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Tag: Obasanjo

  • Nasir El-Rufai Voices Concerns About Returning as Minister

    Nasir El-Rufai Voices Concerns About Returning as Minister

    By Daniel Edu

    Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed his reservations about returning as a minister at his current age. In an old video where he was discussing with unidentified individuals, El-Rufai stated that it would be unfair for him to become a minister again after a 20-year gap.

    He recalled that he became a minister of the Federal Capital Territory at the age of 43 during the administration of President Obasanjo. However, now at the age of 63, he believes it would be more appropriate for younger individuals, including his children and younger brothers, to have the opportunity to serve as ministers.

    El-Rufai emphasized the importance of grooming and training younger generations to succeed in various roles. He asserted that he has mentored many capable individuals who are well-prepared to assume leadership positions.

    Although El-Rufai’s name is on the ministerial list forwarded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the National Assembly for screening, he has raised concerns about the prospect of returning to the ministerial position at this stage in his life.

    The video of his statements is currently circulating on social media, sparking discussions about age, succession planning, and leadership development in politics.

  • Court Orders Govts of Past Presidents To Account For $5bn Abacha Loot

    Court Orders Govts of Past Presidents To Account For $5bn Abacha Loot

    Justice Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari to give an account of the $5 billion Abacha loot so far recovered.

    Vanguard reports that in a judgment delivered last week in a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2020, filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the court ordered the government of President Bola Tinubu to “disclose the exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same by the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari.”

    Justice Omotosho held that;

    “In the final analysis, the application by SERAP is meritorious and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance is hereby ordered to furnish SERAP with the full spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot within 7 days of this judgment.”

    Justice Omotosho ordered the government to “disclose details of the projects executed with the Abacha loot, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects since the return of democracy in 1999 till date.” The judge also ordered the government to “disclose details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot under the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari.”

    Justice Omotosho also stated that

    “The excuse by the Minister of Finance is that the Ministry has searched its records and the details of the exact public funds stolen by Abacha and how the funds have been spent are not held by the Ministry. The excuse has no leg to stand in view of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act.”

    Justice Omotosho dismissed all the objections raised by the Federal Government and upheld SERAP’s arguments. Consequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the Federal Government.

    The judgment in part reads

    “The failure of the Minister of Finance to write to SERAP informing it of where the said information exists or to transfer the request to public office who has custody of such information is fatal to their case under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

    The Ministry cannot use a blanket statement that it was not in possession of the said records of about $5bn Abacha loot sought by SERAP. The government failed to provide details of the projects executed with the money. It also failed to provide locations of the projects and the names of the companies and contractors that carried out or are carrying out the projects funded with the money.

    I hold that by the clear wordings of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, access to information about spending details of $5bn Abacha loot was denied SERAP by the Federal Government.”

    The Federal Government had filed a 14 paragraph Counter Affidavit deposed to by Abah Sunday, Litigation Officer in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation argued that SERAP’s suit is frivolous, as it has not shown that the government denied it the information it seeks.

    The Federal Government has also stated that SERAP has not established sufficient interest in its application. The government urged the Court to dismiss the suit. For the sake of emphasis, possession of locus standi has been the bane of the citizens’ advocates, in the public interest litigation, to query transparency and accountability in governance in Nigeria.

    In a democratic dispensation, such as in Nigeria, the citizens have been proclaimed the owners of sovereignty and mandates that place leaders in the saddle.

    The requirement is a serious fracture of the citizens’ inalienable right to ventilate their grievances against poor governance vis-à-vis expenditure of public funds generated from their taxes. The sacrosanct provision of Section 1(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which has ostracised this disturbing requirement, has, admirably, remedied the harmful mischief appurtenant to it.

    Clearly, section 1 gives a person the right to access any information from any public institution in Nigeria. SERAP is an organization registered in Nigeria and thus a juristic person. As a juristic person, SERAP need not show any specific interest in the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot to be entitled to the same.

    I therefore hold that SERAP is entitled to the information on the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot, and need not show any special interest in the information sought.

    The provision of Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act is quite clear and mandates that public institution or public officer such as the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice must make available the information requested within 7 days of the request.”

