Obasanjo's letter: Please, cut the hand but take the message

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By Joe Igbokwe

Former President Obasanjo may not be the best hand to write a letter to President Jonathan on our State of Union judging from its antecedents, background and past records. He may not be the best hand to carry the message to President Jonathan because he was among the dubious leaders that created yesterday's problems. He may not be the right man to advise President Jonathan because his 8 years in office despite little achievements was an unmitigated disaster for Nigeria.

But nature abhors a vacuum. A friend tells me about the principle of Lacuna Alternative. It says that when a vacuum is created something must fill it. If you tell our Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed when he was the Governor of Lagos that somebody is encroaching on your oversight functions, he will tell you that when a vacuum is created in office someone would have to have to fill the gap. He will advise you to do your duty or leave others to do it.

Former President Obasanjo is filling the gap because other leaders have gone deaf and dumb. Former heads of states are pretending that all is well. In the Executive Council Meeting they are settled to keep quiet, see nothing, and hear nothing. 

Therefore I may not like Obasanjo's antecedents and character but his message is timely and direct. As former Head of State, he understands the workings of the government and he also gets privileged information even though the bearer's hands are rotten.

Open stealing of the common patrimony, lack of accountability, impunity, intimidation of opposition, weak leadership, insecurity, nepotism and gross abuse of office have been the hallmark of President Jonathan's administration. President Jonathan cannot call his wife to order, he cannot call Chief Clark to order or Asari Dokubo to order or even Alhaji Junaidu for threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria as a political entity.

People known to President Jonathan have been stealing crude oil worth billions and yet we all pretend that all is well. Some of them are planning to set up their own private universities with the stolen crude oil money.

Nigeria is not a Banana Republic. It is not a country of anything goes. It is a country where a president is seen as the president of more than 150 million and not President of a small section of the country.

President Jonathan's handlers are weak, crude, primitive, arrogant, and childish in dealing with the issues of governance. They have created more problems for the President. They have through greed and avaricious tendencies disconnected the President from the people of Nigeria.

President Obasanjo's letter to President Jonathan should be seen as a service to father land even though the messenger is defective, and his hands ugly. Former President Obasanjo's letter to President Jonathan is timely, and relevant for the good of the commonwealth. The allegations are weighty, strong and very dangerous in a fragile country like Nigeria. If Jonathan and his handlers are not managed or called to order, they can rock the boat.