By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
ABEOKUTA: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday declared that members of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria had separately attempted to break up the country in the past through secession, stressing that it is unfair to continually hold the Igbos as the only people who carried out secession.
Obasanjo revealed that his heart bleeds each time people say, ‘Igbo man can never be President of Nigeria because of secession’ or the bloody January 15, 1966 coup that truncated the first Republic and generally believed to be spearheaded largely by persons from the ethnic group.
He, however, made allusion that individuals from the North and other sections also attempted to tear the nation apart via secession.
Addressing a 20 – man delegation of the League of Northern Democrats led by the former Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekerau, which paid him a courtesy visit at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta on Tuesday, the elder statesman recalled that there was a strong move by the north to pull out of Nigeria via the vehicle of “Araba.”
He said his trusted friend, Ahmed Joda, confided in him about it later, saying it was the then President Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo that dissuaded the north out of the Araba project.
Obasanjo also alluded to the fact that there was a case of treasonable felony, wondering if that was not an attempt at secession.
He said, “I think all of us in Nigeria have to rethink, for instance and it bleeds my heart when people says because the Igbos had carried out secession and so, an Igbo man cannot be the president of Nigeria.
“I say what nonsense? There is no section of Nigeria that has not planned succession. What is “Araba” in the North? The North planned to break up Nigeria. Ahmed Joda, a very good friend of mine said that.
“What is treasonable felony? So, who among us can say I am better than the other? None! So, let us put our heads together and build a country together.”
Obasanjo also said that many Nigerians shared the worries being expressed by the National League of Democrats, assuring that he would throw all his weight behind the group and join or become its patron if they transformed it National League Democrats to give it a national outlook instead of the present provincial or regional identity.
The elder statesman who noted that Nigeria is going nowhere until it gets its leadership right, said the mistakes of the past should be avoided to enable the country regain her glory.
He said, “You talked about your concerns: if there is anybody that is not concerned about the situation in Nigeria today, then he or she will need to have himself examined. So, I believed your concerns must be shared and understood. And I know everywhere I go in Nigeria, people expressed their concerns. So, the expression of your concerns is understood by many.
“I said maybe we have made mistakes in the past; maybe myself too has made mistakes in the past. But whatever may be our mistakes in the past, we do not want to repeat that mistakes.
“You said I am a believer in the greatness of this country, yes, I am. I am also an incurable optimist in this country. I am totally committed to the goodness of this country. But I believe that if we look back and we want to be sincere with ourselves, we can see some of the mistakes of the past which we must not fall into again.
“So, anytime I hear North, West, East; I feel frightened and that is my honest opinion because one of the things that have led us into where we are today and we haven’t gone out of it is regionalism.
“At the time of our Independent we were probably the only country or one of the few countries in Africa that did not have one leader. At independence, we had three leaders. So, we attained independence with putting three countries in one and that remains part of our problems for a long – long time and it hasn’t completely left us.
“So, when you give the name of your league as Northern League of Democrats, my opinion was how I wish it has being National League of Democrats? But I will also say that you have to begin from somewhere. One of the things I always question myself about is why should my being a proud Yoruba man be in the way of my being a Nigerian? I could as well been born in Sokoto. The fact that I was born in Yorubaland was not my making, it was God’s making because I could as well been born in Maiduguri and I will still be a Nigerian.
“I do not believe that where I was born should be the enemy of my Nigerianness. I believe and I feel that any sensible Nigerian will feel that way that I am increased by belonging to the Federal Republic of Nigeria than belonging to the Republic Oduduwa land. I am a Yoruba man and I’m proud to be a Yoruba man, but my being Nigerian should not an enemy of my being a Yoruba man and neither should my being a Yoruba man being an enemy of my being a Nigerian.
“And untill we can take and bring about that important element of nation. It is easy and I have seen that relapse to primordial.
“Now we have seen it, at one time, most of us say get a leader from my area; from my region; from my religion, my social circle is the best for us. We have seen it now.
“If we do not get the best man for the job, it doesn’t matter where he comes from, we are deceiving ourselves. I don’t believe in that and I will never believe in that. So, what do we do?
“Getting ourselves together across the board as non-partisan, but in the interest of Nigeria. As I always say, Africa is looking on to Nigeria; the Black race is looking into Nigeria; the world is looking into Nigeria. At Independence, the world was talking about the “giant in the sun,” not even in Africa, that was what they felt Nigeria to be. We have disappointed ourselves, we disappointed Africa, we have disappointed the black race and we have disappointed the world. That is the truth.
“So, if you are concerned, your concern is right, but how do we correct it? The old values, will they hold their stakes? Tell me! No truth, no I integrity, no love! I shared your concerns.
“Maybe the way you have gathered yourself together is the right begining, maybe not, I don’t know. But I will say this to you; when you are a National League, I will receive you warmly, I will join you warmly and I will be your patron if I cannot be active because I’m getting old.”
Speaking earlier, Ibrahim Shekerau who is the Chairman of group, said the three – month – old League is a product of consultation and cross fertilization of ideas from the region’s leaders of thought and all walks of life.
He said the group would reach out to other geopolitical zones of the country to impress it upon them on the need to foster unity, put Nigeria first and competence on issues of leadership selection for the country.
Shekerau said he and 19 other northerners in the delegation, including past ministers, retired top military brass, academic and business community, are worried about the happenings not just in the north but also the rest of the country.
He said they were in Abeokuta to tap from the vast experience and wisdom of Obasanjo towards helping the group to pursue their goals bordering on contributing to future political decision making, leadership selection for the country as well as building national unity.
