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Jonathan leaves the past behind, visits Obasanjo in his home town

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Jonathan leaves the past behind, visits Obasanjo in his home town

The visit of former President Goodluck Jonathan, to his estrange political father, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, may probably be the most surprising visit the former Nigerian military head of state and democratic president may have had in recent times.

Regardless of the role Obasanjo played to make sure that Jonathan was not returned as Nigeria’s president, he dropped all that behind him and paid a visit to one man who was at both ends of his political glory and failure.

The visit took place on Friday at about 12noon in Ibogun village, Ogun State, home of Obasanjo. Jonathan was in company of his former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki and three other close aides.

The two former leaders had a closed door meeting that lasted for about an hour.

Jonathan during the meeting had told his host he and General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), a former Nigerian military president, had intended to visit him during the yuletide but failed to make it as planned.

Turaki, who disclosed Jonathan’s mission to Obasanjo, went further to say that he (Jonathan) has finally come in fulfilment of the earlier intention to visit him (Obasanjo) during Christmas, but regrets that he was not able to come with IBB.

He commended Obasanjo’s contributions as an elder statesman since retiring from partisan politics and also thanked him for the way and manner he received him and his entourage.

Speaking, Obasanjo appreciated Jonathan for sparing time to visit him in his home town since leaving office, praying that they will still have more time to sit and reminiscence over happenings of the past and also talk about what the future portends.

“The first point I want to make is to thank you very sincerely and most sincerely for taking it upon yourself to pay us a visit at this point in time and at this location.

“Secondly, since you left office, you hardly have time to sit down and relax like you have been able to do today and I hope, I sincerely hope and pray for more such relaxed situation where we can reminiscence situations of the past that we have been through in this country and we can also look at what the future portends.

“When leaders come, they have little or no experience. When they have to go is when they have really amassed a lot of experience, where they have wisdom, their experience will be in high demand. Those like you and me who have the grace of God to bow out gracefully if there is now what I call constitutional office we have residual responsibilities for Nigeria.

Read also: PDP Senator jumps ship to APC, Akpabio fumes

“I believe that not only Nigeria, West Africa and Africa and indeed the world will continue to tap into our experiences, our wisdom and I hope and pray that when the call is made you will be more than ready to put your experience, the lessons you have learnt into the service of this country, for African and indeed for humanity in general,” Obasanjo said.

Speaking further, he told Jonathan, “I have said to you before and I will say again that there are plenty of opportunities out there, within the country, within West Africa, within Africa and indeed in the larger world where people will want you to make contributions.

“I believe that you are resting now and when you have fully rested and you will be hearing from me because I have this opportunity to be around the world and if I mention your name in dispatch…. I thank you sincerely that you have received us as we are in this village to prove to you that we are in a typical village, I was telling you that your village is better than mine.

“I want to say that we have it, Nigeria is a good country and we must never be tired of lifting the country up to the height that God has created it to be and God did not make a mistake when he put all of us together and if He doesn’t want us to be together no power in the world will have made us come together.”

While Obasanjo played a major role in Jonathan coming into limelight and becoming Nigeria’s President, he also played a very great role in ensuring that Jonathan became the first Nigerian president to lose election as an incumbent.

Close watchers of the polity believe that the meeting of Friday may not be unconnected with Jonathan’s search for high profile intervention in the matter of the probe of the former first family. Patience Jonathan, the former First Lady, has been named in a number of money laundering probes by the anti-graft agency, EFCC.

 

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0 Comments

  1. JOHNSON PETER

    January 21, 2017 at 8:07 am

    PDP is about to bounce back. If Jonathan , Obj and IBB can intervene in Pdp crisis, the party will become strengthen and no doubt , to seize back power will be easy. IBB can influence the north, Obj can influence the south while Jonathan can influence the south-south then am sure Anenih and Nwodo may join forces to influence the East. Equation balance.

    • seyi jelili

      January 21, 2017 at 8:19 am

      So what are you insinuating? Are you saying their meeting is centred on repositioning the Pdp , I doubt. Obj can never come back to pdp again after he had torn his membership card publicly.

    • chichi emerue

      January 21, 2017 at 10:10 am

      Even though PDp comes back, they can never secure presidency again with that nomenclature of Pdp , they should change the name of the party first.
      And to me , I dont believe Jonathan’s visit to Obj is for political reasons.

  2. Roland Uchendu Pele

    January 21, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Seems like everyone must have to visit Obasanjo at one point or the other.
    I mean, does it always have to be?
    And why is it that Obasanjo never visits anyone else?
    Except his friend in Taraba, Danjuma.

  3. Balarabe musa

    January 21, 2017 at 9:04 am

    It is a good thing Jonathan has done by paying visit to Obj.
    Jonathan has been more active after he left office and has been receiving huge awards internationally whereas no other past heads of states or presidents in Nigeria have received.
    His invitation to Donald Trump inauguration ceremony is a glory to his name .
    Jonathan is a true elder stateman

    • chichi emerue

      January 21, 2017 at 10:07 am

      But I watched the inauguration live and I didn’t see Jonathan there or does it means jonathan did not honour the invitation?

    • Animashaun Ayodeji

      January 21, 2017 at 10:17 am

      All these won’t erase the fact that Jonathan’s administration was corrupt, looted Nigeria’s money and left the country broke. I wont be surprised if he decided to make peace because of his rumored 2019 agenda of returning to contest for the presidency. The international bodies have their foolish ways of doing things. Jibrin that we all know to be a whistle-blower and very idiotic, he has also received multiple international recognitions from for his stupidity.

      • Joy Madu

        January 21, 2017 at 11:44 am

        Thrash!
        Jonathan won’t ever think of re-contesting for presidency again comes 2019. Jonathan is not power drunk. And international communities know jonathan made Nigeria better than the way he met it.

  4. Johnson Amadi

    January 21, 2017 at 10:11 am

    Only a fool will believe Jonathan visited Obasanjo to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with him. We cannot be deceived by their facial expressions but their inner intentions are what we should look at. Jonathan visited Obasanjo because he’s in need of something. Only time will tell, very soon we’ll know why he chose to reconcile with Baba Iyabo.

  5. Margret Dickson

    January 21, 2017 at 10:24 am

    From inception, I have always respected Jonathan, his humility is second to known. Only a few people will go back to Obasanjo to reconcile despite how he tormented him, stood against him and made sure people voted him out of power. Jonathan shows another rare leadership example

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