Senate Orders Probe of Billions Spent Under Obasanjo, Jonathan on Electricity

The Senate, Thursday, constituted a 13-member ad-hoc committee to conduct investigation into the management of funds appropriated for the power sector by successive governments since 1999.

The committee, led by Abubakar Kyari, has a two-week mandate to conduct its investigations and submit its report to the Senate.

The timeframe given nevertheless, the Senate adjourned plenary to September 29.

Former First Lady, Turai Yar’Adua Visits Obasanjo

On Saturday the former First Lady of Nigeria, Turai Yar’Adua, visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

Mrs. Yar’Adua, reportedly accompanied to the former president’s residence by businessman Kenny Martins, met privately with Mr. Obasanjo for more than an hour before departing in a convoy of three cars, PremiumTimes reports.

It is the former First Lady’s visit to Mr. Obasanjo since her husband died in office in 2010 after prolonged illness.

Those close to her said during the visit, she thanked the former President for finding her late husband a worthy successor, and pleaded with him to forgive her and her family for whatever wrong was done to him (Obasanjo) during Mr. Yar’Adua’s tenure.

Mr. Obasanjo, who helped the late president to power in 2007, had grown critical of the former President’s immediate family and associates who he accused of mounting a “cloak and dagger operation” to conceal Mr. Yar’Adua’s health status and block his then deputy (Goodluck Jonathan), from assuming power.

It was learnt that Mrs. Yar’Adua also pleaded with Mr. Obasanjo to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari not to harass or victimize her family members or those who worked with her husband.

“She specifically intimated the former President of the ongoing probe of one of her daughters, Zainab, by the EFCC. She believed it is a witch-hunt, a ploy by the Buhari government to get at her family,” one of our sources said.

An aide of Mr. Obasanjo confirmed the visit.

“It is true that she visited on Saturday,” the aide said. “I don’t know exactly what she discussed with Baba (Obasanjo). But I think it is safe to say she came to greet him and discuss issues relevant to the two families.”

Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on July 22 summoned Zainab, wife of former Kebbi State Governor, Saidu Dakingari, over alleged N2billion fraud perpetrated during her husband’s tenure as governor of the Northwest State.

Mrs. Dakingari was initially expected to report for questioning at the EFCC headquarters on July 22.

However, she was given another appointment for July 27 after she sent words that she was away to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (lesser hajj).

When she appeared that July 27, investigators said she was granted administrative bail on health grounds and asked to return on a future date.

Obasanjo - The Okonjo-Iweala who worked for me is different from the Okonjo -Iweala who worked for Jonathan

In a fresh interview with Premium Times, former President Obasanjo said the Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who worked in his administration as Minister of Finance and later resigned is different from the one who worked in the Jonathan-led administration. Really, Baba? Lol. Excerpt from the interview below

"Take Ngozi (Okonjo-Iweala), who worked for me. And who worked competently for me. Because I know Ngozi’s weaknesses, but I know her strong points. Her strong point is technical competence. But Ngozi needs to be led and to be supervised. Now will you comment on Ngozi who worked for me as the same Ngozi who worked for Jonathan? Will you? But it’s the same person"

PT: At what point do you think she derailed if I may use that word?
Obasanjo: No.

PT: Is it at the point that you changed her – because you removed her as finance minister. Was it at that point that she began to derail?
Obasanjo: She derailed because….when Jonathan even said he wanted her, I said ‘I hope you can manage her.’ And Ngozi herself sent me a text (and) I told her times have changed.

PT: But why did you change her? She was managing the economy very well for you. Why did you now remove her suddenly?

Obasanjo: I wrote it in that my book.


PT: It didn’t come out clearly enough?

