A man who cannot run his family has no moral authority prescribing how a country as complex as Nigeria is to be governed. But unfortunately, in our country, this has become part of our political history. How? Someone, without moral authority, has not only made prescriptions about governance in our land, but had also ruled our nation for eleven years.
\nThis truism has in recent times come to the minds of the Nigerian people in much bolder relief following the open letter by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan. The letter has continued to generate public reactions. Senator Iyabo Obasanjo\u2019s reaction to the 18-page letter written by his father in which he accused the Jonathan administration of major lapses in the handling of the affairs of this country would validate the axiom.
\nAlthough Obasanjo had the privilege of ruling Nigeria three times, first as a Military Head of State (1976-1979) and then twice as a democratically elected President (1999-2003) (2003-2007), his role as a family man has been called to question by his daughter.
\nHer 11-page letter, dated 16th December, 2013, and published in the Vanguard of 18th December, is an indictment of her father whom she describes as morally bankrupt, \u201ca liar and manipulator\u201d, undeserving of respect as a father.
\nIyabo\u2019s indictment of her father is a combination of acts of immorality and corruption, some bordering on plain criminality, a reminder of what one of Obasanjo\u2019s wives, Oluremi, had written in her book, \u201cBitter Sweet: My Life With Obasanjo.\u201d According to Oluremi, Obasanjo is \u201ca master of the art of deception\u2026self\u2013opinionated\u2026does not forgive nor does he forget\u2026and can be an exploiter.\u201d In the same book, Oluremi also claimed that her husband had extra-marital affairs with many women, categorically mentioning the case of Mrs. Ayoka Olusola Adebayo, who was the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Ekiti State.
\nThe most repulsive of Obasanjo\u2019s acts of moral turpitude, within the family, was his involvement in the abomination of an incestuous affair with Mojisola, the wife of his own eldest son, Dr. Gbenga Obasanjo. As a consequence of Obasanjo\u2019s affair with his daughter-in-law, the 9-year old marriage to the son was dissolved. (Vanguard, 24 January, 2009)
\nThese acts of moral insensitivity fit very well with Iyabo\u2019s description of Obasanjo as a wife batterer who, in the presence of the children, was \u201cbeating up\u201d their mother \u201ccontinually.\u201d And, what could be more insensitive than a father who does not know the number of children he has, nor bother to make contact with them? Iyabo was able to cite numerous instances of Obasanjo\u2019s neglect of his wives and children, who had to live like pampers, even when he was Head of State. Furthermore, as a post-graduate student in the United States, Iyabo, herself, had to work in the kitchen and library to make ends meet.
\nAn important point that runs through Iyabo\u2019s letter is that Obasanjo does something for a member of the family only if that thing would bring benefits to him. For instance, Iyabo is emphatic in saying that the only reason Obasanjo helped her to go to the Senate was to raise his own political profile. She is also categorical that it is for the same reason that her father suggested recently that she should prepare to return to the Senate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to Iyabo, Obasanjo would want to use her or any of the children so that he could remain politically relevant.
\nFor Obasanjo, the family is like a tool to be exploited for his own personal benefits. It is easy to extrapolate from this altitude to the wider society. Any political leader who exploits members of his family should not be expected to treat the citizery in a different way. Not surprisingly, friends, colleagues and political associates are perceived by Obasanjo as tools to be used and dumped. This is the correlation that Iyabo\u2019s letter has sought to emphasize in the interest of Nigerians.
\nNo doubt, Obasanjo has been a failure on the home front. From all indications, and judging from Iyabo\u2019s letter, the Obasanjo family is bereft of values and that is their tragedy. The good thing about Iyabo\u2019s letter is that it has exposed Obasanjo from within the family; and, that is what makes it a credible source. Nigeria should count herself lucky to have survived being ruled by a man whose state of mind is doubtful.
\nIt is most unlikely that there are many Nigerian who know Obasanjo as much as members of his family. And, among the family members, none other than Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo, Doctor of veterinary Medicine, Doctor of philosophy, could have done a thorough study of \u201cThis Animal called Man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abdullahi sent this piece via Mustaphabdullahi66@yahoo.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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