Between Obasanjo, Na’Abba and patriotism
The other day, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, minced no words in describing former President Olusegun Obasanjo as one of the most corrupt Nigerians.
The venomous attack by Na’Abba at a time when the National Assembly is under public scrutiny over the 2016 budget padding saga is indicative of the fact that the Kano-born politician is yet to bury his hatchet with Obasanjo who undisputedly has left his footprints on the sands of times.
The personality clash between the duo could be traceable to the start of the 4th Republic in 1999, when the quest to enthrone the doctrine of separation of powers pitted the personalities against one another. As laudable as the campaign for the independence of the legislature, spearheaded by Na’Abba was at the time, his penchant to vent his anger whenever the opportunity presents itself against Obasanjo remains a source of concern to well meaning Nigerians.
Na’Abba’s barrage of allegations against Obasanjo, even when they are clearly unsubstantiated, has continued to leave a sour taste in the mouth of those who crave for a more united and virile Nigeria .
It is no longer news that Na’Abba is yet to regain his fame since he lost election to a relatively unknown El-Yakub in the 2003 poll. The public had expected him to maintain his cool rather than embark on a misadventure that portrays him as a drowning man trying so desperately to tear down everything in his path as a means of venting his frustrations.
The most recent one, which was widely publicized in the media, clearly exposed the level Na’Abba could condescend to in a desperate bid to drag Obasanjo’s name in the mud, as he accused him of committing various infractions during his purported tenure elongation plot and expenditure of public funds.
Na’Abba was particularly quoted by the media as stating thus: “Well, I don’t think there is anybody that is more corrupt in this country than the former president. I believe you are talking about former President Olusegun Obasanjo. As the Speaker, I took Obasanjo on various expenditure offences which he committed, which he could not defend and didn’t show any remorse. In fact, that is why sometime in 2002, the National Assembly tried to impeach him. So, he has not got the integrity to call anybody corrupt. This is a man who became the president with nothing, today he is one of the richest Nigerians. Let him explain to Nigerians how he acquired all the wealth.
“I am aware that, during the tenure elongation attempt of Obasanjo, money was shared to the members of the National Assembly. It was alleged that the senators collected N50 million, House of Representatives members collected N40 million. But, I also know that it was not all the members that collected this money. Some of them collected, some of them did not. But, I am aware that money was shared.”
Na’Abba needs to be reminded that attempting to scandalize a statesman in the mould of Obasanjo with baseless and sensationalized allegations, cannot in any way launder what is widely considered the ignoble role he played in the build up to the enactment of the controversial Onshore-Offshore Oil Dichotomy Abrogation Act when he was on the saddle as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Though Na’Abba has repeatedly distanced himself from the issue, he cannot say he was not in the know of how members of the House under his watch from 1999 to 2003 were actually lobbied and cajoled with huge amount of monies to override President Obasanjo’s well intended veto on the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy legislation.
The North, just like other nonoil bearing states of the country have since been denied billions of naira that should have accrued to it on a monthly basis by that singular act. The region, still worse hit due to fall in crude oil price in the international market, would have preferred a reinstatement of the onshore-offshore dichotomy which the 2004 Act abrogated. Even the oil bearing states that were the ultimate beneficiaries have not fared better either due to pilferage and wastefulness of the extra oil monies that have been accruing to them in the last 12 years.
The resurgence of the activities of militants in the Niger Delta, coupled with economic sabotage caused by the vandalization of oil pipelines and, worst of all, the recent threat by the Avengers to secede from the country is a reminder of the deep scar inflicted on Nigerians as a result of that moment of indiscretion mainly by the Na’Abba led House of Representatives. Till date, the agitations for resource control and fiscal federalism are yet to abate.
Na’Abba lacks the moral basis to hold anything against Obasanjo because aside the fact he orchestrated a botched attempt to impeach Obasanjo over alleged constitutional breaches in his first term on the saddle, there is yet any concrete evidence to show proof that the civil war hero enriched himself with public funds.
Notwithstanding the imperfections of Obasanjo as both an individual and as a leader, his contribution to the on-going war against corrupt practices cannot be underestimated. It was Obasanjo who in the pursuit of the objective to rid the country of corrupt practices that ensured the establishment of outfits like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent and Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Na’Abba can afford to continue to hate him, the truth still remains that it was Obasanjo’s emergence as a democratically elected President in 1999 that rescued Nigeria from the clutches of disintegration. That was the period when Nigerians of the South-West extraction felt so aggrieved as a result of the criminal annulment of the 1993 presidential poll in which the late Chief Moshood Abiola was adjudged to have won in a free and fair poll.
In his 8-year tenure as President, Obasanjo’s contribution to the economic growth of the country still remains a reference point. Before Obasanjo’s administration, Nigeria’s GDP growth had been painfully slow since 1987, and only managed 3 per cent increase between 1999 and 2000. However, under Obasanjo the growth rate doubled to 6 per cent until he left office. This nationalist ensured Nigeria’s foreign reserves rose from $2 billion in 1999 to $43 billion on leaving office in 2007.
He was also able to secure debt pardons from the Paris and London club amounting to some $18 billion and paid another $18 billion to be debt free. Most of these loans were accumulated not out of corruption but during a period 1982-1985, when Nigeria operated exchange control regime that vested all foreign exchange transactions in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Lest we forget, Obasanjo who is still offering selfless services to the country, both at home and abroad, stood firmly behind President Muhammadu Buhari and ensured that the outcome of the last 2015 poll was not manipulated to favour the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan at the time. He did that even at the risk of his life.
Today, we are still savouring the change mantra of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) , irrespective of the sacrifice that comes with it due to the immeasurable contributions of Obasanjo to the growth of democratic governance in the country. It would be in the interest of Na’Abba to desist from his mudslinging campaign against Obasanjo and join hands with well meaning Nigerians to promote unity and cohesion among Nigerians.