Obasanjo’s letter caused division among Jonathan’s friends 2702F03.Goodluck-Jonathan....

President Goodluck Jonathan’s facebook friends are no longer in one accord due to the famous 18-page letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he (Obasanjo) strongly criticised the his (Goodluck) administration. Obasanjo had in the letter accused the President, among other things, of not honouring his words, and taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria as well as running a killer squad.
A check on the President’s Facebook page on Sunday showed that some of his 1.1 million followers who dropped comments on his page are torn between pledging their support for the President or castigating him over the content of the 18-page stinker.
While some of the President’s social media friends accused Obasanjo of pursuing a hidden agenda and publicly ridiculing him, others charged Jonathan to look inwards and have a clearer understanding of what the former President was trying to make him realise.
Those who belong to the second school of thought are of the opinion that the letter, the content of which has since been made public, should be a wake-up call to Jonathan as the picture of the Nigerian polity painted in the letter clearly echoes the minds of many Nigerians.
A particular Facebook friend of the President, Treasure Balogun, a student of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, says although Obasanjo may not be a saint, he shares the opinion of the former President, as contained in the said letter.
He expressed worry over what he describes as widespread corruption happening under the nose of the President noting that Jonathan’s action and inactions were encouraging graft.
Balogun says, “Obasanjo is not a saint, so also is Jonathan and other past rulers! He (Obasanjo) gave the advice for the betterment of the country. Nigeria is a sinking ship, and thus she needs experienced captain(s) to rescue it and the passengers on board.
“Tambuwal (Speaker, House of Representatives) proved that Goodluck Jonathan administration is corrupt, yet some castigated him. Sanusi complained that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is withholding about $50bn which can easily solve some of our national problems, yet we didn’t see anything wrong with that!
“Oduah’s case is fading away gradually. Ex-corruption warlords are being pardoned. PDP members and governors’ sons are now being accused of economic and financial crimes, yet we are all watching it like seasonal films. The Nigerian Medical Association just gave ultimatum to embark on a nationwide strike.
“Can someone tell me what is functioning well in this country? Aviation sector is almost dead, power sector is still ailing; petroleum sector has been turned to a means of looting public treasury; security of lives and property is nothing to write home about!”
Another Facebook fan of Jonathan, Akeem Adeyemi, advises the President not to allow self-serving aides to deceive and mislead him on the contents of the letter.
“Obasanjo’s letter contains the bitter truth. Don’t allow selfish people around you to mislead you on Obj’s comments. God may be using him for the Nigerian project. Go to him personally and listen attentively to his advice and adhere to it please. May bad history not be recorded during your tenure, your Excellency,” Adeyemi said.
In the class of some of the President’s social media friends who faults the letter is Lagos-based Nnamdi Uti. He argues that the letter was written in bad blood and in consonance with some detractors.
He says the ex-President may have had some valid points, but adds that the circumstances surrounding the letter smacks of a deliberate attempt to win over public sympathy and attention.
Uti argues, “OBJ is an ex-army general who knows how to strategise to win in the court of public opinion. I personally don’t think that OBJ would have written such a letter without a motivation. He is either being used by himself or some detractors.
“However, Nigerians are not that blind to see the number of high profile deaths during his (Obasanjo’s) era. We know that leadership of a country like Nigeria is not easy. Just do your best and leave the rest. We appreciate his (Obasanjo) good works during his time we also appreciate his weaknesses.
“His weakness lies in his firm desire to always have control/ remain in leadership position or play leadership role. These are characteristics of a General. Nigerians on their own have ability to vote who their leader should be especially if we have a transparent voting platform.”