Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who also doubles as Balogun of Owu in his Abeokuta homestead is a ‘warrior’ of sorts.
He is because throughout his eventful career both as a soldier and later as politician cum- statesman he has fought many battles.
He has also ruffled many feathers both in his self- glorification stance of possessing the best idea for Nigeria and for his virulent criticism of leaders who ruled before and after him.(One wonders why he has refrained from writing his famous ‘love’ letters this last eighteen months).
The farmer who also owns the only Presidential Library in Africa stirred the honest nest again last week in Abeokuta,the ogun state capital.
It was when leaders of the new political interest group,Northern League of Democrats of which former Kano Governor and veteran presidential contestant, Ibrahim Shekarau was one of its leaders.
While one is not unmindful of the political motives of the group as year 2027 draws near considering its composition,they sort of got a shock from the former President who told them he prefer to deal with National League of Democrats than a Northern clique out for propounding regional and ethnic interests.
He spoke of his disdain for his return to regional government forgetting that military imposition of Unitary system has done more harm to Nigerias unitay and stability that we ever imagine.
It is a fact that the former President all his life has surreptitiously championed Unitary system of government not minding its discomfiture for a multi liqual,multi ethnic country, has himself tried to form such national group few years after leaving power with the aim of nurturing in into a party but failed woefully as he couldn’t get enough politicians still interested in his leadership.
He could not also understand why the Shekarau group which in a way choose to dance to the clamour for a return to regional government now being debated all over the country should adopt such a stance.
The 1960 independence constitution clearly chart a better way to address the issue of managing our diversities after several constitutional process before attainment of Independent.
It is an indication that he and his club of ‘owners of Nigeria’ are not comfortable for any leader to undo what they have done by compacting the various nationalities into a crisis prone diverse country of incompatibilities.
The stiff and unyielding mindset of the former President is a confirmation of the desire of his club of ‘owners of Nigeria ‘ who met in the Minna home of former military President,Ibrahim Babangida barely a month ago, to discuss state of the nation.To aim to keep Nigeria within their whim and caprices us quite evident.
Recall that before the Minna meeting,Obasanjo failed to avail the nation of his opinion of solving our socio economic problems through the council of state meeting which held few weeks before the Minna club meeting.
He has refused to attend these past few years before Muhammadu Buhari left office.
Obasanjo have always lived in a world of his own even when signs are so clear that the structure cannot a country like this.
He is also a person not to be seen as touching anything that belongs to or have a fellow Yoruba whom he seriously worked against from being President.
But then it shows he failed to realize that all power belongs to God
It is also interesting to recall that the national unity party which Obasanjo floated towards the end of Good luck Jonathan regime failed to fly.
For him to start canvassing maintenance of a Unity structure he and his ‘club of owners of Nigeria ‘ now after years out of government,shows a self- entitlement psyche of possessing all,which could never held in today’s Nigeria. The power dynamics should be allowed to play out to elect better leadership through democratic process and not otherwise.
That he is using his ‘club’of selfish leaders who never thought of leaving power portrays their disenchantment with the fact that for the first time a full civilian cum business man is in power.
It is obvious that President Bola Tinubu wielding his power without the godfathers guidance of the self styled ‘owners of Nigeria’ to reshape the country, clearly informed the motive of the Minna meeting and their predeliction to use the ‘ebi ng pa wa’ chorus to effect a change of government, if not now but definitely in 2027.
The ‘owners of Nigeria’s’club now searching for good leadership should be reminded that their leader and grand patron,Obasanjo it was who told a bewildered country in 1979 that they should not expect the best candidate among the top five representing NPN,UPN,NPP,GNPP and PRP not to win the election.
Yet, we have eminent Nigerians in all fields who could govern the country better.
The rest is history as the man-Alhaji Shehuof Shagari and his party,the National Party of Nigeria,NPN they imposed led them-the military, back to power barely four years later by the inept leadership.
Why are the club of ‘owners’ of Nigeria now searching for leadership over forty years later?
Yo reap what you sew says the holy book..
And that brings us again to the Northern Democrats composition and motive.
Though their name is regional in outlook,coming down South to seek blessing from Obasanjo who has always been agent of Northern domination and ally is suspect of a larger game plan.
On opposition to Regionalism which to all those who knew the retired general is not surprising.
This is simply because,it was the military establishment he represented that aborted Nigeria’s Federalism and the result is the decadent,disunited and underdeveloped country tied down by Unitarism to conform with military institutions culture .
That Obasanjo and his “Club’ are now gaging up against the wish of majority of Nigerians yearning to be allowed to return to cultural democracy which the 1960 independent constitution gave,is unfortunate.
In a way,Regionalism if re introduced would not allow the cornering of the nations wealth by a few club of militocrats who use state power to corner resources and build a hegemonic hold on the country.
It is incumbent on all lovers of democracy and believers of Federalism to rise up and abort the desperate desire and plot of the retired but not tired ‘owners’ of Nigeria to stop the selfish ‘owners’ , so our country could be great again.
The achievements of the leaders of the first Republic in spite of their shortcomings could be replicated if the expensive Presidential system foisted on us by the military ruling class and their hegemonic civilian partners is replaced with Regional system that gives hope to aspiration of the various diverse nation states that made up Nigeria.
The retired generals should be sacked by the public and allow resources they have cornered be used for the overall development of the country.
Anything short of curbing the crazy for relevance by the retired military class is a direct threat to the growth of and development of the country.