Obasanjo: It must have come out. Maybe you haven’t read the book very well. I said I’ve touched reform. I’ve touched almost everywhere except Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So one day, I was in my office and the Head of Service, Yayale (Ahmed), came in. He said ‘look, you are looking not happy, what is the matter?’ I said I am worried about two ministries and the ministers who can do the work I wanted to be done there in these two ministries are already doing good work where they are. And he said ‘talk let me see.’ I said education and foreign affairs. And he said ‘who are the ministers that you think can do the job.’ I said Oby (Ezekwesili), Ngozi, and El-Rufai. He said ‘what is Oby doing for you now?’ I said Oby is doing Solid Minerals. He said ‘Sir, in all sincerity, I know you don’t like to rank ministries, but will you say Ministry of Solid Minerals is as important as Ministry of Education.’ I said yes I don’t rank ministries, they are all important. He said, ‘Can’t you take any of these three to do education and then get somebody else to do solid minerals?’ So I took Oby there. Now in the Ministry of Finance we had got debt relief, so I could afford to take Ngozi to Foreign Affairs. That’s all. And then she had Nenadi (Usman) who was the minister of state. She’s not a buffoon. And then, which is also part of her weakness, she came to me and said, look, since it’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she will like to take International Finance along with it. I said talk to your sister with whom you are working and I don’t see anything wrong with that provided you work out a relationship. But she didn’t accord Nenadi the recognition and the consideration that was necessary. I then said the ministry of International finance should go back to Finance and that happened. She said she couldn’t act. She put in a letter of resignation. And she had done that before, and before she could come and get people to come and beg, I announced acceptance (of her resignation).

PT: She once resigned before and she took it back?
Obasanjo: Yes.

PT: Which means you were always having disagreements…
Obasanjo: No no no. I know her character.

PT: So why did she resign the first time?
Obasanjo: She just felt if she cannot have her way, with me…. If I am the one in charge, then it has to be what I see as what is the best interest of the nation.

PT: So even when she resigned, if you didn’t announce the acceptance she would have come back. So all efforts to make her come back didn’t work?


Obasanjo: No no no. Because I had announced.

Probe Threat: Pres. Buhari Begs obasanjo

Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari’s threats to probe governance affairs of his predecessors has tumbled into a boomeranging breadth, prompting the General to personally send a plea with apologies to the former President and one of the targets of his proposed probe, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, International Guardian reliably gathered. “I didn’t personally know what was said or written, but to my understanding, PMB was only trying to diffuse rumors in the media about Obasanjo being a target of his probe,” a source close to Buhari’s administration explained in a text message.
Chief Obasanjo was already gathering a dossier which included documents linking President Buhari and key allies and colleagues in his administration to major fraud related to various affairs of the government, when he received President Buhari’s “es·prit de corps” plea for a common understanding and restraint. To further appease the aged former leader, President Buhari quickly announced a retraction of his threats, announcing publicly that he would not extend his corruption probe beyond the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Theguardian

Alamieyeseigha: Obasanjo very cunning, Tinubu very clever

In an interview with Vanguard, former Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, said former President Olusegun Obasanjo is a cunning man and that former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu was very clever not to have fallen for Obasanjo's actions. Alamieyeseigha said this while responding to a question on whether the recent defections of PDP members to APC will affect the party in the state's governorship election which will hold on December 5th.

"Again, I think our people need to be educated, I can tell you that I was one of them in 2003 that formed Action Congress. At that time, it was becoming clear that President Olusegun Obasanjo, was going to chase most of us out of PDP, so we came together. About 18 of us. We said let us register a party and keep it in case President Obasanjo pushed us out of the party. We can have a platform to actualize our dream.
Also at that time, Obasanjo had cajoled the Southwest governors out of their seats. He deceived them. Bola Tinubu was very clever, he foresaw what Obasanjo was trying to do, so he was the only one that survived because the agreement was that all the Southwest governors should all support him so that he will return them as governors for second term. Obasanjo’s election came first and he deceived them. Obasanjo himself, very cunning, formed Accord Party. When you hear of Accord, it’s Obasanjo’s party"he said

He went further to say that the APC has no power in Bayelsa state and will never be recognized

"This state is a PDP state, we the elders will not allow foreign bedfellows take over this state. An Ijaw man has never been conquered, we would not allow it to happen. You can call it any name. Whether they come from the Southwest, whether they come from the North to conquer us. If anybody tells you as an Ijaw man that these people love you, it’s a lie. I know them and they know me too. The South-west and the North if they come together they will continue to produce the president of this country for life. We have no hope, so we must consolidate on what we have here. We cannot afford to fall into that trap. We will perpetually be slaves to the bigger tribes. We should protect what belongs to us, we shall not allow our young men to be brainwashed. This country must be restructured. We must practice true federalism, otherwise these people will continue to exploit us. We had a President from here. They just decided to take it back, and they took it. Is that the system the young people want to run into? What will even the Federal Government do to you if you decide to stay where you are. You are receiving allocation from the federation account, the federal government is equally receiving its share, what do you expect from them? Is it not better to utilize what you have received and be able to be ingenious enough to attract investors to develop your local economy, than depending on the federal government? The whole thing is deceptive. What they did not get from the 13% derivation, they are getting through the back door through the local government system? There is no federation in the world where local government is a federating unit. Don’t be afraid, this youth population you are talking about. They have leaders that control them. It is like my humble self, going to Amassoma and I say this is the direction we are going, which of my children will stand up and say no? They will follow my direction."he said

