President Olusegun Obasanjo



Feb 24 2010

Yar’Adua Returns Home

By Sunny Igboanugo and Rafiu Ajakaye:

President Umaru Yar’Adua flew out of Jeddah on Tuesday night to return to the saddle in Nigeria, against all expectations, and with mum still the word from his close associates in the saga of three months that has kept Nigeria on edge.

The plane conveying Yar’Adua, who left the country on November 23 last year for medical treatment,  touched down at the the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at about 3 a.m.

The jet left Jeddah International Airport with him and his entourage at about 11 p.m. (Saudi time), two hours ahead of Nigeria for the six-hour flight.

He shunned his own Presidential aircraft that took him out of the country for one provided by the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdallah bin Abdul Aziz, with his family members and security details.

He left ahead of the six members of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) team which travelled out of Nigeria on Monday to visit him at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah.

The Ministerial team was said to have first gone to Riyadh to meet with Aziz, but was met instead by the Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister because protocol stipulates five days’ notice to meet him.

The team, according to sources, had no choice but to deliver a letter from Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to the Minister for onward transmission to Aziz before it went on to Jeddah to meet with Yar’Adua.

The letter thanked Aziz for his hospitality and generosity, and for taking good care of Yar’Adua, but also explained the concern of the Nigerian Government and the people over their inability to reach their President in the last three months, and therefore asked the Saudi Government to provide them access to him.

The Ministerial team was expected to also leave the country at midnight (Saudi time) back home  to enable the members attend today’s EXCOF meeting in order to brief the cabinet and Jonathan on the true health situation of Yar’Adua.

Daily Independent reliably gathered that the team did not meet Yar’Adua, who was already airborne when it arrived Jeddah.

Events before and after the President’s trip had been steeped in controversy and drama that left the country totally nonplussed, bruised and in clear danger following agitations from several quartres.

In the weeks before November 23, 2009, attention was completely turned to the National Assembly where a superiority contest was taking place – a debate on which Chamber should host the President to present the 2010 Appropriation Bill.

That left the President himself almost completely out of national gaze.

Yar’Adua then gave the lawmakers an ultimatum to resolve their rift or have the Bill sent to them, without the honour of having him laying it before them, as has been the convention for the few years of democracy since Independence in 1960.

Lawyers and laymen alike disagreed on the legality of the President not appearing in person to read the budget, but most legal minds quickly dismissed the debate as unnecessary and blamed the disruption (of the convention) on the bickering of lawmakers.  The President’s Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Muhammed Abba-Aji, laid the bill before each arm of the parliament.

But the jetting out of Yar’Adua to Saudi Arabia on Monday, November 23, promptly brought out a theory that the superiority contest must have been provoked to achieve a purpose: shielding the consistently worsening health condition of Yar’Adua from public gaze. Budget presentation, a ritual that may last well over an hour, could have confirmed the long-held rumour that Yar’Adua was so weak and lean he could no longer stand for more than 30 minutes.

The Presidential Spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, merely issued a statement announcing Yar’Adua was going on a medical vacation, again provoking a debate and pressure on the government to say exactly the state of Mr. President’s health. This debate was followed by a rumour about 78 hours later that the President had died in a Saudi hospital.

This rumour prompted Adeniyi to, on November 25, issue a statement announcing that the President is suffering from Acute Pericarditis”, an inflammatory condition of the coverings of the heart, but is fast recuperating. He lamented the death rumour.  Adeniyi was reading to reporters a statement from Yar’Adua’s Personal Physician, Dr. Salisu Banye. And so Rock confirmed for the first time since the uproar that the President was at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

With doctors acknowledging how grave the President’s condition is, Nigerians called on him to write the National Assembly empowering his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, to be Acting President.

But if the secrecy with which the issue has been handled angered most Nigerians, quite a number of pressing issues worsened the anger.

The gradual collapse of the amnesty deal in the Niger Delta, the budget impasse, and the December 25 attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound aircraft by a 23-year-old Nigerian and the subsequent listing of Nigeria among “countries of interest” by the United States brought to the fore the need for an active President, strong enough to steer the ship of Nigeria.

