OLUSEGUN OBASANJO LIKE JAY-JAY OKOCHA

Former President Olusegun Aremu Baba-Iyabo Obasanjo is a gamer – a brilliant one, for that matter. He will apparently make a fantastic dribbler if availed the role of a central midfielder on the football pitch. He knows how to manoeuvre his ways to penetrate the opponents and parley his peers. He can play the forward role smartly and discharge the defensive function cleverly. Baba Iyabo knows how to support a cause to retain and refresh his relevance as an unavoidable, indispensable kingmaker. But when the ships are down, he knows how to cleverly exonerate himself. The former president may be physically corpulent; he is indeed a good runaway.

Mr Ex-presido should be admired for his writing skill. He knows how to put words together to drive home his points. He is a fabulous letter-writer and a fantabulous book author. The last one would be his second in less than five years. The one he wrote to shell the last-incumbent still lives on in the indelible memories of the Nigerian people, and of course, the international community.
Chief Aremu dared the PDP to prove his support for Buhari’s campaign. He did so by daringly tearing his membership card in the open. That was unprecedented in the political history of the African race, if not the world. Oloye Aremu is such an unlucky anointer. He has never supported a president without a reason to fight and bite him later – in the open.

While leaving the Aso Villa in 2007 when his covetous third-term agenda could not thrive, he successfully anointed an invalid to succeed him. He knew for sure that Umaru Musa Yar’adua was an invalid, but only God knew why he chose him, perhaps he wanted a dogma who could be pushed around to do his biddings and cravings. The take of destiny played out on the anointed, and in less than two years, he was called to the next life. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannah.

Daddy Iyabo was faced with the storms of zoning when he chose to anoint a figure from the South-south. He did whither the storm with the emergence of Mr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. One thing led to the other, the new-anointed found a better father in Chief Edwin Clarke – a fellow kinsman. Just a year into the last presidential election, Chief Obasanjo put up an open letter to his deviant, derailed ‘anointee’ raising several issues of concern. Muhammadu Buhari who had once worked with Olusegun Obasanjo during the military days was not anointed but supported by the chief anointer. He did so by daringly tearing up his PDP membership card before newsmen. As usual, an open letter had been written by the former president alleging that the man he claimed was the best for the nation actually has no knowledge of how to run an economy, hence the reason for the current woes in the country. This is why I called Baba Iyabo a smart, clever dribbler. He knows how to move back and forth on the same spot like Jay-jay.

Chief Aremu’s letter has obviously opened door of lampooning, antagonism to the wailing haters of the Buhari-led administration. For me, this is cheap blackmail. The administration might have erred in certain areas of concern. But that is not a justification for those who ruined this country to nothing – including the letter-writer – to run their mouths loquaciously as though the country was well-managed when they had the baton in their hands. Even if it will not be APC in 2019, it will definitely not be PDP – forever!

Daddy Obasanjo ruined this country for eight years. Yar’adua, on health grounds, could not manage it well for two years. The doctor without dexterity, Mr Jonathan murdered the economy for another six years. All the sixteen years, apparently, under the PDP – Poor Demagoguery Party. Mr Buhari under the APC took over in less than three years, wailings are much tougher than they were in the wasted years of the PDP. What hypocrisy!

No doubt, Mr President needs to up his leadership game. Nigerians cannot afford another sixteen years of wasteful governance – poverty, bad economy, insurgency, poor education, insecurity etc. We do acknowledge that a lot of damage had been done since the start of the last democratic regime. What we do want is an accelerated remedy, hence our reason for unseating the last-incumbent. Enough of excuse; we want remarkable, formidable and appreciable actions.

2019 is a distraction like Alhaji Lai Muhammed had noted in his very brainy, mature reply to daddy Iyabo’s letter. We love the president. But it is not a must that he seeks a re-election. All we need is someone like or better than him. We are too many in Nigeria to be short of figures of impeccable integrity like Buhari. I don’t believe that. Ask if you don’t know how and where to get them. Seek help from Mr Jagabon – how he fished out Fashola and Ambode for the Lagos nation.