Obasanjo: Soyinka Knows More About Wine Tasting Than Politics

Obasanjo and Soyinka, both in their 80's, have had a long love/hate relationship...always coming for each other at the slightest opportunity. The latest person to come for the other is Obasanjp. Speaking to Channels TV's 'Book Club' yesterday, where he was interviewed about his controversial book 'My Watch' where he also trashed Soyinka, Obasanjo said what he wrote about the literary icon in his book was purely his view and that Soyinka did not have to agree with him.
“Wole Soyinka is a gifted man. I have always acknowledged that but he is a bad politician and I have also always said that. That is my own point of view. He may agree with it, he may not agree with it. But having said that, I also, in my book, bring out Wole Soyinka as I see him and that’s my own judgment; that’s my own perspective of him. He may agree, he may not agree but anybody can bring out his own perspective of me. For instance, I know that if I want somebody to give me the best wine, one of the people I will go to is Wole Soyinka and I know he has a taste for good wine and I said that in the book.” he said. Continue to see what OBJ wrote about Soyinka that ticked him off
“For Wole, no one can be good, nor can anything be spot-on politically except that which emanates from him or is ordained by him. His friends and loved ones will always be right and correct, no matter what they do or fail to do. He is surely a better wine connoisseur and a more successful aparo (guinea fowl) hunter than a political critic."

Obasanjo: Jonathan Paid People To Attack Me

Barely one week, after he defended his choice of successor in 2007, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has pointedly accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of paying people to attack him.

Obasanjo, who also reflected on the despotic regime of the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha, stated that he would have been killed wrongly for the fathom coup.

Speaking on Channels Television programme, Channel Book Club last night, Obasanjo alleged that Jonathan paid people to attack him over his controversial book, “ My Watch”.

He claimed that Jonathan paid an activist from the South-West to criticise him.

While defending his book, Obasanjo said he did not have any regret on what he wrote, advising those who do not like what he said in the book to also write theirs, “so let the dialogue begin”.

On the criticism, trailing his book, Obasanjo said: “ If I have to react to all criticisms people write about me, which most of them are not true, then, I will not have time to do anything really again

He stated that what his critics, including Wole Soyinka, said did not bother him.

“Wole Soyinka and I have been having running battle. As he has said that it will not end until one of us leaves this world and I have said in this book we re talking about that If he leaves before me, when I get to Heaven and I hope he will be there, he should welcome me. But If I leave before him, I wiil welcome him.

“Wole Soyinka is a gifted man, I have always acknowledged that, but he is a bad politician or poltiical analyst and it is my own point of view, he may agree with my own point of view or disagree,” he said.

Sunnews

Former President Obasanjo states why he chose the Late Yar'Adua as his Successor

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he chose late Yar'Adua as his successor because the other politicians available at that time were corrupt. According to him, one of those who wanted to succeed him was 'stinkingly corrupt'. He gave his reasons during an interview with Channels TV yesterday July 15th

"Even if you take your son as your successor, you are not sure of what he will do when he gets there. Don’t ever kid yourself. What do I know about any successor? What he presents. When he gets there, he presents it differently. We did our best, but if you say our best is not good enough, I will say, when it comes to your turn, do better.
With all the people that are available for successor, what we came up with was about the best that we could think of at that time. One of those who wanted to do the job came to me and said, ‘Sir, I like your job, but I cannot do it the way you are doing it.’ Now, if he had told me that, should I then come and say, ‘okay, come, let me give you the job?’ He had told me that, ‘I like your job, but look, the way you are doing it, I haven’t got the stamina to do it that way.’ Then, what do you expect me to do? Or the one that I know that, oh!, this one, before he gets the job, he’s stinkingly corrupt. Now will I be able to defend myself before God and man if with what I know I give this job or I encourage the man to have this job?”he said