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A Very Busy Man By
IF what I have been reading is correct, President Olusegun Obasanjo is responsible for the 'marginalization' of the North. He is also responsible for the marginalization of the East, and of the peoples of the Niger Delta. ...President Obasanjo is responsible for the 'marginalization' of the Afenifere; and for the turbulence and tumult within the Alliance for Democracy, of which the Afenifere is a part and which "owns" Western Nigeria, a good chunk of which especially his native Ogun State did not vote for him as President. The President is also responsible for the problems in competing arms of the Alliance. ...President Obasanjo is responsible for the schism and cataclysm within the PDP, his own ruling party. He is the author and architect of the political ruin of Salisu Buhari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives; and of Evan Enwerem and Chuba Okadigbo, former Presidents of the Senate; and for the ethical shadows and questions hanging over Ghali Umar Na'Abba, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. If what I have been reading is correct, President Obasanjo is responsible for the mess where the executive has now taken over the salaries of the nation's judges in effect, for the merger of the executive and the judiciary arms of the government. If what I am reading is correct, President Obasanjo is a very busy man, one capable of wielding powers way beyond the constitution, one that does not sleep; a conniving, ruthless, dictator that no one dares speak to. In his October 30 interview with NEWSWATCH, President Obasanjo said that if he had been surprised by anything upon assuming office, it was that things were worse than he had imagined, but that he had encountered no challenges that were unexpected. He was his true self in the interview: abrasive, impatient, and combative. You could not escape the impression that the man was determined to do well, and that he does see himself as the solution to Nigeria's problems. Despite the accusations hitting him from everywhere, I do not think that the man is mischievous, or malicious. Arrogant and naive, definitely; devious, I do not think so. As one who has offered him support, especially in his war on corruption, my worry and this frightens me is whether he is a manager. Is Obasanjo really capable of seeking genuine, sustainable responses to the issues, and does he really want the best men for the jobs? Chew on the following: First point: in view of his anti-corruption claims, NEWSWATCH asked him, in order to assess losses attributable to corruption in that organization, if he had details of how much money has been given to the National Electric Power Authority in the last 10 years. President Obasanjo's answer: "If I had to go back 10 years for every parastatal, I won't do any work for the next four years". Second point: his cabinet is littered with dead woods and faded flowers and doubtful deadbeats, men who have more quotations than contributions. To the magazine editors' questions about a change of personnel, he replied, "when I want a cabinet reshuffle, I would announce (it) but if you want a job, apply, I would consider it." Point three: regarding his "shadow cabinet" the large army of sundry "advisers" and "assistants", many of who are known to be doing nothing, he said, "advisers are advisers by name normally. They only give you advice when you ask them." I have no doubt that President Obasanjo means well, or that he had "reported for duty", or that we should give him time. The reality is that about one-third of his tenure has been been used, and there are few signs that he is laying the ground for achievement. There is nothing structured or organized about what he is doing; his government is far too ad hoc to make a serious, harmonious impact in the long-run, and he is not taking advantage of our riches of human resources. He should set clear objectives, and send after them energetic talent looking for a 'fight', men and women seeking to prove a point of achievement and character. President Obasanjo, telling people to "go to hell", flogging a man in public, wearing that "with immediate effect" aftershave, is obviously still a soldier; as a person, he is taking a lot of things for granted. In my book, he has only another year to achieve anything, because he will spend the rest of his tenure on trying to get re-elected. If he fails as a manager, that will be the proof that all of his detractors and prospective detractors need. Even his supporters will be exposed. For those who care, this is the time to worry about President Obasanjo, who can easily become a part of the problem. The writer is a Lagos based journalist |