By Isaac Asabor
Since former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, March 5, 2022, said if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) do their jobs properly, and with adequate support of the judiciary that many presidential aspirants ahead of 2023 would be in jail, it would not be wrong to say that not few Nigerians, like this writer, have been waiting for the aspirants; either in unison or individually, to respond to the weighty insinuation by saying they are not corrupt as alleged by Obasanjo.
The former president who spoke at an international symposium organized to mark his 85th birthday at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said anybody who doesn’t have integrity in small things cannot have integrity in big things.
Obasanjo, who spoke on the theme of the symposium, “Africa Narrative with Nigeria Situation”, insisted that Nigerians must learn from the events of the past and put aside sentiments in choosing the next president of the country. He said: “I cast a cursory look at some of the people running around and those for whom people are running around.
“If EFCC and ICPC had done their jobs properly and are supported adequately by the judiciary, most of them would be in jail.
“Any person who has no integrity in small things cannot have integrity in big things. “Fixing Nigeria must begin on the principles of nation building, not necessarily on emotion, sentiments, euphoria, ignorance, incompetence, ethnicity, nepotism, bigotry, sectionalism, regionalism, religion or class.
“The issues of security, stability, development, economy and our relationship within Africa and with the rest of the world can only be taken care of if we get the issue of nation building right.
“We have a lot to learn from the events of the last almost twenty-four years and God is not to blame if we fail”
To this writer in particular, I expected one or more of the presidential aspirants to respond to Obasanjo in the similitude of Samuel’s response to the Israelites when his integrity was seemingly impugned by asking for a king to take over from Samuel. In fact, since the former president literarily threw the bombshell, none of the presidential aspirant has gotten the temerity to ask him, “Whose Ox Have I Taken”? The foregoing question which was exactly the question Samuel asked the Israelites would have been compelling enough to figuratively detonate the bombshell which Obasanjo threw at the aspirants.
It would be recalled that when Samuel addressed all Israelites, he said, “I have done as you asked and given you a king. Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you-an old, gray-haired man-and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.” “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.” “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.” “Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.
Without any scintilla of exaggeration, virtually all the presidential aspirants have one way or the other served Nigerians in the past. Therefore, they should speak to us in the same way Samuel spoke to the Israelites; if not for anything, at least launder the dirt Obasanjo has splashed on their political garments through his aspersion. To the expectation of this writer, at least one of the candidates should be bold enough to ask the former president, “Baba Iyabo, Whose Ox Have I Taken”? Exactly the same way Samuel asked.
Again, it is expedient, at least, for any of the presidential aspirants to repudiate the insinuative allegation made by the former president if that will make Nigerians believe they have credible leaders that would be vying for the exalted presidential position come 2023.
In fact the people need to be assured that there are credible leaders aspiring to become Nigeria president in 2023. The reason for the expectation cannot be farfetched as the leadership crisis Nigerians are been faced with is a two-pronged peril. Not only is there a shortage of true champions, but even more foreboding, admirers and hailers of our contemporary politicians seem to have completely forgotten what it is that qualifies a man or woman to declare for a political position to enable him or her have a pedestal of leading the people. The political space is so occupied with the ideas of celebrity, popularity, and status that a real leader, if one came on the scene, would not be quickly recognized.
In fact, since 2015, those who the people see as political heroes unarguably fit in as moneybags, famous people and other media creations who more often than not utterly lack what it takes to lead Nigeria and Nigerians from the cesspit of corruption and misgovernance.
Why wouldn’t the former president make such sweeping and damaging allegation as he might have being shocked, and rightly so, when some of the aspirants are far from convincing Nigerians how transparent the sources of their wealth are?
In fact, it seems street-prestige, infamous popularity, glamour or anything other than blameless personality are the criteria for credible leadership, particularly as Nigerians look forward to a far better leader in the next presidential dispensation.
Be that as it may, at least one of the politicians that have declared the intention to vie for the presidential position come next year should boldly come out, and ask former president Obasanjo, “Whose Ox Have I Taken”?
