You lack integrity Obasanjo blasts Atiku, Tinubu, Alamieyeseigha, others … He doesn’t know me well –Atiku In a seeming renewal of war, former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday lambasted his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former governors Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Lagos and Bayelsa states respectively of lacking credibility. He also took a swipe at former Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Salisu Buhari, alleging that he had no integrity. Atiku’s media office promptly replied the former president yesterday. Obasanjo described them as the younger generation of leaders who allegedly had poor performance records in terms of integrity and probity. Obasanjo, who was the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Ibadan Sustainable Development Summit, organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Ibadan (UI), in collaboration with African Sustainable Development Network said that the aforementioned are the younger generation of leaders who failed the citizens. He specifically made references to them as younger generation of leaders who have failed the citizens who trusted them. He said during his administration, “we had some people who were under 50 years old in leadership positions. One of them was James Ibori, where is he today? One of them was Alamieyeseigha, where is he today? Lucky Igbinedion, where is he today? “The youngest was the Rep Speaker, Buhari, you can still recall what happened to him. You said Bola Tinubu is your master. What Buhari did was not anything worse than what Bola Tinubu did. “We got them impeached. But in this part of the world, some people covered up the other man. The man claimed he went to Government College, Ibadan, but the governor (Oyo State) went to Government College and packed all the documents, so that they would not know that he did not go there. “I wanted someone who would succeed me, so, I took Atiku. Within a year, I started seeing the type of man Atiku was. And you want me to get him there? “I once went to Tanzania because the late president, Julius Nyerere, recognised Biafra. He told me not to mind his aides and others in government. They would say they had one house in town but their five-year-old sons and daughters had houses all over. “Some of you who are condemning the leadership would get there tomorrow and it will be a different story. Only very few are actually good. The late Gen. Sani Abacha, my predecessor got $750 million. Through our lawyer in Switzerland we recovered $1.25billion and the lawyer said there is probably still another $1billion to be recovered. In 1979, we had 20 new ships specially built for Nigeria. When I came back 20 years after, the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) had been liquidated. “The whole thing is not just about leadership. If we talk about good leadership, you should also talk about good followers. If you talk about human rights, you should also talk about human duties and obligations. “It is sad that after 53years of independence we have no leader that we can commend. Then, we are jinxed and cursed; we should all go to hell. The problem in Africa is that when one person takes over, he would not see any good thing that his predecessor did. Let us condemn, but with caution”. On ‘Leadership in Africa’s quest for sustainable development’ the former president said the topic came at a time when humanity was in search of innovative ways of managing globally-shared challenges. A discussant from the Institute of Sustainability and Peace, United Nations University, Tokyo, Dr. Obijiofor Aginam, said: “Unemployment is a bomb that has exploded and manifested itself in hunger, violent attacks, crimes and killings. In his speech, the Vice-Chancellor, UI, Prof. Isaac Adewole said: “We have not raised a question about the scenario where 35 people found it difficult to conduct credible election in this country. I have concern about how 2015 election would be”. Another discussant, Prof. Mojeed Alabi, said, “the task of leadership in Africa has been quite challenging. Africans have been so unfortunate. The question is whether our leaders wanted development or power”. Reacting to Obasanjo’s attack yesterday, Atiku’s media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: “Yes, President Obasanjo is right. He didn’t know Atiku well. It was later he got to know him as a fighter for democracy and defender of the constitution.” #THESUN
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 07:57:38 +0000
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