Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has challenged the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to probe him if it was keen on probing his administration, and not come after the people that served under him, once again bringing the cold war between him and his successor to the fore.
Obasanjo made this statement in Abuja on Sunday during the 50th birthday thanksgiving service in honour of former Minister of Education and Solid Minerals Development, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, which had a former Head of Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsanye and former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi in attendance.
Obasanjo said, “I have always said this, whatever you want to blame in my government, blame me; don’t blame any of those people who assisted me. If there is any credit to dispense, we share it. But for anything you want to say is wrong, I was the one in charge and I was in charge.”
Turning to the celebrant, he said, “Actually those who wanted to probe you (Ezekwesili), you should have asked them to go ahead because if they are honest, they would find out that the government should give you money for what you have done for this country without stealing money.”
Ezekwesili had recently stirred the hornet’s nest when she accused the Federal Government of squandering $67bn inherited from the Obasanjo administration, which the Presidency responded to by calling the allegation “baseless”.
Obasanjo said he had absolute trust in those that worked under him, especially as ministers.
He then Oronsaye, Agabi, a former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Charles Soludo; and ex- Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jnr., and said, “When I look at you, I thank God for making you available to serve in my administration, to serve Nigeria and serve God at the time you did.”
He however disagreed with Agabi’s earlier call at the service for the establishment of a National Commission for Integration, saying it was not necessary as he felt that the entire 1999 constitution was for integration.
“What else do you need? You have a constitution that is intended to integrate the country. You have the Federal Character Commission for instance. What is that one meant to do? It is for integration. The entire constitution is all about integrating this country. If at all we failed to use it, it can even be said that we have breached the constitution. You don’t need a commission for integration,” Obasanjo added.
He also spoke on the planned agency for pipeline protection, saying it would be another avenue for corruption.
“This (Sunday) morning, I was travelling from Abeokuta and I was listening to a radio station when I heard that they (government) are going to set up an agency for pipeline protection. Now, what are the police for? What are all the security agencies that we have doing? This is another chop chop.
For those advocating change in Nigeria, Obasanjo said they must be prepared to take insults.
“I just hope that we will get it right. We have no choice; we have to get it right. Let us decide individually that ‘I would do what I have to do to bring about change in Nigeria.’ If you do that, let me assure you, you will be called names; you will be abused; some people are hired to do that. But like Oby (Ezekwesili) say what you believe is right and stand by it.
However, the Presidency responded to Obasanjo’s comments, saying that any administration could be probed.
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak said in an interview that even the current administration was being probed regularly by the legislative arm of government.
He added, “This administration and past administrations can be probed. Nobody should be afraid of probe.”
On Obasanjo’s description of the planned pipeline protection agency as another chop chop, Gulak said as an elder statesman, Obasanjo should not just criticize government for its sake, but should proffer solutions if indeed he loves the country.
He added that since Obasanjo was not the present President, he should allow the incumbent to concentrate on his job.
“The former President is entitled to his opinion; but he is not the President. He should allow the President to do his work. People should stop making derogatory statements about the President. There is only one President in the country today and we should all support him.
“People should not just be criticizing government. As an elder statesman, if he indeed loves this country, he should proffer solutions rather than criticising.”
Some aides of the former President- Hassan Lawal, Nasir el-Rufa, Femi Fani-Kayode, and Adeyanju Bodunde – are currently being tried for various offences.
While Lawal, a former Minister of Works, is being prosecuted for N75bn fraud, el-Rufai, an ex- Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, is facing trial for irregular land allocation and abuse of office.
Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, is facing trial for money laundering while and Bodunde, a special assistant to Obasanjo, was in 2011 arraigned for his alleged involvement in the $180m Harlibutton bribery scandal.