Barely 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan secretly met with former president Olusegun Obasanjo, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday met with the former president at his hilltop mansion in Abeokuta, where he reiterated his determination to revive Nigeria’s economy, improve the deteriorating security in the country and fight corruption.
Obasanjo told Buhari who was accompanied by his running mate, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the party’s national chairman, Dr John Odigie-Oyegun, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Senator Bukola Saraki, Chief Bisi Akande among others, that he, as a mark of respect, asked his boys to cancel any engagement he had outside Ogun State yesterday in anticipation of Buhari’s visit even though Buhari did not inform him he was coming.
The APC train stormed Obasanjo’s mansion by 11:25 am to inform the ex-president of the APC’s road map for tackling the country’s crippling challenges as well as seek his “support, trust and understanding” that their in-coming government at the centre, would give the country “better” and “quality” leadership.
Buhari told the former president that they came to consult him because he (Obasanjo) knows Nigeria’s problems better than all of them, in spite of the fact that Obasanjo had told him he remained a PDP member.
“Sir, it’s a fact that you know more than we all know about the problem that we are in. But we’ll try to convince you to believe us that we are going to do better.”
“We expect your understanding and support, although you insist on remaining in PDP. I have reached a certain degree of frustration in my attempt for you to try to shift a bit but you have refused.”
“Briefly, we have been going around three fundamental issues: security, economy, corruption. This vicious circle is what the APC is determined to break.”
“Because without security, there is no way the country can settle down not to talk of living in it. So many people, educated and uneducated, some said up to 60 per cent, will say Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder.”
“And then corruption; we believe that if we are able to stop corruption, a lot of resources will be available to invest in infrastructure, get the factories to reopen, get jobs, and get goods and services.”
“So, we are talking about the economy in terms of employment, production, manufacturing, goods and services, and then agriculture will again give impetus to employment,” Buhari said.
The APC presidential candidate lamented that Nigeria abandoned agriculture, our mainstay before the discovery of oil, and regretted the neglect.
“We have to be systematic and work to make sure that the vast land we have is cultivated not only to produce food, but also to produce raw materials for agro-allied industries, which used to be very viable but which we allowed to die because everybody has concentrated on getting oil money.”
“Now the oil money is dwindling rapidly; I think we better come back to our senses,” he said.
He dismissed the insinuation in some quarters that he is too rigid, saying he is a dynamic person.
“Sir, briefly, this is what we intend to do and this is contained in our manifesto. We are not going to be inflexible the way some people accused us of doing.”
“We are going to be dynamic as we go along and that’s why I said we are here to seek your understanding, your support, in spite of the political card you hold.”
Responding, Obasanjo said he and Buhari have crossed paths many times and with his encounters with him, Buhari has always come out as a clean person.
He specifically mentioned the probe he instituted into the activities of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) while Buhari was the chairman and how the panel pronounced him clean of corruption.
“Our paths have crossed on a number of occasions and when I was told you are going to be coming to Ogun State, I wasn’t sure whether you will come here or not.”
“But I told my boys; I said well, whatever programme we have outside Ogun State for today, let us shelve it just in case Muhammadu and his party and his team decide to call here.”
He maintained that as Buhari noted, he is a card-carrying member of PDP, adding however, that beyond party politics, what is paramount to him is the interest of the country.
Obasanjo said Buhari’s programme encapsulates what Nigeria needs now but begged him to include infrastructural development in their programme.
“Another thing that I want to say, when you were going to become manager of PTF. We talked about it and when you finished and I took over, we looked into it.”
“I haven’t said this publicly; I will say it publicly now. When we looked into it, there was really nothing amiss except that the organisation went from road building to mosquito net buying and all sorts of things.”
“We should look into it. And I called my brother and colleague; I said this and he said look, we are managing billions of Naira and I tried to make sure I see everything. But I will not say that what they have said about this is correct or not correct. But I can assure you I tried to see everything.”
“I said okay. Muhammadu, between me, you and God, was there any personal benefit for you? And you said no. I said that is the end of the matter. Although there was that investigation, its report was not of any material importance,”
“All the political parties have saints and devils among them. But because what you are campaigning for is the votes of saints and devils to be able to win an election, I wish you well,” he said.
Obasanjo told the gathering that he and Buhari had been communicating through letters when Buhari decided to join the 2015 presidential race and when he eventually got APC ticket to run.
“You will remember when you decided to contest you wrote me a letter; this time around. And I replied your letter. When you became the flag bearer of your party, you wrote me another letter. And I replied your second letter because I believe that you have honoured me by writing and I should of course reciprocate by also responding to your letter.”
Obasanjo however explained that he remained a PDP member saying all political parties, the world over have both good and bad people in their folds.
“You have kindly underlined what I want everybody to remember; that I am a card-carrying member of another political party. But I have always also said that party or no party, what is paramount for me is Nigeria.”
“And that will remain paramount as far as I am concerned. There is no political party in the world that is made up of saints and our own political parties in Nigeria will be no exception.”
Obasanjo advised politicians to make their campaign issue based rather than mud-slinging.
“I thought that I should say it today that I have this opportunity because I hope people will face issues rather than trivialities. On occasion like this, issues are very important. And you have mentioned three areas which are demanding issues in Nigeria today.
“I will just beg all of you who are contesting to add one to it; you mentioned economy, you mentioned corruption, and you mentioned security.”
“All of you I will beg of you to add infrastructure. It’s very important. You may take it as part of economy but I will take infrastructure as special and give it special attention.”
“For all political parties that are trying to woo us to vote for them in the coming election; let’s go away from red-herring, let’s go away from trivialities, let’s face issues and tell the people of this country what we will do to deal with these crying problems of our country.”
The former president however suggested that only good people are appointed into offices when a political party is forming a government.
“Having said that, I will also say that while a party must be microcosm of a nation – and in a nation you will have near saints, devils, rapists, armed robbers and a good party must have all this in them. But what matters is that when that party has to go into government, it must look for men and women of character.”
“And we have them in all parties, we have them throughout the nooks and crannies of this country. Again I wish you well as you go around. I thank you for this visit,” Obasanjo said.
The visit was a contrast to what took place twenty four hours earlier where journalists were not allowed to enter Obasanjo’s mansion when Jonathan was visiting.
After the visit, Obasanjo took picture with his guests where he threw banters in his usual character.
Copyright: Leadership
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