For over more than ten days now
the polity has been suffused with the verbiage of the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck
Jonathan. The president has been under pressure to respond to the issues Obasanjo
raised in his letter. mean while, it seemed the silence from the
presidency implied consent, or that the President was too dazed by the
vitriolic content of the letter to respond. But yesterday, the President broke
his worrisome silence, when he called a press conference and read out a lengthy
reply to the Ota farmer. To be just to President Jonathan, he tried to clear
the smog on some of the issues, but not without throwing some jabs here and
there at the former president. I captured some, yes, some of the details in the
response of the President. He started like this: “His Excellency Chief Olusegun
Okikiola Matthew Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
You must have wondered if I did not know what to reply you after you published
what has become your latest act of infamy, in the name of a letter titled
“Before it is Too Late” which you wrote to me. Sir, I must confess that your
letter took me unawares. As a respected Statesman, I did not expect this
unbecoming means of communicating with me, if the essence was not to play to
the gallery. The other confession I must make is that some of the issues and
accusations you made against me, were complete news to me. I have long set up
committees to investigate the accusations and the reports are already coming
in. Before I deal on the specifics of your letter, permit me to say that, Sir,
you must purge yourself of the overflowing messianic complex you have always
operated in. Yes, I had said that after God and my parents, you are the next
most important person in my life. But that did not mean you are my God or the
provider of my oxygen. When goats are sold, the owner releases the rope. But
you have chosen to hold on to the rope most tenaciously. That is the problem.
Indeed, we would have ignored you completely after your dear daughter, Dr Iyabo
Obasanjo-Bello, helped to put most of the issue in the right political
perspectives in her own letter to you. But we needed to do this for the
records. I am somewhat disappointed that you are lamenting my performance in
government. His Excellency, I am sure we would have moved at a faster pace if
the right foundation was laid while you were in charge. As for the issue of
whether or not I will seek re-election in 2015, I am bemused that you are
making a huge drama out of this even when you know I am constitutionally
permitted to seek re-election. I cannot remember the incidents of my said
promise not to seek re-election. But even if I did sir, am I not entitled to
change of mind on any issue depending on the currency of information available
to me? I do not expect you to be basing your conclusions, at your level, on the
so-called fantasy of Body language. And pray, were we not all witnesses of how
you tried to manipulate the National Assembly to offer you the illegal third
term chance? Senator Ken Nnamani is still alive. It is pure mischief powered by
uncharitable inclinations to accuse me of “double game’ in the support of
gubernatorial candidates in some states. I personally participated in the
campaigns of all our candidates. If they lost the elections, I cannot be blamed
for that, as I am resolved to distance myself from manipulating electoral
outcomes as it used to be in the past… you know what I mean You made me look
like the prince of corruption because of the ancient malaise of crude oil
theft. Sir, it did not start with me. I have tried to combat it. There are many
committees and task forces in place to check the roguery. Besides, it is even
exaggerated under me. Did you not hear that the garrulous CBN governor, who
raised the false alarm of missing $49.8 Billion has eaten the humble pie by
recanting? But sir, with all sense of modesty, this does not compare with the
degree of sleaze that characterized the PTDF scam between you and your former
Vice, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. We did not forget. We have reformed the EFCC to be
an indiscriminate fierce attack dog, unlike when it was reduced to a weapon
against enemies. As for the crisis in the PDP, we know of supposed elders who
have been fraternizing with the renegade governors, the reason they were
recalcitrant and irreconcilable. You can only force a horse to the river, you
cannot force it to drink water. These renegade governors simply refused to
drink water at the bank of reconciliation. I am a Knight of the Anglican
Church. I have never plotted to shed blood for any reason. No I have never.
Therefore, the phantom alarm of training of killers are nothing but a tale from
the mountains. Only the naïve are taken in by them. God will judge such
accusers harshly. By the Grace of Almighty God, I will finish well and strong.
My good people of Nigeria are behind me, contrary to what you may wish to
think. I have told the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu
Nasril Islam (JNI) to ensure that they announce national fasting of forty days
and forty nights to thwart all the plans of the enemies of Nigeria, no matter
who they are. That they must declare that no weapon fashioned against Nigeria,
be it from Boko Haram or whoever, will prosper. Finally, let me assure you that
the transformation agenda of my government has been attracting international
investors and in no time, the entire nation will soon become one large
construction and industrial yard. We shall all be witnesses. Please accept my
best assurances of …” Just as the President finished reading the letter to
pressmen, his spokesman, Dr Rueben Abati , looking agitated with creases on his
forehead, stepped out to co-ordinate the question and answer session, as over a
dozen hands were already up, desirous to fire follow-up questions at Mr
President. Abati was just announcing the modality of the question and answer
session, when the loud blast of a heavy duty truck woke me from my deep sleep,
as my house is by the roadside. As I sprung up, I was looking for President
Jonathan, asking breathlessly, “where is he, where is the president?”, and my
children began to ask if I was alright. It was only then I realized I have been
dreaming. **Nigeria Must Be Liberated
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