Jonathan Learnt From Obasanjo

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in his 18-page letter dated December 2, accused President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of incompetence, abuse of office, corruption and nation resources mismanagement.

What is more, Obasanjo blamed the current regime for the rising wave of impunity, terrorism and ethno-religious strife in the country.

Evidently, the allegation are weighty. Instead of dismissing the contents of the letter the Presidency should respond to the allegations raised therein seriatim.

In particular, the allegation that the Federal Government is setting up a Presidential Strike Force to carry out terrorist attacks on political opponents should not be swept under the carpet.

Still, it is worth mentioning that Jonathan is a faithful student of the Olusegun Obasanjo School of Politics.

While President Jonathan has been accused by General Obasanjo of diverting $7 billion from the Federation Account he (President Obasanjo) is yet to account for the over $20 billion which he diverted from the same account.

The 36 state governments sued the Federal Government over the illegal diversion of such huge public fund by President Obasanjo and the case is currently pending at the Supreme Court.

The Senate recently indicted Presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan for mismanaging the Federation Account to the tune of N1.5 trillion.

The Senate has recommended the revocation of the fraudulent privatisation of public assets carried out by President Obasanjo.

The Transcorp Hotel was bought by a sitting President through “blind trust” while the House of Representatives indicted the Obasanjo regime for spending $16 billion to generate darkness.

Does President Obasanjo know any President who used public funds to establish a private university and a presidential library through extortion of funds from government agencies and contractors? On disloyalty to the ruling party President Obasanjo defied the Supreme Court when it pronounced Senator Ararume as the gubernatorial candidate of PDP for Imo State during the “do-or-die” general election of 2007.

The imperial presidency directed PDP members to vote for the candidate of the PPA who “won” the election.

With respect to reliance on ethnic jingoists President Obasanjo deployed the likes of late Lamidi Adedibu to terrorise and intimidate innocent people in Oyo State.

President Obasanjo equally entered into an alliance with the Afenifere group to facilitate the capture of the South-West region during 2003 general election.

WhenObasanjo faced the threat of impeachment by the House of Representatives, he mobilized a faction of the Oodua Peoples Congress to threaten a break up the country.

Was Anambra State not made ungovernable by Chris Uba with presidential support? Did Obasanjo not know of governors who had killer squads?

Why were the members of the Abacha Strike Force never demobilised and disarmed by President Obasanjo?

These cases are just some among numerous ones, surrounding Obasanjo's Presidency.

Thus, does President Obasanjo have the moral right to advise President Jonathan on how to convene a national conference?

It is a well-known fact that Obasanjo too was vehemently opposed to the convocation of a national conference until he needed it for dubious political objectives.

The Political Reform Conference which he eventually convened collapsed due to the refusal of the delegates to endorse the satanic third term agenda of the President.

Strangely, the said letter  by Obasanjo contains nothing about the crises of unemployment, illiteracy, ignorance, hunger, infrastructural decay, etc. It is an intra-class feud which cannot enhance democracy in the country.

President Obasanjo has a penchant for writing letters and granting interviews on regimes which he and other power mongers had installed.

After all, instead of celebrating the hypocrisy of frustrated power mongers, the Nigerian people should take advantage of the intra-class war going on in the ruling party to get organised and take their political destiny in their own hands.