With the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) turning down calls to declare the President unfit and clear the way for Jonathan to take charge, Nigerians of varied background came under different umbrellas to ratchet up the pressure. This took various forms, including street protests and press conferences, all directed at getting Yar’Adua to hand over power.  The country has since recorded a chain of events, including court declarations and National Assembly resolutions. They are as follows:

On January 5, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) took the Federal Government to court, and prayed the latter to compel the EXCOF to act appropriately

On January 12, Yar’Adua broke his silence in a two-minute interview with the British Broadcatsing Corpoiration (BBC), during which he thanked Nigerians for their prayers, urged on the Super Eagles then at the Nations Cup, but sidestepped the issue of the listing of Nigeria among terrorist countries and its impacts on her citizens worldwide

On January 13, a Federal High Court in Abuja declared that Goodluck is empowered by the Constitution to exercise, in the absence of Yar’Adua, all the powers vested in him, including signing of sensitive documents, so far such powers are delegated to him. The presiding high court judge, Justice Dan Abutu, made the pronouncement while interpreting the meanings and intendments of sections 5(1) and 148 (1) of the 1999 constitution in a suit brought by a lawyer, Mr. Christopher Onwuekwe.

Also on January 13, the House of Representatives resolved to send a delegation to Saudi Arabia to see the President. The team returned without seeing him

On January 28,  the same court ruled that Jonathan can carry out presidential duties, as delegated by Yar’Adua, but can’t be Acting President until conditions precedent are satisfied, that is Yar’Adua must transmit letter.

On January 21, the same Justice Abutu ordered the EXCOF to investigate the state of health of President Umaru Yar’Adua and pass a resolution within 14 days. He gave the verdict in a suit filed by former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Farouk Aliyu, and Jigawa State Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chairman, Sani Gabbas. He, however, held that: “The Court certainly has no power to declare the president permanently incapacitated as the body vested with such powers in line with Section 144, is the Executive Council of the Federation. The Court cannot usurp the power of the Executive Council of the Federation.”

On January 22, former President Olusegun Obasanjo denied imposing Yar’Adua on the country and called on the ailing President to stand down – a call greeted by criticism from the PDP and opposition which accused the former President of deceit

On January 27, the Senate urged Yar’Adua to transmit letter announcing his medical vacation

January 29, former President Shehu Shagari and other elder statesmen urged Yar’Adua to transmit letter and asked the lawmakers to save the country

On February 3, Information Minister, Dora Akunyili, submitted a memo to EXCOF urging it to pass a resolution making Jonathan the Acting President – a step that drew nationwide applause and polarised the federal cabinet

On February 4, following claims and counter claims that Yar’Adua may have written a letter announcing his vacation and directing that Jonathan be made Acting President, Abba-Aji denied possession of such letter

On February 8, the ruling PDP sent a delegation to Saudi Arabia to ascertain the state of the President’s health. It returned without seeing Yar’Adua

On February 9, the National Assembly passed separate resolutions empowering Jonathan to be Acting President

On February 10, the EXCOF said it was in full support of the National Assembly resolution and pledged support for the Acting President

Also on February 10, Jonathan made a slight cabinet reshuffle removing Michael Aondoakaa as the AGF/Justice Minister and redeployed him to Special Duties Ministry.

On February 17, the EXCOF set up a six-man committee to visit Yar’Adua, probably setting the ground for the setting up of a medical panel to ascertain the true state of his health.

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Feb 21 2010

Yar’Adua: Acting President Not Permanent Solution – Obasanjo

By Oguwike Nwachuku, Baba Negedu:

Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the nation’s resort to the Acting Presidency as a way of stabilising the polity in the absence of ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua should not be regarded as a permanent solution.

Instead, he said further steps ought to be taken to arrive at a more dependable and permanent solution to the existing political uncertainty in the country.

But from Kaduna on Saturday came a resolve by the North West zone stakeholders that they will not let go the office of the Presidency with or without President Yar’Adua’s poor health situation.

Obasasnjo spoke in Abeokuta on Thursday while fielding questions from a United States-based news magazine, NEWSWEEK, which excerpts were posted on the Internet at the weekend.

“The president was ill; anybody can be ill. I don’t believe a ‘permanent’ Acting President is a permanent solution, so I think more steps have to be taken,” Obasanjo said.

The former President’s comments on his successor, the second in this month, has also heightened concern over the ability of President Yar’Adua who has been away from the country to Saudi Arabia for more than 90 days to retain his position in the present circumstance.

It emerged at the weekend that President Yar’Adua may be impeached any moment from now, particularly if members of the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF) who were selected to visit him in Saudi Arabia could not bring a convincing report on the state of his health.

