Egypt must teach some lesson.
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 this victim. Assisting criminals to evade justice
cannot be part of the job of the presidency. Or, as it is viewed 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.
As Head of Government, the buck of the performance and non-performance stops at
your table and let nobody tell you anything to the contrary. Most of our
friends and development partners are worried and they see what we pretend to
cover up. They are worried about issue of security internally and on our
coastal waters including heavy oil theft, alias bunkering and piracy.
They are
worried about corruption and what we are doing or not doing about it.
Corruption has reached the level of impunity. It is also necessary to be
mindful that corruption and injustice are fertile breeding ground for terrorism
and political instability. And if you are not ready to name, shame, prosecute
and stoutly fight against corruption, whatever you do will be hollow. It will
be a laughing matter.
They are worried about how we play our role in our region
and indeed the world. In a way, I share some of their concerns because there
are notable areas where we can do more or do better than we are doing. Some of
our development partners were politically frustrated to withdrw from Olokola
LNG project which happily was not yet the same with Brass. I initiated them
both. They were viable and would have taken us close to Qatar as LNG producing
country.
Please do not frustrate Brass LNG and in the interest of what is best
for Nigerian economy, bring back OK LNG into active implementation The major
international oil companies have withheld investment in projects in Nigeria. If
they have not completely moved out, they are disinvesting. Nigeria, which is
the Saudi of Africa in oil and gas terms, is being overtaken by Angola only
because necessary decisions are not being made timely and appropriately. Mr.
President, let me again plead with you to be decisive on the oil and gas sector
so that Nigeria may not lag behind.
Oil with gas is being discovered all over
Africa, New technology is producing oil from shale elsewhere. We should make
hay while the sun shines. I hope we can still save OK and Brass LNG projects.
Three things are imperative in the oil and gas sector – stop oil stealing,
encourage investment especially by the IOC’s and improve the present poor
management of the industry. On the economy generally, it suffices to say that
we could do better than we are doing. The signs are there and the expectations
are high. The most dangerous ticking bomb is youth unemployment particularly in
the face of unbridled corruption and obscene rulers’ opulence.
Let me repeat that as far as the issue of corruption, security and oil stealing
is concerned, it is only apt to say that when the guard becomes the thief,
nothing is safe, secure or protected in the house. We must all remember that
corruption, inequity and injustice breed poverty, unemployment, conflict,
violence and wittingly or unwittingly create terrorist because the opulence of
the governor can only lead to the leanness of the governed. But God never
sleeps; He is watching, waiting and bidding His time to dispense justice.
The serious and strong allegation of non-remitting of about $7 billion from
NNPC to Central Bank occurring from export of some 300,000 barrels per day,
amounting to $900 million a month, to be refined and with refined products of
only $400 million returned and Atlantic Oil loading about 130,000 barrels sold
by Shell and managed on behalf on NPDC with no sale proceeds paid into NPDC
account is incredible. The letter of Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria to you
on non-remittance to Central Bank buttressed the allegation. This allegation
will not fly away by non-action, cover-up, denial or bribing possible
investigators. Please deal with this allegation transparently and let the truth
be known.
The dramatis personae in this allegation and whom
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 hight corruption, which seems to stink all
around you in your government.
The international community knows us as we are and maybe more than we claim to
know ourselves. And a good friend will tell you the truth no matter how bitter.
Denials and cover-up of what is obvious, true and factual can detract from
honour, dignity and respect. Truth and transparency dignify and earn respect.
And life without passion for something can only achieve little.
I was taken
aback when an African Development Bank Director informed me that the Federal
Government is putting the water project for Port Harcourt originally initiated
by the Federal Government to be financed by the bank, in the cooler since the
Amaechi-Jonathan face-off. Amaechi, whether he likes it or not, will cease to
be Governor over Rivers State which Port-Harcourt will continue to need
improvement of their water supply.
President Jonathan should rise above such
pettiness and unpresidential act, if it is coming from him. But if not, and it
is the action of overzealous officials reading the situation, he should give
appropriate instruction for the project to be pursued. And if there are other
projects anywhere suffering the same coolness as a result of similar situation,
let national interest supersede personal or political feud and the machinations
of satanic officials.
Mr. President, let me plead with you for a few things that will stand you in
good stead for the rest of your life. Don’t always consider critics on national
issues as enemies. Some of them may be as patriotic and nationalistic as you
and I who had been in government. Some of them have as much passion for Nigeria
as we have. I saw that among Nigerians living abroad, hence, I initiated
Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO. You must also differentiate between
malevolent, mischievous and objective criticism. Analyses, criticisms and
commentaries on government actions and policies are sinew of democracy. Please,
Mr. President, be very wary of assistants, aides and collaborators who look for
enemies for you. I
have seen them with you and some were around me when I was
in your position. I knew how not to allow them create enemies for me. If you
allow them, everybody except them will be your enemy. They are more dangerous
than identified adversaries. May God save leaders from sycophants. They know
what you want to hear to hear and they fee you with it essentially for their
own selfish interest.
