After a meeting with five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, shifted from his constant denigration of the Federal Government and his seemingly loss of faith in the country. He declared that in spite of the numerous challenges facing Nigeria, the country is still redeemable.
He also said that he frequent attacks on the Federal Government were not designed to pull down the administration and person of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The meeting, which was held in his Hilltop Mansion, Abeokuta, Ogun State, also addressed issues relating to the 2015 general elections and sundry national issues.
The governors, who met with the former President included Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) and Issa Yuguda of Bauchi State.
On the two-hour meeting, Obasanjo told newsmen that the five PDP governors visited him to discuss the state of the nation. He however said that despite the myriad of problems confronting Nigeria, the current situation in the country was still redeemable.
Obasanjo cleared the air on his recent comments on the state of the nation, saying his outbursts were not aimed at rubbishing or pulling down the President Jonathan-led administration but borne out of genuine concern for the nation.
He stressed that the current situation in the country was not “irretrievably bad,” adding that what was required to tackle it was the will and courage of those holding the reins of governance.
Obasanjo stated that solving Nigeria’s problems required the efforts and contributions of all citizens.
He said:
“They have decided to pay me a special visit. They were concerned about what you may call the situation of the nation, security, economy and we discussed these issues. In fact, most of them I have raised in my own public pronouncements in recent times; not to castigate anybody, not to badmouth anybody, not to run anybody down but out of genuine concern for the situation of the country and that is the same thing that has brought them.
“And we looked at these issues very closely, very objectively and we came to the conclusion that yes, we have a bad situation but it’s not irretrievably bad. Something can still be done and now what is required is the will and the courage to do something when and how it needs to be done.
“We agreed on that and we also agreed that yes, I appreciate their coming to me because of the respect and the honour they have for me. But this task is not for one man, it’s not even a task for one group. It’s a task which requires all hands on deck.”
Asked to comment on the economic situation in the country, the former president said he was not scared about the fall in the price of crude oil, saying that the country could survive the situation if appropriate measures were taken at the right time.
He said that the country had failed to remember “the rainy days” when it had surplus.
“I am never scared by anything, but I am concerned that first, when we had surplus, we did not remember the rainy day; now that the rainy day is steering us in the face, we must be honest and courageous enough to do what is right, to let the nation know and then to take the steps that will put it right as quick as possible.
“You do not need to be an oracle or a World Bank /International Monetary Fund, IMF expert to know that our economy is not what it should be and this is not the first we would hear it, we have heard it in the past.
“Of course, when I came in 1999, the price of fuel was about $9 and we realised that we have a problem. We even made budget that we could not fund but we realised that we are in a serious situation and we took steps. Within two to three years, we were able to sail through. The price of fuel started moving up.
“Do not forget that there was a time during the Iraqi war, price of fuel rose to $42 and then it came down to $9; the one that we have now, we do not know when it would hit bottom and at what price it would bottom, but we can weather the storm if we take the right measures and when to take it,” the former president added.
Obasanjo later said someone had jokingly told him that he knows the default National Democratic Coalition, NADECO route during the military era, saying only Nigerians can fix the country.
“The other day, somebody told me he knows NADECO route, I do not want to follow NADECO- It is incumbent on us to do what is right, with men like them; Issa Yuguda, Godswill Akpabio, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu the Chief Servant, Sule Lamido and a very good one Liyel Imoke, they are colleagues with whom I have worked together, they will like to call themselves my sons. When you have a son like Sule Lamido who is almost a foot taller than yourself, you must watch what you would say and do.”
The five governors who arrived at Obasanjo’s house separately had gone straight into a closed-door meeting which lasted for two hours after which they addressed journalists who had laid siege to the premises.
It was gathered that the meeting centred on the situation within the ruling PDP and the forthcoming 2015 general elections.
The governors were said to have impressed it on the former president why it had become imperative for him to support the PDP and the second term bid of President Jonathan.
Governor Akpabio, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, explained that they deemed it fit to consult Obasanjo as a former president on Nigeria’s problems.
He said that all Nigerians were determined to reposition the country, adding that in spite the challenges the people must work together to redeem the situation.
Governor Aliyu said the visit was to consult with “oracle of leadership and politics.” adding that, “If you notice, all of us are his children, both administratively, politically and in reality and we have come to consult with the oracle of leadership and politics of this country and we have benefited tremendously with our coming.
“You have heard him say we need also to consult with other people because all of us must come together. The issue of Nigeria is beyond partisanship. We must as Nigerians come together and let us put our nation in the right place.”
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