The former President also spoke on other national issues, including the Umar Farouk Abdulmuatallab saga, decay of infrastructure in the country despite oil money, the growing interest of China in Nigeria’s economy, corruption in the country among others.

Below is the excerpts of Obasanjo’s interview:

NEWSWEEK: For the past two months, your successor has been medically incapacitated. Has the recent appointment of Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President defused the crisis?

Obasanjo: The president was ill; anybody can be ill. I don’t believe a “permanent” Acting President is a permanent solution, so I think more steps have to be taken.

NEWSWEEK: After the Christmas bomb attempt by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, should we be worried that Nigeria is the next terrorist launch-pad?

Obasanjo: That is absolutely false. A young, impressionable boy was captured and brainwashed. That should be regarded as an aberration. But we were slow in reacting. We should have condemned terrorism everywhere. The father of the boy was a minister when I was military Head of State, a complete gentleman. What did he do or not do? How did this happen? How can we prevent another Abdulmutallab? All this, we want to know. The U.S. authorities should know Nigerians are serious.

NEWSWEEK: The majority of Nigeria’s wealth comes from oil, yet its infrastructure and development lag behind much of Africa. Is there truth to the oil curse?

Obasanjo: I believe God knew what he was doing when he put oil under our ground. It should be a means to an end. (But) when we realised we were an oil-producing country, we neglected sectors like agriculture. Every Nigerian started to live on oil. We were not leaving anything for a rainy day. But for the first time since independence, our agricultural sector grew by seven per cent for four years (during my term).

NEWSWEEK: What do you say to China’s increasing economic domination—some would call colonisation— of Africa?

Obasanjo: I take offence to calling it colonisation. The Chinese are investing in Africa just as they are investing in America. The Americans are in the greatest debt to China today, so is that colonisation? We regard America and Europe as old friends. We keep old friends but we make new friends in Japan, India, and China.

NEWSWEEK: Is Obama not doing enough in Africa?

Obasanjo: I was not expecting that he would open the U.S. Treasury for Africa. President Obama is an American, and what is paramount for him is the American interest. If Obama tried to do too much for Africa, it would be counterproductive.

NEWSWEEK: You attempted to reform the notoriously corrupt bureaucracy. What are the lessons here for other African leaders?

Obasanjo: Eradicating corruption is not a one-day affair. Before I came in, corruption was a way of life, particularly in the ministries. But we cannot load the ministries with all party men. It’s a question of finding the right person for the job.

NEWSWEEK: Who on the continent is doing a good job?

Obasanjo: A country that has managed very well is Botswana. They don’t do things to please anybody; they do things to satisfy their own country. If you want to take an individual, (Rwandan President) Paul Kagame, maybe because of what the experience of genocide has taught him.

NEWSWEEK: Are you optimistic about Africa?

Obasanjo: When I left office in 1979, I was about the only one who had really left public office on my own. Today, we have almost a dozen in Africa. When I was in government, I had in the reserves $3.7 billion. After eight years, after paying a debt of $34 billion, we still had $45 billion left, and the growth of the economy was between six to seven per cent per annum. So, you see, it has been done before.

Meanwhile, the North West zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Saturday that not withstanding the poor health situation of President Yar’Adua the zone must complete its tenure of eight years in the Presidency.

The zone said that the Constitution of the party that zoned the seat to it must be followed and that it is not ready to let go.

The zone said the PDP zoned the seat of the Presidency to the North and the North West in particular just as the South West, during the era of President Obasanjo, enjoyed theirs. It said the zone is determined to ensure that nothing stands on its way as regards completing its tenure of eight years.

Briefing newsmen after its zonal executive meeting in Kaduna on Saturday, the zone noted that it is quite aware that mischief makers are trying to truncate that objective, adding that its members in the National Assembly have been sensitised on the need to support President Yar’Adua to make sure he completes his tenure.

Baba Lawal Aliyu, the party’s zonal Secretary who briefed newsmen said that “it has become a tradition of the party to always seek a second term in office for its members as the situation always enables them to complete any project that must have been started in the first tenure.”

“The party has zoned the Presidency to the North and to the North West zone and it is our tenure and we intended to proceed for the next eight years tenure irrespective of its occupant. Even in the event that the President cannot continue we are still laying claim to that eight years tenure.”

Among those present at the meeting included Governor Namadi Sambo (Kaduna), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Usman Dakingari (Kebbi), Mahoud Shinkafi (Zamfara), the Vice Chairman North, Bello Haliru, FCT Minister Adamu Aliero, Minister of State Information and Communications, Ikra Bilbis, Vice Chairman PDP North West, Danladi Sankara and the members of the National Assembly from the zone.

