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.

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.