    In the letter dated 8 July 2023 sent to President Tinubu on the judgment, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said

    “We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court. We urge you to direct the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of recovered Abacha loot as ordered by the court.

    The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources including the $5bn Abacha loot.

    By immediately complying with the judgment, your government will be demonstrating to Nigerians that it is different from the Buhari government, which persistently and brazenly defied the country’s judiciary, and sending a powerful message to politicians and others that there will be no impunity for grand corruption.

    Immediately implementing the judgment will restore trust and confidence in the independence of Nigeria’s judiciary. SERAP urges you to make a clean break with the past and take clear and decisive steps that demonstrate your commitment to the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes.

    SERAP trusts that you will see compliance with this judgment as a central aspect of the rule of law; an essential stepping stone to constructing a basic institutional framework for legality and constitutionality. We therefore look forward to your positive response and action on the judgment.”

    Joined as defendants in the suit are the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice.

  • Many Diabetics die early due to lack of education – Obasanjo

    Many Diabetics die early due to lack of education – Obasanjo

    Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday blamed lack of education in managing diabetes for the reason why many patients die untimely.

    Obasanjo spoke at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during a novelty match between All-Stars FC, Abeokuta and the ex-Super Eagles.

    The match, organized by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, was in commemoration of the 2022 World Diabetes Day.

    Obasanjo, a diabetes patient of over 30 years, insisted that though the disease is not curable, it is manageable.

    The Balogun Owu stated that he is still strong despite being a diabetes patient for about three decades.

    He expressed concern that many patients have died within five years of diagnosis, saying this was as a result of lack of education and knowledge needed in managing the disease.

    According to him, a patient can live up to 100 years if he or she adheres strictly to the dos and don’ts of diabetes.

    “As a diabetic person, you must not take sugar. Any carbohydrate, you take it moderately, once you know that and you go by it, you are fine,” he said.

  • 2023: I have national agenda not special candidate – Obasanjo

    2023: I have national agenda not special candidate – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that he has no preferred candidate among those contesting the 2023 presidential election.

    The former President said this while paying former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar a visit in Minna on Sunday August 28. 

    According to Obasanjo, he only has a national agenda. He said; 

    “I don’t have a special candidate, I have a national agenda.

    “I came to see my brother who has been a little indisposed. I had plans to visit him when he was still in London, but the day I arrived London was the day he returned home.

    “So that is why I decided to come and see him at home. He is very special so I had to come.

    “If there is anyone who is indisposed, I will visit and I am still strong.”

    The former President who was in a close meeting with Abdulsaam arrived at 12:30 and left at 1:13pm.

  • Obasanjo, Peter Obi, Wike, Others Meet In London

    Obasanjo, Peter Obi, Wike, Others Meet In London

    A former president, Olusegun Obasanjo; the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, have reportedly met in London on Thursday.

    While details of the meeting have not been made public, there are indications that it is about next year’s general elections.

    Others who attended the meeting were Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and a former Cross River governor, Donald Duke.

    Thursday’s meeting followed a similar one Wike held with the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, in France on Monday.

    Multiple reports showed that the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde; Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, and Ikpeazu Okezie of Abia State attended the meeting.

    They, Wike’s camp, reportedly left the country at the weekend and there are indications that it was about the 2023 elections.

    “We can confirm to you authoritatively that Wike and his team met with Tinubu in London to discuss a strategic alliance ahead of the 2023 presidential election,” the Director-General of the Asiwaju Project Beyond, a political support group for Tinubu, Realwan Okpanachi said.

    “Both leaders appreciate the need to work together to ensure that Tinubu becomes the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.”

    Days after the meeting with the APC flagbearer, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, flew to the UK to mend his frosty relationship with Wike.

    Atiku’s camp did not make an official statement about the meeting but a source familiar with the matter who spoke to Channels Television did not rule out the Wike factor.

    Since the PDP presidential primary, Wike has had a frosty relationship with the party especially its flagbearer, Atiku.

    Attempts to resolve their differences have so far not yielded the desired results.

  • Obasanjo Rides Tricycle, Picks Passengers In Abeokuta

    Obasanjo Rides Tricycle, Picks Passengers In Abeokuta

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday surprised residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital as he rode a tricycle across some major parts of the town, taking some passengers along for the ride.

