Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello had reminded us in the past that his father has no moral right to condemn his successors in office,considering that he(Obasanjo) is impervious to criticism.His intolerance of opposing viewpoint is well recorded.This is what Iyabo said a few years ago in an open letter to the father:”For you to accuse someone of what you obviously practise tells of your narcissistic megalomaniac personality”.She reminded her father,”the letter you wrote to Jonathan (referring to the letter of 2013),would you tolerate such as a sitting President?Do to others what you will allow to be done to you”. Sadly,Obasanjo is a “self-rigteous”,too-big to fail,who sees the speck in someone else’s eyes,ignoring to see the log in his own eyes.That’s why he was drowned in his presidency,unable to,and confusing his own destiny with that of Nigeria.That’s in spite of public goodwill,he ended up in a cloud of confusion. That reminds me of what his former long-time pal,(now sworn enemy)Gen.T.Y.Danjuma said of him in the Sunday Guardian interview,February 17,2008.Danjuma called him “the most toxic leader Nigeria has produced”. He also alleged that Obasanjo helped himself with the nation’s oil wealth while he was President.Again,this is what Danjuma said of him:”If we take an audit of NNPC,we will find that Obasanjo qualifies for a second term at either Yola or Maiduguri prison”.Does Obasanjo care about these criticisms from his old friends and children? You ask him. Since leaving of office,not exactly in circumstances he had wished, Obasanjo has been looking for redemption through harsh criticism of policies of the present government.For him,pilloring others have become an oxygen of publicity that makes him relevant in national discourse. Two years ago,at an event organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development,University of Ibadan(UI),in partnership with African Sustainable Network,Obasanjo walloped the younger generation of leaders in Nigeria.He dismissed them as total failure.He said they were lacking in integrity and were no role models for the future generation to emulate. Let’s put things in proper context:For sure,a lot things have given rise to serious concerns in our polity.What works for other nations has failed in our country.Leadership crisis has become one of our Achilles heels. Undoubtedly, leadership matters. It is critical,especi ally in crises times if any nation must move forward.It’s the ability to connect with the people and shape their aspirations.This is called “transference leadership”. If leadership is all about virtues and impressions and legacie,then Obasanjo is a sincere deceiver.Through out his Presidency,his conduct,his performance were never ennobling examples for the younger generation of leaders to emulate.His strong-will and willful disposition,his unforgiving spirit,his unlearning and unlearnable character,all represent the worst leadership vices ever unleashed on Nigeria.It can only be compared with the better-to- be- forgotten regime of late Gen.Sani Abacha. Two examples will suffice to buttress OBJ’s divisive tendency, lack of compassion and tolerance. In 2004, at a stakeholders’ forum towards finding solution to sectarian strife in Plateau State,Obj in a fit of anger called the then Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Yakubu Pam a “total idiot”.. For the records,Obasanjo perhaps more than any Nigerian in our recent political history had the golden chance,a holiness of second chance to make amends and develop the country and improve the welfare of the citizens.Did he improve power supply with the amount of money reportedly spent on the sector? What about corruption?Was it tackled with sincerity of purpose or slectively? This is his record:He had power but he misused it.He muzzled the followership and political foes.He squandered public trust. It needs repeating that leadership is the bane of Nigeria’s development.Which is why the reality of scale of power is often defined by the extent to which it inflences and dominates individual behaviour and conditions external to the individual who holds power.It shapes leadership as well. It makes no sense therefore when a former leader demands from others the standards he failed to embrace,Hypocrites lose their footing the very moment they hold others to the standards they couldn’t keep. That’s why we need to support the transformation agenda of the present government.It may not have an ‘A’ grade,but it has a bright chance of succeeding in an atmosphere of peace and unity of purpose.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 11:16:29 +0000
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