Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has replied to the “controversial” letter recently written to him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, where he raised salient issues related to national security. It is almost a book.
Haven’t these national leaders heard of e-mails? Can’t they talk to each other? You’d think at this level they wouldn’t be writing such lengthy diatribes to each other. Here, take a look at the defense offered the accusations that Obansajo has made these past few months.
Regarding the over 1,000 people you say are on a political watch list, I urge you to kindly tell Nigerians who they are and what agencies of government are “watching” them. Your allegation that I am using security operatives to harass people is also baseless. Nigerians are waiting for your evidence of proof. That was an accusation made against previous administrations, including yours, but it is certainly not my style and will never be. Again, if you insist on the spurious claim that some of your relatives and friends are being harassed, I urge you to name them and tell Nigerians what agencies of my administration are harassing them.
I also find it difficult to believe that you will accuse me of assisting murderers, or assigning a presidential delegation to welcome a murderer. This is a most unconscionable and untrue allegation. It is incumbent on me to remind you that I am fully conscious of the dictates of my responsibilities to God and our dear nation. It is my hope that devious elements will not take advantage of your baseless allegation to engage in brazen and wanton assassination of high-profile politicians as before, hiding under the alibi your “open letter” has provided for them.
Nevertheless, I have directed the security agencies and requested the National Human Rights Commission to carry out a thorough investigation of these criminal allegations and make their findings public.
That corruption is an issue in Nigeria is indisputable. It has been with us for many years. You will recall that your kinsman, the renowned afro-beat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti famously sang about it during your first stint as head of state. Sonny Okosun also sang about corruption. And as you may recall, a number of army generals were to be retired because of corruption before the Dimka coup. Also, the late Gen. Murtala Mohammed himself wanted to retire some top people in his Cabinet on corruption-related issues before he was assassinated. Even in this Fourth Republic, the Siemens and Halliburton scandals are well known.
The seed of corruption in this country was planted a long time ago, but we are doing all that we can to drastically reduce its debilitating effects on national development and progress. I have been strengthening the institutions established to fight corruption. I will not shield any government official or private individual involved in corruption, but I must follow due process in all that I do. And whenever clear cases of corruption or fraud have been established, my administration has always taken prompt action in keeping with the dictates of extant laws and procedures. You cannot claim to be unaware of the fact that several highly placed persons in our country, including sons of some of our party leaders are currently facing trial for their involvement in the celebrated subsidy scam affair. I can hardly be blamed if the wheels of justice still grind very slowly in our country, but we are doing our best to support and encourage the judiciary to quicken the pace of adjudication in cases of corruption.
On the other hand, with things as rocky as they are in South Sudan perhaps some frontal honesty is the way to go and this president should be congratulated or at least supported for having come out in the open and addressed these prickly issues, many of them common to African dictatorships and fighting warlords. It has kind of stopped Obansajo’s offensive against the incumbent. All this aside though, much of the global media is still going to view these actions as pure window dressing because it is not easy to get over the cynicism that has become integral to power struggles in the African continent.
Perhaps it is time for the mailman to deliver an answer from the deposed leader.
