Posted by By LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja on
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday attributed his feud with his deputy, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to his determination to battle corruption, particularly in high places.
• It's about someone wanting to be life President - Atiku
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday attributed his feud with his deputy, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to his determination to battle corruption, particularly in high places.
Fielding questions in Abuja from a group of 12 editors from American media organizations who are on a fact-finding tour of the country, Obasanjo said that the effort of his administration in the fight against corruption had yielded results.
On the successes recorded in the fight against corruption, he said that former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Tafa Balogun lost his job, was prosecuted and jailed for corruption, while also recalling the case of Senator Adolphus Wabara, who, he said, lost his position of Senate president for the same reason.
"The number three man in the hierarchy of Nigeria, the Senate president had been dealt with and he lost his job. I hope he will lose his seat. The number two man in this country is fighting a battle of his life because of corruption around and about. We have three or four that should have been flagbearers of the PDP at the state level and this may change to ensure that we put our house in order," he stated.
He said that some governors, ministers, permanent secretaries and directors-general had lost their jobs and were being prosecuted, pointing out that one of the ministers died in the process of his prosecution.
Reacting to a question on whether he had fears on the possibility of a military intervention in the country's political governance, Obasanjo said he could not in his wildest imagination believe such, adding that everything had been done to professionalise the military.
On the situation in the Niger Delta, he said that apart from the issue of past neglect and marginalisation, criminality is being perpetrated by some misguided youths. He pointed out that government could not continue to deal with the activities of militants in the Niger Delta with kid's gloves.
On what he considered the failures or regrets of his government, President Obasanjo said: "When I was out there, my understanding of the problems of Nigeria was inadequate. For example, I thought that once I come in, the problem of power outages would be over. I thought the problem was that of leadership. I removed the leadership but the problem was still there and indeed, so deep. I then removed the second layer and still no progress. It took me three years to really know that it was not a question of cutting a toe or finger, that it was complete amputation of the limb."
Reacting to Obasanjo's comments, however , the Atiku Campaign Organization said: "The altercation between Obasanjo and Atiku is not about corruption. It is about life presidency, democracy and the rule of law.
"President Obasanjo is above the law. He does not abhor corruption. Instead, he thrives in it. The evidence is there in the vice president's testimony before the Senate Committee on PTDF and the staggering rot in the oil industry, which Obasanjo solely managed in the last eight years.