11/12/2014
**More EXCERPTS FROM OBJ'S RECENTLY LAUNCHED BOOK - MY WATCH....Contains some ve6 revealing secrets......just take a glance!!
OBJ Bombs Jonathan, Soyinka, Atiku, Tinubu,
Chukwumerije, Alabi-Isama
Published on December 10, 2014 by pm news
On Tuesday, 9 December, at the Lagos Country Club, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo, presented his memoirs titled My
Watch. In the three – part memoirs, published by Kachifo
Limited, under its Prestige imprint, Obasanjo, in his
characteristic manner, is very acidic in his portrayals of
many prominent Nigerians. These people include President
Goodluck Jonathan, the Nobel laureate Professor Wole
Soyinka, Atiku Abukakar, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Brigadier-
General Godwin Alabi-Isama, Uche Chukwumerije, Gbenga
Daniel and a host of others.
On Goodluck Jonathan
“If the consensus Northern candidate kite had flown I
believe that, to a large extent, it would have rolled back
most of the post-civil war efforts at unity and integration,
the foundation of which had been national consensus
rather than regional, sectional, or tribal. Shagari made it to
the top not solely on the basis or support of the North but
on wide national spread. Chief Awolowo swept the South-
West and mid-West and Dr. Azikiwe the South-East, to no
avail. Better still, in 1999, I was not voted for by the
South-West, because I had maintained that I was a
Yoruba man who had transcended being a Yoruba leader.
This position irked some Yorubas who believed that I did
not embrace or extol my ‘Yorubaness’ enough. They were
right and are wrong. The bane of Nigeria since colonial
times has been our habit of relapsing into the cocoon of
tribalism at the expense of nationalism. I believe that in
the interest of the unity, oneness, greatness, development,
cohesion, and wholesomeness of our country, tribalism
should be scarified on the altar of nationalism. It is a
difficult decision to make and hold to, but it is one that
has to be made to forge a nation.
“It was in forging that national consensus that I strongly
believed that, when the opportunity presented itself for
Godluck to be supported, I neither shirked my duty nor my
responsibility. It would no longer be that a political leader
at the highest level of our nation could only come from the
North or from the major ethnic groups. If an Ijaw man
could be supported to make it, then any Nigerian can
make it. The 2011 elections have sealed that… It was
another divine intervention.
It is painful, to a great extent, to hear that some people of
the Ijaw tribe keep insulting Nigerians all across the
country, claiming that Goodluck Jonathan is their own. It is
even more painful and myopic that Goodluck himself did
not publicly put a stop to what can never be in his best
interest or that of the Ijaws for now or for the future. I, for
one, know that these two gentlemen and their ilk are
saying and doing what they are doing for personal ‘chop-
chop, without minding what really happened to Goodluck,
because when the chips are down, they will disappear or
sing a different song.
Goodluck did make the situation worse when he claimed,
when commissioning Enugu airport, that the South-East
had always supported him more than any zone in the
country. What an unfortunate statement! It was neither
good politics nor statesmanlike. But I had since come to
appreciate and understand what Goodluck called his
weaknesses, which need not be. Advertently or
inadvertently, Goodluck seems to be replacing nationalism
with Ijawism. It did not last for those who had acted in the
same way in the past. There is enough in Nigerianism for
all, but not in Ijawism. God’s positive intervention in the
affairs of Nigeria continues and I am absolutely convinced
that it will, because I see Nigeria as an unfinished work of
God, a work in progress. Project Nigeria is a project of the
Almighty God and since God never sleeps nor slumbers He
will not abandon His handwork.”
On Wole Soyinka
“Wole remains an enigma. He is many things to many
people. But to me, he is a great Nigerian, distinguished
and globally accoladed outside politics. He will not like
anybody else to outdo him as a social critic. He enjoys
being a loner and may not be happy when he cannot lead
or shine. One critic I admire for his gift is Wole Soyinka.
He is a great and talented writer, who had done all of us
proud as the first Nigerian Nobel Laureate in Literature.
I am, however, often amused by his political comments
which are almost always self-serving. For Wole, no one
can be good nor can anything be spot on politically except
that which emanates from him or is ordained by him. His
friends and loved ones will always be right and correct no
matter what they do or fail to do. I understand it has been
his character from his schooldays. In short, Wole Soyinka
is consistent, which is a good thing to know about him and
to say for him.
I, and I am not alone, find him a misfit as a political
analyst, commentator or critic. It is thus good that he did
not foray into politics. He is surely a better wine
connoisseur and a more successful aparo — hunter than a
political critic, not to talk of what he would be as a
politician. I take him seriously on almost all issues except
on the political, particularly Nigerian politics.
“Not too long ago, he joined the sober and respectable
club of octogenarians and I took the opportunity to
felicitate with him on that occasion. I have observed that
since then, Wole appears to be mellowing. I am looking
forward to his centenary on the surface of planet earth. If I
go before him, I will bid him welcome when he arrives at
the Great Beyond. I hope he would do the same if he
succeeds in getting there before me and we find ourselves
on the same side of the divide.”