As far as you and Nigeria are concerned, they are
wreckers. Where were they when God used others to achieve God’s will in your
life. They possess you now for their interest. No interest should be higher or
more important than Nigerian interest to you. You have already made history and
please do nothing to mar history. I supported you as I supported Yar’Adua. For
me, there is neither North-South divide nor Christian-Moslem divide but one
Nigeria.
Let me put it, that talks, loose and serious, abound about possible abuse and
misuse of the military and legitimate security apparatus for unwholesome
personal and political interest to the detriment of the honour, dignity, oath
and professionalism of these honourable and patriotic forces. Let me urge
authorities not to embark on such destructive path for an important element of
our national make-up. The roles of the military and the security agencies
should be held sacrosanct in the best interest of the nation. Again, let not
history repeat itself here.
I believe that with what Nigerian has gone through in the past, the worst
should have already happened. It must be your responsibility as the captain of
the ship to prevent the ship from going aground or from a shipwreck. For
anybody close to you saying that if the worst happens, he or she would not be
involved is an idle and loose talk. If we leave God to do His will and we don’t
rely only on our own efforts, plans and wisdom, God will always do His best.
And the power of money and belief in it is satanically tempting. As I go around
Nigeria and the world, I always come across Nigerians who are first-class
citizens of the world and who are doing well where they are and who are
passionate to do well for Nigeria. My hope for our country lies in these
people. They abound and I hope that all of us will realize that they are the
jewels of Nigeria wherever they may be and not those who arrogate to themselves
eternal for ephemeral.
Also to my embarrassment at times, I learned more about what is going on in the
public and private sectors of Nigeria from our development partners,
international institutions and those transacting business in Nigerian most
times I was abroad. On returning home to verify the veracity of these stories,
I found some of them not only to be true but more horrifying than they were
presented abroad. Other countries look up to Nigeria for regional leadership.
Failure on the part of Nigeria will create a schism that will be bad for the
region.
Knowing what happens around you most of which you know of and condone or deny,
this letter will provoke 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.
If I stuck out my neck and God used me and others as instrumetns to
work hard for you to reach where you are today in what I considered the best
political interest of Nigeria, tagging me as your enemy or the enemy of your
administration by you, you kin or your aides can only be regarded as ridiculous
to extreme, If I see any danger to your life, I will point it out to you or
ward it off as I have done in the past. But, I will not support what I believe
is not in the best interest of Nigeria, no matter who is putting it forward or
who is behind it. Mr. President, I have passed the stage of being flattered, intimidated,
threatened, frightened, induced or bought. I am never afraid to agree or
disagree but it will always be on principles, and if on politics, in the
national interest. After my prison experience in the close proximity of and
sharing facilities with an asylum in Yola, there is nothing worse for anyone
alive and well. And that was for a military dictator to pertuate himself in
power. Death is the end of all human beings and may it come when God wills it
to come.
The harassment of my relations and friends and innuendo that are
coming from the Government security apparatus on whether they belong to new PDP
or supporters of defected Governors and which are possibly authorized or are
the work of overzealous aides and those reading your lips to act in your interest
will be counter-productive. It is abuse of security apparatus. Such abuse took
place last in the time of Abacha. Lies and untruths about me emanating from the
presidency is too absurd to contemplate. Saying that I recommend a wanted
criminal by UK and USA authorities to you or your aides to supplant
legitimately elected PDP leader in South-West is not only unwise and crude but
also disingenuous.
Nobody in his or her right senses will believe such a story
and surely nobody in Ogun State or South-West zone will believe such nonsense.
It is a clear indication of how unscrupulous and unethical the presidency can
go to pursue your personal and political interest. Nothing else matters. What a
pity! Nothing at this stage of my life would prevent me from standing for
whatever I consider to be in the best interest of Nigeria – all Nigeria, Africa
and the world in that order.
I believe strongly that a united and strong PDP at
all costs is in the best interest of Nigeria. In these respects, if our
interests and views coincide, together we will march. Putting a certified
unashamed criminal wanted abroad to face justice and who has greatly
contributed to corruption within the judiciary on a high profile of politics as
you and your aides have done with the man you enthrone as PDP Zonal leader in
the South-West is the height of disservice to this country politically and
height of insult to the people of South-West in general and members of PDP in
that zone in particular. For me, my politics goes with principles and morality
and I will not be a party to highly profiling criminals in politics, not to say
one would be my zonal leader. It destroys what PDP stands for from its
inception.
By the government not acting positively and promptly in the case of
Buruji Kashamu wanted in the US for drug trafficking and money laundering
crimes, it is only confirming the persistent reports of complicity or
involvement of high-level political figures in drug trafficking and condonation
of the crime for political benefit. Whichever way, it is a very dangerous
development for Nigeria. Sooner or later, drug barons will be in control of
large real estates, banks and other seemingly legitimate businesses; in
elections they will buy candidates, parties and eventually buy power or be in
power themselves. It may be instructive if I quote fairly extensively from
Lansana Gberie’s recent paper titled, ‘State Officials and Their Involvement in
Drug Trafficking in West Africa”:
“… The controversial and puzzling case of Buruji
Kashamu, a powerful figure in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
suggests that a successful and wealthy politician’s association with drug
trafficking is hardly disabling. Kashamu was indicted by a grand jury in the
Northern District of Illinois in 1998 for conspiracy to import and distribute
heroin to the United States. The indictment named him under his own name as
well as two supposed aliases: ‘Alaji’ and ‘Kasmal’.
