OBASANJO’S YALE DECLARATION By Augustine Omilo
“In the midst of these, Chief Obasanjo who served as military head of state (1976 -1979) and civilian elected president (1999 -2007) has remained resolute in his own way of resolving the disturbing issues. Considered the best president that has so far led Nigeria, he displayed an uncommon act of economic management when he caused the debts owed by the country to be cancelled by the Paris club (one of her creditors). The leader assembled the best brains he found around, including Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Dora Akunyili, DCP Nuhu Ribadu, Professor Charles Soludo and many more who were neither politicians nor supporters of his then ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP to help steer the ship of administration out of the mucky waters of failure”.
Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, a-two-time leader of Nigeria and an outspoken elder statesman has ones again expressed his love for Nigeria. He has always been. He was one of those that laid down their lives for the continued unity and existence of the country. The Ogun state-born retired army General was religious in his followership of General Gowon’s leadership war mantra – “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”. Nigerians who equally believed in this followed up the slogan with a coinage of the “full meaning” of Gowon – Go On With One Nigeria.
Indeed, Obasanjo and his co-travelers in the journey towards a united Nigeria won the war that raged from 1967 to 1970. Nigeria’s triumph over Biafra was crowned with “no victor, no vanquish” conclusion.
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However, after 54 years of the end of the civil war and many military coup d’état aimed at correcting the ills in the nation, the numerous causes of dissentment among the people have remained visible recurring decimal in the country’s affairs management. Poor leadership has remained a monster. Corruption has continued to thrive. Ethnicity is promoted above national cohesion. And of course the love for one another amongst the federating ethnic nationalities has so diminished that coexistence uncertainties now rule the political atmosphere leading to “emilokan” as the highest qualification for emerging as a leader in the country.
His dislike of the ways President Goodluck Jonathan was handling the issue of corruption in the country led to his open support for the opposition All Progressives Alliance, APC who fielded General Mohammadu Buhari as their presidential candidate in 2015. He reportedly tore his PDP membership card and ‘vacated’ his position as the Board Of Trustees (BoT) Chairman. This and many more uninspiring actions of some prominent PDP leaders led to the defeat of the party by APC in the year’s general election.
In the midst of these, Chief Obasanjo who served as military head of state (1976 -1979) and civilian elected president (1999 -2007) has remained resolute in his own way of resolving the disturbing issues. Considered the best president that has so far led Nigeria, he displayed an uncommon act of economic management when he caused the debts owed by the country to be cancelled by the Paris club (one of her creditors). The leader assembled the best brains he found around, including Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Dora Akunyili, DCP Nuhu Ribadu, Professor Charles Soludo and many more who were neither politicians nor supporters of his then ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP to help steer the ship of administration out of the mucky waters of failure.
OBJ’s hatred for the present crop of PDP leaders notwithstanding, he has equally not pretended over the shortfalls prevalent in the APC’s leaders’ handling of the country’s leadership challenges since 2015. Even though the ruling party’s spokespersons as usual has castigated him for daring to voice out his thoughts on the state of affairs in the nation and will always oppose the man’s pattern of reasoning, the majority of the citizens have fallen in love with his ways of criticism – offering solutions alongside.
Following his usual style of showing dissatisfaction over the leadership inefficiency in the country, the former number one citizn of Africa’s most populous nation could not hide his feelings on the plight of poor vulnerable Nigerians while in far-away United States of America. He was at the Chinua Achebe’s Leadership Forum, Yale University New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Here, he delivered a key note address titled; “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”. According to Obasanjo; “the more the immorality of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, and disunity”. This declaration clearly captures the state of affairs in Nigeria which the octogenarian described as a failed nation with proofs for every sensible person in the world to see.
State capture was captured by Obasanjo as another form of corruption ravaging the land. He opined that the nation can no longer leave the selection of persons to head the electoral commission and the judiciary solely in the hands of Mr. President. One cannot agree less. As a matter of fact, there are many leadership positions that desire to be advertised for qualified and genuinely prepared Nigerians to apply for their occupation.
These sensitive determinant positions include; the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Head of Electricity generation and distribution in the country.
Further proofs of the validity of Obasanjo’s Yale declarations can found in the number of PDP-made individuals like Chief Obasanjo, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, former president Goodluck Jonathan amongst others who are still making waves locally and internationally. Whereas Jonathan and Obasanjo have been presenting papers in many fora around the world, Buhari and prominent members of APC are yet to be seen in intellectual gatherings presenting papers worthy to be referenced in critical decision taking.