By Musa Simon Reef
No trumpet was blown when a child was born to illiterate and poor parents from the backwoods of Ibogun-Olaogun in Ogun State on March 5, 1937. There was nothing to reveal that this young child, whose later dream was to be a mechanic, would cast defining moments in the life of a nation.
Presently, wherever two or three people are gathered, when the name of that child that was christened, ‘Olusegun Obasanjo’ is mentioned, disagreement is bound to occur. To his admirers, Obasanjo is that iconic figure that has left positive profound impacts on the nation. Baba, as they fondly call him, believes in the Nigerian project and is willing to lay down his life for it.
To his opponents- and he is blessed with so many, the Ota farmer is wicked and vengeful. Since coming to political limelight, after the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed on February 13, 1976, Obasanjo’s paradoxical traits of good and evil have portrayed him as a national preposterousness. Of all the Nigerian leaders, both living and dead, the poor boy from Ibogun-Olaogun, who ran against the traffic of greatness as a youth, is the most favoured by the gods. His only dream was to become a mechanic/lorry boy, but Obasanjo ended up ruling Nigeria for over 11 and half years: three and half years as head of state and eight years as a civilian president.
Less than 18 years after he enlisted in the army, he rose to become Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. With destiny shooting him to the corridors of power at 39, Obasanjo pushed for the successful transfer of power to the civilians1979. In retirement at the young age of 44, Obasanjo returned to the farm from where he was raised to set up Ota Farms.
However, he soon launched into writing and churned out books that sparked controversies. Although he was accused of self-adoration in some of his books, they became bestsellers. Some of the books included, ‘My Command’, ‘Kaduna Nzeogu’ and ‘My Watch.’
Obasanjo, who holds the traditional title of ‘Balogun of Owu’ and ‘Ekirin Balogun of Egba Clan in Yorubaland,’ is never diffident of engaging in controversies.
He even sought to create one when none existed. He soon became a literary terror and national conscience for good governance. Governments after his became apprehensive of his criticisms and wondered, “What Obasanjo was always looking for”. He wrote letters to Nigerian leaders, including President Shehu Shagari, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, General Sani Abacha and Dr Goodluck Jonathan whom he supported for presidency in 2011. Unlike others, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was bedridden and sick in Saudi Arabia to read a mail.
But in January 2010 the Egba chief’s call on the ailing president to resign if he was incapable of discharging his oath of office ultimately led to the passage of the Doctrine of Necessity by the National Assembly that ushered in the Jonathan presidency.
I first saw Obasanjo as a child in 1979 when he paid a farewell visit to Sokoto State, few months to his formal handover of power to President Shehu Shagari. As a pupil of the Army Children School, Sokoto, I was among those ferried to welcome him at the airport.
Together with other pupils, I dutifully waved the Nigerian flag on that dusty but sunny day that is etched in my memory. I screamed my lungs out at the sight of his big tummy, the red insignia around his neck, the rank on his shoulders and the medals on his chest. His sight gave me hope that someday I may just be like him if I read hard.
Obasanjo’s comeback in 1999 provided an opportunity that opened up the country for international friendship and brightened prospects for national development.
After long years of military rule, the Ota farmer, like Nelson Mandela of South Africa, was upbeat in leading his country out of the woods. With the prices of crude oil soaring at the international market, May 29, 1999 represented a new dawn and a refreshing hope for a people that have grown weary and wary of military politics.
In a media interview to celebrate his 80thbirthday, the former president said, “I have nothing to offer Nigeria other than leadership.”
Indeed, if the present reality facing the country is anything to go by, then, the leadership as provided by Obasanjo has failed in transforming the country. Obasanjo’s form of leadership only preyed on national resources to advance personal interest. The resort to crocodilian posturing and weakening of political opponents were hallmarks of the Obasanjo years, with the nation’s commonwealth sold to fronts under a dubious privatisation programme.
As the former president celebrated his 80thbirthday on March 5, 2017, the man himself bemoaned the lack of leadership, citing it as the nation’s bane. Though he attempted to exculpate his generation from present leadership deficit, many Nigerians are convinced that the Balogun is part of our problem. The former president is still relevant to the extent that every political group plotting to wrest power must ask itself: “What role will Baba play?” Ignoring Obasanjo in the game of politics in Nigeria can only be done at one’s peril.
He remains a political juggernaut whose strength for national mood swing coercion remains unparalleled. There is no way the Egba Chief can absolve himself from the leadership deficits the country has experienced from 1999 to date.
I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Baba Obasanjo a happy birthday in arrears, with many strength-filled years to undo the evils of a leadership system that is taking our nation down the slippery slope of self-destruction.
Reef, a journalist, wrote from Abuja via [email protected]
