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OBJ, weep not for Nigeria
IT was a friend of mine who characterized ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, as a comedian and all his features to be theatric. He analyzed the eight-year rule of Obasanjo as a magnanimous charade.
According to media accounts, Obasanjo burst into tears, which lasted for over fifteen minutes, recently while bequeathing the Chapel at Aso Rock to now Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Obasanjo did not weep for Nigerians he impoverished, debased to mere walking corpses, turned to street urchins, miscreants, fearful people but for his late wife, Stella Obasanjo, who died during a plastic surgery operation in far away Spain in 2005. As he wept, what was the reaction of those who were with him. Did they console him and, once again, prayed for the repose of the dead or they just watched him weep? It is disheartening to note that anybody across the Niger is called a Christian!
While the lives of Nigerians 'rested in pieces' in the eight years Obasanjo led the country, the military was left in shreds, he shamefacedly metamorphosed to a god. His unforgiving spirit did not allow him see the hurt and grief he was causing Nigerians with his 'famous' reforms. He became a semi-god of sort that many believed in and worshiped. Dr. Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State, was an adherent believer in the Obasanjo sermons. Or do we say a faithful? But, was he satisfied with this? No. He had to become a supreme god that had to be obeyed and no Nigerian got anything from his government without first embarking on a spiritual exercise.
It's disheartening, on the one hand, and heart warming on the other, that Obasanjo, who became all these, could come down from his high horse, melt as ice and plead that Nigerians should forgive him in Abuja during a thanksgiving service at the National Christian Center to commemorate the expiration of his tenure in office and the inauguration of a new administration.
Imagine! Almighty Obasanjo is just human again. Hear him: "I want to say that from my own experience in life and from my own upbringing, no human being should claim perfection and those who have identified any of my imperfections should forgive and continue to pray that whatever is imperfect normalize and God will perfect it". Laughable, wouldn't you say.
As a Christian, I do not know what Nigerians make of Obasanjo's request. Whether we forgive him or not, it's all a matter of time. Even though Christians might do, what of other Nigerians who are not Christians? Would the spirits of the entire lot assassinated under his administration and which the Nigerian Police has not been able to produce their killers forgive him and stop to hound him?
If he is now asking for forgiveness from Nigerians for dragging them into this odious gutter, why did he not show the same forgiveness to his Vice, Atiku Abubakar? Why did he not release Alams, knowing that we are imperfect? Did he forgive Uwazuruike and give him the Republic of Biafra Uwazuruike was fighting for? What of Asari who pleaded that he be allowed to go for medical checkup? Did he give him the resource control he was fighting for? Obasanjo punished Nigeria and enslaved Nigerians because of their refusal to endorse his egocentric Third Term agenda.
Unearthing some of the wrongs Obasanjo visited on Nigerians would only grieve the people the more. So, let us leave the rest to history. Though, Nigerians forget things in a hurry, but they were not fools, especially when Obasanjo deregulated the downstream oil sector of the economy which led to the inflation of the prices of goods.
Obasanjo ruled Nigeria and Nigerians lost Nigeria to the oligarchs. Just like Charles Taylor is now facing charges he perpetrated against humanity while in office as Liberia's president, Obasanjo should be called up by security agents to give account of the Nigeria, which was commended to his care!
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Odimegwu Onwumere
Odimegwu Onwumere, a poet and an author, is the Founder, Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State , Nigeria . +2348032552855. apoet25@yahoo.com
If it's prose, he writes stories,
If it's poetry, he writes poems,
If it's drama, he writes screenplays,
And he has achieved some poetry nominations, in the USA and in Canada. He was born in Accra Ghana. A Nigerian by origin and is in his early thirties.
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