OBASANJO'S LETTER TO GOODLUCK JONATHAN

Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, recently stirred up a storm with an explosive letter to President Goodluck Jonathan detailing what he perceived to be the president’s shortcomings. The 18-page letter entitled “Before it is too late” warned that the nation was fast losing its moorings and drifting into chaos and uncertainty. Obasanjo, in the controversial missive that is still generating ripples in the polity, alleged that Jonathan   failed in five key leadership areas. These include leadership of the ruling party; headship of the Federal Government; Commander-in-chief of the military; Chief Security Officer of the nation; and the political leadership of the country.
The former president alleged that   Jonathan agreed to serve for only one term in office before he was elected president in 2011. He also accused him of having 1000 Nigerians on a security watch list, an alleged killer squad and high-level corruption in the oil sector.
While some Nigerians have applauded Obasanjo for the bluntness and timeliness of the letter, others queried his moral authority to raise the issues he did, since he was equally guilty of similar steps while in office. The exposure of the letter to the public also drew the ire of many.
The presidency, in an early reaction, described the letter as highly provocative and mischievous. Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, however, explained that  “while many patriotic, objective and well-meaning Nigerians have already condemned the leaked letter as self-serving, hypocritical, malicious, indecent and very disrespectful of the highest office in the land, Jonathan has directed that none of his aides or any government official should join issues with Chief Obasanjo over it.”
There is no arguing the fact that Obasanjo, as a former head of state and an elder statesman, could have found a more decent way to convey his views and fears to President Jonathan, other than the blistering letter that made the headlines of virtually all national newspapers in the country. A communication that is truly designed to alert the president to perceived developments in the polity in the best interest of the country does not have to be leaked to the entire country, no matter the circumstances. This is more so as the former president played a pivotal role in the emergence of the Jonathan administration.
Obasanjo’s moral right to judge the Jonathan administration is also questionable as he is equally guilty of almost all the accusations he made against the president. It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. For example, the former president did not only exercise his constitutional right to a second term in office, he went ahead to scheme for a third term, which Nigerians vehemently rejected. His power sector reform could not give Nigerians stable power despite billions of naira pumped into it.
Obasanjo’s anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), were better known for the witch-hunt of his political enemies, and not necessarily for fighting corruption.
His regime also witnessed political assassinations, including those of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, Harry Marshall and Funsho Williams. It was during his regime that Odi and Zaki-Biam were leveled by government troops. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also witnessed many crises during the period. The regime was also engulfed in corruption. The former president raised funds from both public and private functionaries to build a presidential library while still in power. All these question his grandstanding on Jonathan’s perceived vices.
The ex-president should, therefore, not heat up the polity unnecessarily by public ventilation of his misgivings. He should find more acceptable ways of getting his views across to the president. On the fears that Jonathan might be training snipers ahead the 2015 polls, we expect Obasanjo to be more specific, instead of dishing out thinly veiled speculations on such a serious matter.
But then, that is not to say that there is no substance to Obasanjo’s letter. As a matter of fact, most of the issues he articulated are already public knowledge, with the exception of the accusation that the president has placed politicians on a watch list and is allegedly training killer squads reminiscent of the regime of the late General Sani Abacha. It is, therefore, okay that he has boldly spoken the minds of many Nigerians on these issues.
Although Jonathan has asked his aides and other political office holders not to respond to Obasanjo’s letter, we think that the president owes Nigerians some explanations on some of the concerns raised by the letter, especially the watch list and the killer squad. Jonathan will not be helping himself and his government by keeping mum over the sundry allegations against him.
Besides, the president should regard the letter as a wake-up call to his administration to address the issues of good governance, corruption, security, as well as party and country leadership. Some of the issues raised in the letter capture the feelings and thinking of many Nigerians about the Jonathan presidency. The only snag is that the message is coming from the wrong person, and some of the allegations should have been substantiated. Past Nigerian leaders and our other statesmen should refrain from making inflammatory statements capable of destabilising the nation. Obasanjo has unfettered access to Jonathan. We doubt that he has any genuine reason to make the letter public, except to paint the president in bad light before all right thinking Nigerians. This is more so as some of the weighty accusations in the letter are largely speculative and inconclusive.
We enjoin the president to respond speedily to this letter to   reassure the people on the weighty allegations made against him.