Uche Chukwumerije
“Uche was described as a firebrand politico-socio critic in
his younger days. He was sincere, fearless and
uncompromising. As he grew older and the reality of life
dawned on him with the weight of family responsibility,
his pen, if not his mouth, gradually blunted and the fire in
him started to dim. He became lure-able and he who
succeeded in luring him invariably made him a tool.
Wittingly or unwittingly, he began to do the bidding of the
lurer.
“In the process, the intrepidity waned and the fearlessness
disappeared. He became called and coiled. Of course, by
going fully into politics, he lost or sacrificed not only the
fire but also the brand. The belief in some quarters is that
Uche can get his fire and brand back if the conditions are
provided. The question is: What are the conditions that will
need to be provided to firebrand Uche again?
Somebody who knows Uche very well agrees with me that
age is also catching up on him and for that rea*on, the fire
or the brand may never return. But when it lasted, Uche
was a politico-social critic of note who made tremendous
contributions before, during and after the civil war in
Nigeria. He has moved away from his pan-African
activism of younger days to a Igbo-centred focus with a
view to becoming the conscience and voice of the Igbo
nation. If a good calabash decorator is losing ground as a
result of age, he will continue to relish and live on his
past accomplishment and reputation.”
On Atiku Abubkar
“In my opinion, the transition programme began the day I
was inaugurated for the second term on May 29, 2003.
While everything from that day was geared towards
transition, I maintained that I would run the affairs of
government until my last day in office and I did. I have
never believed in the ‘sitting duck syndrome’. I believed
also that the aspirants to the office, whether in the PDP or
in other political parties, had started in earnest to oil their
machinery.
Atiku Abubakar took it to the level of obscenity. Right from
the moment we were sworn in at Eagle Square, Atiku’s
banner for 2007 was hoisted, and displayed everywhere in
the arena. I, of course, ignored it. He had showed his hand
much earlier when his marabout assured him that I would
not complete the first term before he took over. He
believed it and acted accordingly. He touted the Mandela
model, in expectation that he would take over in the
second term.
The third prank he played was trying to get Na’Abba to
impeach me. The final one before the 2003 election was
his arrangement with Alex Ekwueme to be his running
mate, and after Ekwueme had won, he would serve only
three years, and then resign for Atiku to complete the
term. As a result, they would have no competitor in the
2007 elections.
“In the morning of the day before the primary in 2003, the
BBC reported that Atiku had not decided who to support in
the primary, but he was sure that whomever he supported
would win. I went out all night visiting delegates and
campaigning till almost 6 a.m. Andy Uba kept chasing
Atiku to make another statement, but he insisted that only
on BBC would he make another statement. He was hoping
that the BBC reporter would not be located. She was
located just before dawn and Andy brought her to Atiku.
When Atiku saw that I had tilted the scale by going out the
whole night, he restated what I had given as an answer to
the question at the Adamawa delegates’ location that Atiku
would be my running mate. After the election, while Atiku
was manoeuvring and planning to put himself as the most
consummate politician for 2007 elections, I was
wholeheartedly engaged in running the affairs of
government. I totally ignored Atiku and his co-planners.
I was told that he had even prepared his list of ministers,
just as Ekwueme had prepared his acceptance speech on
the evening of the PDP primary at the Eagle Square.
Ekwueme came to the Square with two wives. But before
the counting got halfway, one of the wives left, by the end
of the counting, the second wife departed. This might have
been caused by disappointment at the high number of
votes I was getting.
“Atiku was not working on one option alone, he had the
option for 2003 and 2007. One of his schemes in
preparation for his ascension in 2007 was to get the whole
South west AD Governors to support him. Without
informing me, he went to work out a deal with the six AD
Governors. He told them that PDP would not contest
against any of them in 2003, and in 2007, they would not
present any presidential candidate, but adopt and vote for
PDP Presidential candidate which, of course, would be
Atiku.
When the news of the deal got to me, I was furious for two
rea*ons. One, such a deal to me was undemocratic, two, if
any deal would be reached at all, it must involve all the
national party leadership. I expressed my feelings to him. I
stuck to my gun that in a democracy all interested parties
must be in the field to allow the will of the people to
prevail in the choice of their leaders. We campaigned
vigorously in the South West and PDP actually won in all
the six states except that Lagos State governorship
election was stolen as it was meticulously explained to me
by an insider, R.B.T. Tinubu, the then Head of Service of
Lagos State Government.
“As I moved on with my programmes for the second term,
I had no clear indication about who would succeed me. If
Atiku had been a loyal, faithful, dutiful and committed
second-in-command, I would not have doubted. After all, I
picked him purposely for that in mind. What informed my
position was the question my Chaplain, Revd (Dr.) William
Okoye, asked in the beginning of May 2006 about who I
had anointed to succeed me, since we were almost one
year away to the election. I told him no one yet. He was
curious but he believed me. We moved on as all sorts of
clouds started to gather around Atiku if not at home,
surely in the US, with his newly acquired wife to complete
his total Nigerian husband outlook — Yoruba, Hausa,
Fulani and Igbo wives. Here, he achieved Federal
character.