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Feb 21 2010

Obasanjo: Blair Instrumental to Nigeria’s Debt Relief

From George Orji and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja:

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who is in Nigeria for the THISDAY’s Nigeria at 50, 2010 Awards, yesterday relived the diplomatic interactions that contributed to the success of their administrations.

Speaking at an Inter-faith Malaria Initiative organised by the Nigeria Inter-faith Action Association with funding support from Federal Government, World Bank, Centre for Inter-faith Action on Global Poverty and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation held at the Kuje Town Hall in Abuja, Obasanjo said the former British premier made a significant contribution to Nigeria’s exit from the Paris Club and other creditor nations.

Obasanjo, whose entry into the venue of the event elicited wild, nostalgic cheers from the audience, said while he travelled round the globe to get Nigeria off the Paris Club debt yoke, he received promises from world leaders which were not fruitful thus prompting his government to search for a facilitator and a member of the Group of Seven industrialised nations (G7) which they found in Mr. Blair.

He said the debt relief allowed the country to channel resources into the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) projects notably funds needed to fight infant mortality and morbidity occasioned by such diseases as malaria.
“Since I left public office, I have engaged in issues of health and education which are very critical and I have always looked for an opportunity to meet Tony Blair and say thank you.

“In my eight years of leadership, Blair was in the vanguard of support in the area of health but more importantly in the area of debt relief. I visited world leaders but we needed somebody in G7 to get us debt relief. Blair led G7 to get us debt relief.
“What that has done for us is that the money we would have used to service debt is now being used on MDGs for infant mortality and other things. The money we used for the MDGs came from there,” he said.

He commended the inter-faith initiative which he said was deployed under his administration to tackle HIV/AIDS and it worked.
“People hear Nigeria as a land of religious crisis and destruction of lives. This one is about peace. Why are we not telling the world that we are religious and not religious fanatics. What we hear after the terror incident involving Nigeria is that when we call terrorism, Americans catch cold,” he said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

In his remarks, the former British premier recalled that he spoke severally with President Obasanjo on his African Commission initiative which led to the commitment of huge sums of money to alleviation of poverty in Africa for which the former president was instrumental.

He commended religious leaders notably the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop John Onaiyekan, for their commitment in the fight against malaria and noted that the coming together of religious leaders on the effort to eradicate malaria and other initiatives would go a long way in ensuring religious harmony in the country.

“The issue of religious faith will be of the same significance to the 21st century as political ideology was to the 20th century. In an era of globalisation, there is nothing more important than getting people of different faiths and cultures to understand each other better and live in peace and mutual respect; and to give faith itself its proper place in the future,” he said.

Also yesterday, Blair visited Acting President Goodluck Jonathan at his Akinola Aguda residence, Presidential Villa, Abuja and commended him for holding the country together in the face of the daunting political leadership facing the country.
Blair also expressed concern about recent political developments in the country and thanked Jonathan for the skilful way he has handled the country.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the end of about 30 minutes parley with Jonathan, Blair expressed satisfaction that the relation between Nigeria and the United Kingdom had remained very strong over the years. He expressed the hope that Nigeria would continue to play a leading role in the African continent as it’s mandatory on her.

Said Blair: “First of all I would say I am delighted to have seen the Acting President and to discuss with him and hear from him the situation here in Nigeria and the wider region and we were able to talk about some of the issues that are of mutual interest to the relationship between Britain and Nigeria. That relationship is a strong one, and I want it to stay strong.

“I have done lots of work with the previous president of Nigeria while I was in the office and all of Africa and we know that without Nigeria fulfilling its potentials and exacting its leadership, it will be greatly difficult for the whole of Africa.

“I said to the Acting President that I want to thank him for the wise way he and the institution of Nigeria government have handled themselves in the last few days and I want to say it has been a pretty difficult situation and I think they have handled it with skill.”
When asked what the response of Jonathan was on the issues discussed. Blair said, “He was explaining to me the importance of maintaining the right constitutional process and we both agree that one of the greatest things to have happened is returning to democratic government and we would want to see that maintained.

“There is no place for nothing else and I am actually optimistic that this will happen, there is the great desire on the part of the legislature and   the acting president himself to make sure that even in what seems to be unique and difficult situation, the country has been able to function and move forward in a proper way and in a way that helps its people,” he said.

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