    Chief Obasanjo took off from the Moshood Abiola Way, a stone’s throw to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station.

    Dressed in white native attire and wearing a fez cap, the former President was also spotted picking up passengers randomly from the take-off point towards the end of the popular Kuto Market in the town, a development that attracted a number of residents who were excited to see him on the move. Many passengers were eager to ride with him.

    The move was part of activities to mark his 85th anniversary. He turned 85 in March but has continued to engage in activities to celebrate the milestone.

    He donated 85 tricycles to young people across the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory last month, as part of the activities.

    At the event tagged “OBJ @85”, free tricycles were presented through the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

    He challenged Nigerian youths not to abandon the country to those who are currently messing it up, adding that despite the many challenges confronting Nigeria, there are opportunities for them to take advantage of.

    The ex-President urged young Nigerians to roll up their sleeves and make needed contributions towards addressing the challenges of the nation, admitting that though there are challenges they should not leave things to those who are messing it up.

    “The first thing we want to prove is that there are opportunities galore in this country,” he said. “ Yes, things are not what they should be, but you, as youths, individually and collectively, must make up your mind, make contributions in order to make things the way they should be.”

    “If you leave things to those who are messing it up for you and who are saying you are the leaders of tomorrow, you will never have that tomorrow. Today is your day. Then the third point is; that yes, sometime you may get people who would help you, and times you may not even get who would help you.

    “You must remember God has given you innate ability to be what He wants you to be and if you make up your mind on what you want to be, God will help you and He would provide those people who would help you to reach the sky which should be your limit.”

  • Obasanjo Mourns Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi

    Obasanjo Mourns Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has mourned the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who he described as a symbol of Nigeria’s epic struggle for self-discovery and self-actualisation.

    He paid tributes to the late traditional ruler on Saturday in his letter of condolence to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

    Obasanjo, who is presently in Ethiopia, condoled with the governor, the family of Oba Adeyemi, and the entire people of Oyo on the transition.

    He stated that the late highly revered monarch was a patriotic and respected traditional ruler who had immeasurable love for his people and great faith in a united Nigeria.

    “He (Alaafin) stood out as a voice of forthrightness in national affairs, and he was as well a fervent promoter of mutual tolerance and understanding, not only among the diverse people who live in his domain but also across the country,” the elder statesman was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi.

    According to him, it was during Oba Adeyemi’s reign that Oyo town got transformed into the modern city that it has become and his contribution to nation-building was also acknowledged in the conferment of the esteemed national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, on him and other honorary degrees that he received from Nigerian and outside educational institutions.

  • Osinbajo Visits Obasanjo Days After APC Convention

    Osinbajo Visits Obasanjo Days After APC Convention

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

    Our Correspondent gathered that Osinbajo had visited Ogun State for a high-level dialogue organised by the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa.

    The dialogue tagged, ‘West Africa: Rising to the Challenge of Consolidating Democratic Governance,’ was planned to be held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, on Monday and Tuesday.

    Osinbajo’s chopper landed within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library at exactly 10:24am.

    Osinbajo, who was accompanied by the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, and others, was later received by Obasanjo as they proceeded to the venue prepared for the meeting.

  • Some Presidential Aspirants Should Be In Jail If EFCC Did Their Job – Obasanjo

    Some Presidential Aspirants Should Be In Jail If EFCC Did Their Job – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says some aspirants for the presidency in 2023 should have been jailed if the country’s anti-graft were more diligent in their duties.

    Obasanjo said those who have no integrity in “small things” cannot have integrity in “big things” like the presidency.

    Speaking on Saturday in Ogun state during a symposium to mark his 85th birthday, the former president said he has not endorsed any politician for the 2023 presidency.

    He added that all presidential aspirants must be “properly x-rayed” and Nigerians be educated to make a choice for the sake of national development.

    Obasanjo said: “I read and hear about endorsement and statements in support of candidates that I frankly have not made and forming next political parties that I can never get involved in. I was told that social media credited to me names of three people from the south that I am sponsoring for presidency in 2023.

    “My friend, Professor Ango Abdullah, who brought this to my knowledge remarked that he did not believe that I made such a statement because it was out of my character. I have neither named names nor stated my position.