His whereabouts were
unknown at the time, however, and his co-accused were tried and convicted.
Later that year, he was found living comfortably in England, and, on receipt of
an extradition request from the US, the UK authorities arrested Kashamu. After
a very protracted proceeding lasting until 2003, however, an English Judge
refused to extradite Kashamu on grounds of uncertainty about his true identity.
Kashamu triumphantly returned to Nigeria and soon after became a key political
figure. He is now believed to be very close to President Goodluck Jonathan,
because of his ability to mobilise votes in key States in Western Nigeria. The
US government reviewed Kashamu’s case, with the famous Judge Richard Posner
presiding. Posner concluded that while Kashamu’s identity remains murky, there
is little doubt that the figure now exercising authority in Nigeria’s PDP is
the same as Kashamu the ‘Alaji’ who was indicted for conspiracy to smuggle
illicit drugs into the United States.
Despite this, the Nigerian government has
persistently ignored calls by civil society groups to investigate Kashamu and
extradite him to the US. On 2 July 2013, the Federal Court in Lagos determined
that Kashamu should be extradited to the US. KAshamu immediately appealed
against this decision, yet in November 2013, a new Panel of Judges constituted
by the President of the Court of Appeal unanimously held that his appeal lacked
merit, and that Kashamu should be extradited. His extradition to the United
States will certainly set an important precedent… unless, of course, he uses
his political skills and contacts to continue avoiding it…”
God is never a supporter of evil and will surely
save PDP and Nigeria from the hands of destroyers. If everything fails and the
Party cannot be retrieved from the hands of criminals and commercial jobbers
and discredited touts, men and women of honour, principles, morality and
integrity must step aside to rethink.
Let me also appeal to and urge defected,
dissatisfied, disgruntled and in any way displeased PDP Governors, legislators,
party officials and party members to respond positively if the President
seriously takes the initiative to find mutually agreeable solution to the
current problems for which he alone has the key and the initiative. I have
heard it said particularly within the presidency circle that the disaffected
Governors and members of PDP are my children. I begin to wonder if, from top to
bottom, any PDP member in elective office today is not directly or indirectly a
beneficiary and, so to say, my political child. Anyone who may claim otherwise
will be like a river that has forgotten its source. But like a good father, all
I seek is peaceful and amicable solution that will re-unite the family for
victory and progress of the family and the nation and nothing else.
In a democracy, leaders are elected to lighten the burden of the people, give them
freedom, choice and equity and ensure good governance and not to deceive them,
burden them, oppress them, render them hopeless and helpless. Nothing should be
done to undermine the tenets, and values of democratic principles and practice.
Tyranny in all its manifestation may be appealing to leader in trying times of
political feud or disagreement. Democracy must, however, prevail and be held as
sacrosanct. Today, you are the Present of Nigeria, I acknowledge you and
respect you as such.
The act of an individual has a way of rubbing off on the generality. May it
never be the wish of majority of Nigerians that Goodluck Jonathan, by his acts
of omission and commission, would be the first and last Nigerian President ever
to come from Ijaw tribe. The idea and the possibility must give all of us food
for thought. That was never what I worked for and that would never be what I
will work for. But legacy is made of such or the opposite.
My last piece of advice, Mr. President, is that you should learn the lesson of
history and please do not take Nigeria and Nigerians for granted. Move away
from culture of denials, cover-ups and proxies and deal honesty, sincerely,
transparently with Nigerians to regain their trust and confidence. Nigerians are
no fools, they can see, they can hear, the can talk among themselves, they can
think, they can compare and they can act in the interest of their country and
in their own self-interest. They keenly watch all actions and deeds that are
associated with you if they cannot believe your words. I know you have the
power to save PDP and the country. I beg you to have the courage and the will
with patriotism to use the power for the good of the country. Please uphold
some form of national core values. I will appeal to all Nigerians particularly
all members of PDP to respect and dignify the Office of the President. We must
all know that individuals will come and go but the Office will remain.
Once again, time is of the essence. Investors are already retreating from
Nigeria, adopting ‘wait and see attitude’ and knowing what we are deficient of,
it will take time to reverse the trend and may miss some golden opportunities.
Accept, Dear Mr. President, the assurance of my
highest consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Olusegun
Obasanjo
PS
I crave your indulgence to share the contents of
this letter, in the first instance, with General Ibrahim Babangida and General
Abdulsalami Abubakar, who, on a number of occasions in recent times, have
shared with me their agonizing thoughts, concerns and expressions on most of
the issues I have raised in this letter concerning the situation and future of
our country. I also crave your indulgence to share the content with General
Yakubu Danjuma and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, whose concerns for and commitments to the
good of Nigeria have been known to be strong. The limit of sharing of the
contents may be extended as time goes on.
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