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Obasanjo: IBB a fool at 70
By
Ernest Nwokolo The Nation
Friday 19,2011
Related:-Obasanjo is a
Bigger Fool-IBB
…..full
text of his reply to the Ota Farmer
Obasanjo a
•IBB: Nigerians know the fool
FORMER military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida got yesterday
an acidic birthday gift from former President Olusegun Obasanjo,
who hurled a stream of invective at him.
Gen. Babangida, who ruled Nigeria between 1985 and 1993, stirred
the hornets’ nest of vituperation on the eve of his 70th
birthday celebration in Minna, Niger State, when he dismissed
Obasanjo’s achievements as low. He said Obasanjo failed to
improve the power sector, despite the huge cash available to the
government.
Obasanjo replied the former military dictator yesterday. He said
Gen. Babangida should be “pitied” and not “condemned” or visited
with “anger” for railing at his (Obasanjo’s) eight years
administration because Babangida’s criticisms “were,
unfortunately, not well thought-out”.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), said it was unfortunate that Babangida could embark
on an unwise journey of condemning him for not doing enough in
the power sector whereas between 1985 and 1993 when he ruled
Nigeria, he built no power plant.
Obasanjo, who spoke with journalists at his Presidential Library
Project site in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State, where he met
with some foreign investors, said although he did not believe
the report credited to Babangida, until he read it in the
newspapers, he decided to reply him lest he thought he was wise.
What Obasanjo said about Babangida’s allegations:
“Well, normally when I read these things, I don’t believe them.
Yesterday, when somebody phoned me and said this was said, I
said don’t believe it. He said check all the newspapers and I
said ‘get me all the newspapers’; they got me the newspapers and
I read; it’s a little bit unlike Babangida. But, if Babangida
had decided on becoming a septuagenarian, that he will be a
fool, I think one should probably do what the Bible says in
Proverbs chapter 26, verse 4. It says don’t answer a fool
because you may also become like him. When you go to the same
Proverbs, chapter 26, verse 5, says, answer a fool so that he
will not think he’s a wise man. So, I am now torn between which
of the two verses I should follow in this respect.
“Some of the things he said unfortunately were not well
thought-out. For instance, he talked about our energy. When I
was the military Head of State, I built Jebba dam; built Shiroro
dam. I prepared the foundation of Egbin plant, which President
Shagari completed and commissioned. That time, the money we were
making was not up to the money Babangida was making annually for
his eight years and yet we built two dams. Because it was
important, you know that power is the driving force for
development and for any developing country. But since the
building of Egbin power plant, until I came back in 1999, there
was no generating plant for almost 20 years and Babangida spent
eight years out of that.
“Now, he has the audacity to talk about anybody; I think that is
unfortunate. I also read where he said in his time, he gave the
dividends of democracy and at the same time he regretted. When I
read that, well, I said Babangida should be pitied and shown
sympathy, rather than anger or condemnation because the old
saying says a fool at 40 is a fool forever and I would say a
regret at 70 is a regret too late. Well, a regret at 70 is a
regret to the grave.”
Reporter: On el-Rufai’s allegation against him on privatisation
Obasanjo: “I don’t know what he said. You gentlemen of the
press, you have a way of putting slant into what people say. I
need to know exactly what he said.”
Reporter: el-Rufai said you almost or attempted to block the
sale of Nigeria Airways
Obasanjo: “I blocked the sale of Nigeria Airways, not that I
attempted to block the sale of Nigeria Airways. When I was
military Head of State, Nigeria Airways had 32 aircraft. By the
time I came back as elected President of Nigeria, Nigeria
Airways had only one aircraft. One of the 32 was a wide body.
They had all gone and the report on which we worked is here. The
amount of money we will have to pay if Nigeria Airways was sold,
what we would get out of it is less than 10 per cent of the debt
we had to pay. That would be the debt Nigerian tax payers would
have to pay; that was not the way to run the affairs of this
country. I won’t run my own affairs that way. So, I opted for
liquidation. So, it was bankrupted; it was liquidated; in which
case whatever you gained from liquidation, which is also a form
of sale, it means the burden will be shared by all the creditors
and everybody. So, if I owe you 10 dollars and what I sell when
I am liquidated is two. That’s what you get. So, I did not allow
normal privatisation or sale because it would have put very
heavy burden on Nigeria. So, Nigerians should know that and, in
fact, my administration should be commended for that. It’s not
that I did not allow that sale because by the law establishing
it, liquidation is also a form of sale.
Reporter: We learnt that you’ll be invited to come and explain
yourself on the issue. Will you be there?
Obasanjo: Anybody who wants me for any event, I’m available.
Reporter: Why do you think these attacks are coming this time?
Obasanjo: I should ask you.
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