Governance:Nigeria Not Falling Apart As Buhari Aides Accuse Obasanjo And Some Other Politicians Of Being Envious Of Him For Providing Quality Leadership To The People

By Suleiman Umaru

Barely one week after the 82 year-old elder statesman and  former President Olusegun Obasanjo,  had accused  President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General of mismanaging the country , describing it as’’ a failed and badly divided state’’, by insisting that there is no unity,  the Presidency  has  come out to hit back at the Abeokuta born politician   describing him ‘’as Nigeria’s divider in Chief’’. 

The Katsina state born Nigerian President and and the Cabal in the  Presidency,  were said to have called on Obasanjo , now  a  Commercial farmer  at Otah, Ogun state, to stop  criticing the Buhhari led All Progressive Congress, APC, government, pleading with  him that  as an elder Statesman, who has seen all  ‘’to help in proffering  solutions  to the problems plaguing the country’’  instead of crying wolf .

The Presidency  had alluded to the fact that what the the Buhari Administration had done over the last five years’’ to promote  nation-building  and the unity of Nigeria’’, had surpassed what the Opposition People’s Democratic government did in  its sixteen years in power’’, bleeding the economy dry. The difference is clear’’, the Presidency had said.

Although,  the Daura town retired Army General and  politician, had  hits Obasanjo’s records in winning elections for the elective office of  the President of the oil-rich Nigeria for two Consecutive terms, 2015 and 2019, which qualifies him to talk back at the former President but he appeared to have remained  Calm waiting for  an opportunity to do so.

Obasanjo: A Former Nigerian President Seen As A Major critic Of The Buhari Administration

 The Otah farmer was his former Commander –In-Chief ,C –In -C , who had appointed him  as the Federal Commissioner of Petroleum Resources after serving as a former military governor of the defunct old north east state . AT present, the state, which has been turned into a region had been carved into six states : Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno and Yobe.

But the Kitchen Cabinet would not take it from the former President as they were ready to match him word for word at any point in time.This  may have informed why they took the bold initiative,  to urge him’’to sheath his sword’’ and stop criticizing Buhahari. Buhari, according to Aso Rock sources may not have  wanted to engaged the Nigerian former Leader in a war of words to avoid being  distracted in his avowed  intentions of fulfiling ihis 2019 electioneering Campaign promises of  providing  basic infrastructural facilities  like, stable power supply and good motorable roads,  portable water supply  and provision quality  healthcare facilities  that could compete  with such facilities abroad, in order to stop Nigerians from traveling abroad for medical treatment.

Aggrieved officials of the  Presidency may have described Obasanjo as an undemocratic  leader over his failed  attempts  at elongating his tenure  after spending  eight years in office as Constitutionally allowed as an elected President. This may have informed  why the  Presidency appeal to the former President  ‘’to stop mushrooming  of a poisonous  atmosphere  of ethnic  and religious nationalism’, speaks volume’.   They had said  that Buhari would never involve himself with such power elongation as a Democrat.

 They noted his  his recent advice to the Economic Community of West of African States, ECOWAS, leaders, who constitute the Authority of the Heads of State and Governments of the Sub-region’’to stick to their   Constitutionally allowed  terms in office’’ to avoid giving  room to  power hungry  soldiers to seize power by force which may draw the hand of the clock  of Democratic governance back in the region.

There is no gain saying the fact that many of  the followers of  theDaura  politician  both within and outside the country had repeatedly  described him as ‘’a very courageous  leader with rare statesmanship’’, for shunning populism   by reforming  all the critical sectors  the country’s economy’’. It is not surprising why his Aides had described  his a performer in office.

They had cited the liberalization of  the country’s investment climate and improving the country’s global market access mark access  by  implementing the reforms he had  initiated in all sectors of the economy. They may  have alluded to the deregulation of the nation’s downstream oil sector, where the Petroleum Products markers sale their products  based on the prevailing price in the International   market as a way of recouinp their investment without the government  interference and encouraging other investors into the sector.

Many believe  that the harsh economic policies which had been adopted by the Buhari government  based on the advice of the  country’s Economic Management Team led by Yemi Osibanjo, a Professor of Law and the Vice President may have drawn the attention of the world Bank as it falls in line with their policy  recommendations for Nigerian economic development to have  has listed the country’s economy under Buhari regime  ‘’as one of the best performing economies in the African Continent in the recent time’’.

 The World Bank, ranking of Nigeria’s economy may have emboldened Buhari Aides who had accused Obasanjo and  some other politicians ‘’of envying Buhari, over their inability to provide  quality leadership to the people’’, as they had allowed their lack of understanding ‘’ of the size and potentials of the country’’ to overshadow them.  

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