In addition, he acquired indiscriminately chieftaincy titles
all over the country. By 30 May, I told Revd. Okoye, at a
morning devotion session in my residence that I wanted to
embark on one month fasting and praying in June for God
to show us PDP how to proceed in getting a successor
candidate. He joined me in the fasting and prayer with
some other members of the Red Carpet Prayer Group.
Within three weeks of our fasting and praying we received
a letter dated 22 June 2006 written by the US Department
of Justice Criminal Justice Office of International Affairs,
which was brought to me by Nuhu Ribadu, the Head of
EFCC, requesting us to investigate a number of Nigerians
for suspicion of criminal activities in the US.
“Atiku Abubakar’s name was among the names sent to us.
Up to that time, EFCC had enjoyed a close cooperation
and collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the UK
and the USA. I gave the green light to Nuhu for the
investigation as requested by the US Authorities. He
carried out the investigation and forwarded his report to
the US. The report was a bit uncomfortable and unsavoury
for Atiku and his associates. I thought it was bad enough
that the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
was under investigation for corruption, when my
Administration had made fighting corruption one of its
cardinal objectives as it turned out, the investigation in
Nigeria and in the US led to Atiku’s house being searched
by the US Bureau of Investigation, FBI, the arrest and
detention of his newly married wife, Jennifer. She was also
declared wanted at one time. It was so embarrassing for
our Administration and Embassy in Washington under
Ambassador George Obiozor.”
On Brigadier-General Godwin Alabi-Isama
“The Tragedy of Victory, which he wrote in 2013 to
criticise my book, My Command, which I wrote in 1980 to
give a personal account of my operations and exploits
during the civil war, is typical of him – clever but dubious,
unreliable, and arrogant. Following a cursory look at the
book, I realised Alabi-Isama had at least two objectives
for writing it: one, to denigrate Obasanjo and rubbish his
achievements as a military leader. Two, to try to make
money from the book as he complained that most of them
who participated in the civil war were wallowing in abject
poverty. True to his character, he wrote a book of fiction,
which he wanted people to believe as factual. If Alabi is
complaining of abject poverty, one wonders what the
families of our colleagues who died in the civil war should
be complaining of.
“Alabi-Isama’s position that the war had ended before I
got to the war front could not be supported by writings
and reports from all sides of participants and journalists
during the civil war. If the war had ended before I went to
the war front, Alabi-Isama would not have
unceremoniously withdrawn himself from the Third Marine
Commando War Front, claiming unbearable atrocities by
his own commander, my predecessor. When, on
assumption of command, I investigated rea*ons for the
unilateral and unceremonious abandonment of the war
front by Akinrinade and Isama, I found Akinrinade’s case
excusable and I called him back and appointed him my
Chief of Staff.
“Alabi-Isama saw mercantilism in participation in the war;
it was this mentality of his that partly disqualified him
from being on my team. In Alabi-Isama’s case, his
actions were an offence against military conduct and
discipline, and he was not found worthy to be a member
of my team, which
ultimately brought the war to an end. He did not change
and it was no wonder that his own course mate, Yakubu
Danjuma, as Chief of Army Staff took appropriate action to
get him out of the army as he was a bad egg.
“I have known Alabi since he was an officer cadet at the
Nigerian Military Training College, NMTC, along with
Akinrinade, Obeya, Danjuma and others. That class as a
group was fairly exemplary. At first Alabi claimed he was
from Ilorin, as he felt that saying he was from the North
would bestow some advantage for him. When that did not
work, he claimed he was from Ibadan. Being from Midwest
was his last claim and he added Isama to his name. What
is this if not fraud? As an officer, Alabi was the only one in
the military that I played a game of squash with who
cheated on the court by counting more points for himself.
What a character! Alabi’s reputation was notorious when I
took over the 3 Marine Commando. He could be in bed
with a woman and yet radio his commander to say that he
was in pursuit of the rebels.”
On Bola Ahmed Tinubu
“None of the non-PDP governors in the South-West or Edo
and Delta ever threw insults at me, except for Bola Tinubu
whose actions I see as a product of his birth, upbringing,
education and character. He set up media organisations
and bought media establishments and practitioners to
carry out his mission. Gbenga Daniel was in the same
boat as Bola Tinubu. I used to describe Bola as being
completely fake in everything except in being a human
being. However, when APC party leaders including Bola
Tinubu paid me a courtesy visit on December 22, 2013, I
did not hesitate to say that whatever view or opinion one
might hold about Bola Tinubu, (and I hold a strong one),
he was a different political animal in 2014 from the one he
was in 1999. One must give him that. I also pointed out
that he would need to mend fences and to change
tactics.”
