- By Halimah Olamide
Nigeria’s ex-president comes under more hammer after ordering about traditional rulers and in the words of the latest critic, talked to them like “motor park tout talking to a bunch of jobless and worthless underlings.
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has attributed Friday’s order by former President Olusegun Obasanjo order on traditional rulers to stand and sit down as part of the effects of his association with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi.
Fani-Kayode said he finds it totally incongruous that a man such as Obasanjo who spent better part of his life promoting traditional institution and the unity of Nigeria would throw his weight behind Obi, whom he described as religious bigot and a secessionist.
NPO Reports that Obasanjo had on Friday ordered the monarchs in Oyo state to rise up and greet him while immediately also asking them to sit down.
The scenario had caused outrage from far and near with many condemning the former President.
“This is the same OBJ that, once upon a time, displayed his respect, humility and I daresay greatness by bowing, kneeling and prostrating before our monarchs, even when he was President, yet today he talks to them as if they are his garbage collectors and orders them to jump up and down like a molue driver talking to his beleaguered passengers and a motor park tout talking to a bunch of jobless and worthless underlings,” Fani-Kayode said
Saying that what Obasanjo did must not be taken lightly, he accused Obasanjo of spitting on the faces of all Yoruba people.
“His words and behaviour are a desecration of our values and a grave insult to the Yoruba people and our traditional institutions. I am constrained to be gentle and restrained in my criticism of Baba OBJ on this and so many other issues because of the undying love, respect and reverence I have for him,” he said
Blaming Obasanjo’s conduct on his association with Obi and LP supporters, he said what happened on Friday was part of the fallouts of the association with Obi and his followers.
Fani Kayode said, “This is all the more so given the fact that I proudly served in his Government. However his association with and support for Peter Obi in the last presidential election has diminished and demystified him in the eyes of most to such an extent that it has become pitiful and embarrassing. It is also indefensible. How can a man who dedicated his life to and fought for a united Nigeria support a closet secessionist, a political fraud, a patently deceitful, vainglorious and dishonest man and a religious bigot like Peter to be President?
“That the great OBJ is now a flaming Obidient is the 8th wonder of the world. It really makes no sense and it is simply mind-boggling. What we witnessed when OBJ insulted our traditional rulers in Oyo state yesterday was the Obi spirit which is now firmly embedded in him at work.
First he was at a gathering in Awka where the Yoruba race were labelled “political rascals” by some Igbo leaders without a response from him and now he has the guts and effrontery to tell our traditional rulers to jump up and down like yoyos and clowns? Baba this is too much. Please respect yourself and stop embarrassing those of us that still have some affection and respect left for you.”