    “In a situation like the one we are in, I will not rush into naming names without necessary consultations and well-defined principles and criteria. We need to be clear about what Nigeria needs today and why Nigeria needs it. Only then can we answer the question of how that will inform us of the criteria and characteristics for determining who.

    “Since 1999, we have changed from one political party or another we have manoeuvred and manipulated to the point that election results are no longer reflections of the will of the people.

    “And we seem to be progressively going back rather than going forward politically, economically and socially.

    “We have activities without requite actions and personnel to move us forward. If we continue in the same pattern of recycling, sweet-word campaigning, manoeuvring without the substance of integrity, honesty, patriotism, commitment, outreach, courage, understanding of what makes a nation and what make for development, we will soon have to say goodbye to Nigeria as a nation.

    “I cast a cursory look at some of the people running around and those for whom people are running around. If EFCC and ICPC will have done their jobs properly and supported adequately by the judiciary, most of them would be in jail. Any person who has no integrity in small things cannot have integrity in big things.

    “Any person who has no integrity in small things cannot have integrity in big things. Fixing Nigeria must begin on the principles of nation building, not necessarily on emotion, sentiments, euphoria, ignorance, incompetence, ethnicity, nepotism, bigotry, sectionalism, regionalism, religion or class.”

    The former president added that security, stability, development and a robust economy “can only be taken care of if we get the issue of the nation-building right”.

  • Obasanjo, others built Second Niger Bridge for 16 years with mouth – Femi Adesina

    Obasanjo, others built Second Niger Bridge for 16 years with mouth – Femi Adesina

    By Joyce Babayeju

    Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari has said former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and his successors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform built the Second Niger bridge with mouth for sixteen years.

    Adesina, who made the claim in an article titled, ‘NDABOSKI! If Only For 2nd Niger Bridge, This Country Won’t Ever Forget Buhari’, and shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday, noted that the successive PDP governments only pay lip service to the project.
    The presidential spokesman noted that despite the trauma and travails users of the River Niger bridge passes through, the administrations before that of his principal, the President Muhammadu Buhari used words of mouth to sway the people for votes when its election time.

    According to him, when politicians want the votes of South Easterners as elections approach, they go and offload shovels, pickaxes, wheelbarrows, cutlasses, and others at the site, as if that is what is required to build a bridge of that magnitude.

    He wrote, “Built-in 1965, the artery between the South East, South-South, and the rest of the country has become grossly inadequate, and torture to navigate at peak seasons. There was a year travelers even spent the night on the bridge.
    “There is a long history to the building of a second bridge over the River Niger, and it had over the years become a tool of false promises, lies, and propaganda.

    “When politicians want the votes of South Easterners as elections approach, they go and offload shovels, pickaxes, wheelbarrows, cutlasses, and others at the site, as if that is what is required to build a bridge of that magnitude.

    “After they’ve got the votes, they come to remove their miserable implements. Goodbye basket, I’ve carried all my apples. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) did it for 16 years, building the bridge with their mouths.”

    After giving details on the project from the successive military regimes before Obasanjo’s presidency, Adesina wrote, “Then came Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military head of state, as civilian President. He promised to build the bridge. It didn’t happen in eight years.

    “About five days before he left office, Obasanjo flagged off the project, to cost N58.6 billion, and handed it to his successor, Umaru Yar’Adua. No action in the three years that the administration lasted. Understandably so, for Yar’Adua was infirm.
    “Then came Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who even at a point added Azikiwe to his name. He promised Heaven on earth, saying he was a South easterner, and he would build the bridge.

    During a Town Hall meeting on August 30, 2012, in the region, he said what would he claim he had done for his Igbo brethren, if he didn’t build the bridge.

    “Later, Azikiwe disappeared from Jonathan’s name, and the Second Niger bridge disappeared with it. All that happened in the about six years that the administration lasted was a Federal Executive Council approval for final planning and design of the bridge. All motion, no movement.”

    On Buhari’s response, he added, “And then came the man from Daura, a Fulani, with no affinity with the South East. He didn’t make promises, he didn’t boast. He just went to work quietly.

    “From September 1, 2018, without fanfare or swashbuckling, action started on the Second Niger bridge. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister for Works and Housing, was the chief executioner.

    Doggedly, he and his principal set to work. And here we are today. What has defeated many military and civilian administrations is now reality in our country.”