OBJ: Not yet at ease

• Published date: 09 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

y Omotayo Ishola

SIR: Since fate catapulted him to the pedestal of power as military head of state in succession to Murtala Muhammed in 1976, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had been a recurring political decimal in and outside power. He has neither been at ease with himself nor with Nigeria on account of his irredeemable failure as someone who became the head of state but could not lay a lasting foundational success for the Giant of Africa'.

This had been the psychological trauma troubling the ''Ebora of Owu'' which he might possibly carry to his grave except divine purgation. In my opinion, the trouble of Nigeria started with General Gowon's inability to process a progressive leadership for the country after the civil war partly because of his own inherent weakness, which the northern cabal in his cabinet exploited.

Had Gowon been true to his trust and handed Nigeria leadership to any of stars in his cabinet, Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro, Joseph Tarka, Aminu Kano, Wenike Briggs or Okoi Arikpo, Nigeria would not have had a fiery Murtala Muhammed, cynically cunning Obasanjo, a mediocre Shehu Shagari, a nepotistic Muhammadu Buhari, a willy Ibrahim Babangida, a brutal Sani Abacha and cavalier Abubakar Abdulsalam, and the playboys of Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.

Obasanjo in and outside power and many of his myopic books and seminars papers have always tried to cover his weakness and failure at leadership post where the likes of Awolowo, Moshood Abiola, Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu would make incomparable landmarks according to Dr. Omololu Olunloyo in a different context.

John Maxwell, the reputable leadership authority of international hubris said ''You are not an outstanding leader until you have outstanding successors''. While one can count the meritorious performances of Adekunle Ajasin, Lateef Jakande, Bola Ige, Bisi Onabanjo, Ambrose Alli, Jonathan Odebiyi and Abraham Adesanya as successors to late Awolowo, and Babatunde Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kayode Fayemi, Ibikunle Amosun, Rauf Aregbeshola, as successors to Tinubu, where are the worthy and credible successors of OBJ since 1976?

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