15:00
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
has again criticized President
Goodluck Jonathan saying that
because of his inaction, the Chibok
Girls will never be rescued.
Obasanjo also spoke about his book
saying that everything he has
written about Jonathan, he has also
said to him face-to-face.
The former President stated this and
more during an interview with Rosie
Collyer of Radio France
Internationale (RFI)
Excerpts below:
RC: Why have you chosen to publish
your autobiography now, when Nigeria
is politically charged ahead of
February’s general election?
OO: You used the word politically
charged. There is no time Nigeria is
not politically charged. One thing
one can say about Nigeria is, since
independence we have had some
high ebbs or low ebbs but Nigeria
has been very, very politically
active. So the question of which is
the opportune time or auspicious
time for a book to be published, it is
entirely up to the publisher and of
course the reading public.
I completed writing the book, which
took me about 18 months, about
four months ago and I gave it to the
publisher. And the publisher
decided that after reading the book
that he would like to publish it
before the elections.
RC: Who is Buruji Kashamu and why do
you mention him in your
autobiography?
OO: He is someone who has been
indicted in America […] And for a
political party and for the president
to be hobnobbing with him I believe
leaves much to be desired, and I
said that [in my autobiography].
RC: You are apparently critical of
President Goodluck Jonathan in your
autobiography. Why?
OO: Whatever I have said in my
book, I have said it to President
Jonathan one-on-one. I have said it
in public statements that I have
made over the past two or three
years. So there is nothing in my
book that is new that I have said
about President Jonathan.
RC: One area where you have criticised
President Jonathan is his handling of
the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. What
advice did you give the president?
OO: It is unfortunate. What I have
said to Jonathan before and what I
have said also in my letter – and I
have said it several times – is that,
once active and concrete action was
not taken within 48 hours, a period
of 72 hours was already too late. We
will never be able to get those girls
again. And the story of those girls
will go on for the next 30 years.
Some of them will come out when
they are adults or they will be sent
back when they are pregnant by
those who have captured them. If
anyone is thinking of being able to
get those girls released intact, he
must be day dreaming.
RC: Your autobiography is called My
Watch in reference to your
presidencies. What were you most
proud of during your time as
president?
OO: Well what was I proud of, is
when I came in [as president] many
people thought that I would be the
last president of Nigeria, because
after me Nigeria will be no more. I
was proud that I was not the last
president of Nigeria because after
me there have been two presidents
and there will always be presidents
of Nigeria and Nigeria will continue
to exist.
And then, of course, we fought
corruption.
RC: Can you give some examples of
corrupt people who faced justice?
OO: Oh yes, we took an inspector
general of police to court. We took
the president of the Senate to court.
We took my minister for secondary
schools and my minister of internal
affairs to court. We took a few
permanent secretaries to court. And
we took a few governors to court.
And then of course we recovered
well over 1.25 billion dollars from
the Abacha family.
RC: Could you have done more to fight
corruption?
OO: No, I did all that could be done.
Fighting corruption is not a one-day
affair or a one-night affair, it must
be continuous.
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