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Adebanjo paints Obasanjo ‘black’ in autobiography, ‘Telling it as it is’

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Adebanjo paints Obasanjo ‘black’ in autobiography, ‘Telling it as it is’

Elder statesman, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight years in power under civil rule as a tragedy and calamity.

He said that Obasanjo is a man who does not deserve the accolades accorded him by Nigerians.

The Afenifere chieftain who dubbed Obasanjo a “whited sepulchre,” argued that the former president has no moral right to accuse anyone of corruption.

The elder statesman gave these attacks on Obasanjo in his autobiography, “Telling it as it is”, which was publicly presented in Lagos on Tuesday ahead of his 90th birthday on April 10.

The event was chaired by a former military Vice-President, Cmdr. Ebitu Ukiwe (retd.) and had in attendance prominent Nigerians like the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, former governors of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, a former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

Also at the event included a former Minister of Industry, Mrs. Nike Akande, the founder of Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, and Chief Albert Horsfall.

Adebanjo said he was amazed how people continue to give Obasanjo “undue prominence in spite of his known character,” arguing that in a decent society people like the former president would never feature in public life again.

Pointing out that Obasanjo was yet to dispute that fact that had only N20,000 in his bank account as at when he returned from the prison in 1999, Adebanjo said that he was certain that “when a real government of the people comes into power, they would take (away) Obasanjo’s Presidential Library Complex in Abeokuta.”

“The man who carried on as if he was all-in-all failed woefully on all counts as President. His eight-year tenure (1999-2007) was a tragedy. His scorecard was nothing to write home about. What did he do in eight years? Before he came, we were buying fuel for N20 per litre, and crude oil was $23 per barrel. In 2007, under his regime, we were buying fuel at N75 per litre, and crude oil was between $65 and $75 per barrel. In the worst days of Abacha, one dollar was over N120,” Adebanjo said about Obasanjo.

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The major attack on Obasanjo was captured in chapter 13 of the 233-page book, which he entitled, ‘Awolowo, Obasanjo and the Yoruba Nation.’

Adebanjo, who is a follower of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo accused Obasanjo of humiliating Awolowo when the latter visited him to discuss the interest of the Yoruba soon after Obasanjo became the military head of state in 1976.

“There are many incidents to show that Obasanjo is anti-Yoruba. He has no interest in, or sympathy for the Yoruba cause, he only has his own interest for everything he does. That is my conclusion, and I have copious evidence to prove it,” Adebanjo said.

He further accused Obasanjo for the collapse of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) by picking the late Bola Ige, a member of the AD, as a minister in 1999 against the wish of the party.

“As far as I am concerned, the moment Bola Ige joined Obasanjo’s government, following his (Bola Ige) loss of AD’s presidential primaries where he polled six votes against Chief Olu Falae’s 17, marked the beginning of the end of the party. In my opinion, these are the scenarios which led to the collapse of the AD,” he said.

 

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