Babatope, others rise in Jonathan’s defence
Led by a former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, some Nigerians on Thursday rose in defence of President Goodluck Jonathan. They urged the former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop attacking Jonathan, who they claimed had performed fairly since he assumed leadership of the country.
Obasanjo had raised the alarm on Wednesday over the rising incidence of corruption in the public sector, warning that the social evil could cripple the economy, with Nigeria risking a budget funding crisis in future.
In a statement that has gone viral on social media, Babatope noted that Obasanjo’s antagonistic behaviour toward the Jonathan administration was in bad taste and lacking in substance.
He said, “With due respect to his age and the position he has held, it is wrong. Nobody has ever come out to accuse Jonathan of committing acts of corruption. He has never encouraged it. Jonathan does not allow himself to be governed by sentiments and emotions. He allows all his functionaries to defend themselves whenever charges are brought against them.
“What again do you want? If you talk in terms of the economy, which Obasanjo said has been so bad, that is not just coming up today.”
Babatope said Nigeria had suffered a tumbling economy in the past 30 years, recalling that the Operation Feed the Nation was conceived by Obasanjo as a military head of state in response to the troubled economy.
The PDP chieftain said, “He (Obasanjo) declared OFN to solve the economic problems facing Nigeria at that time. I remember very well the newspapers published a picture where he carried a hoe and was heading for the farm. Since then the economy has been bad, what he should do is to ensure that we assist Nigeria to solve her problems.
“Obasanjo has been involved in these matters. Why is it now that he is saying the economy is bad? We know the economy is bad, but it is not something that happened overnight.”
Babatope said Doyin Okupe, an aide to Jonathan, was right when he said the President would be commended by anybody who cared to carry out a thorough investigation of the history of Nigeria’s economy.
“I have been a critic of many regimes in this country; I have been to jail two or three times because of my position. I have lost my job, I have no retirement benefits and therefore I am in a position to tell people the truth.
“I don’t understand why he (Obasanjo) is doing this. Elections are coming. Some of the opposition parties are threatening fire and brimstones. Yet, you are oiling what they are saying; and he declares every time that he is a loyal PDP member,” he lamented.
Questioning the loyalty of Obasanjo to the ruling party, Babatope said the attack on the President at the slightest opportunity amounted to “throwing stones at the party.”
On his Facebook page, Roland Idimi, a Warri, Delta State-based social commentator, described Jonathan as the “finest democrat” that has ever led the country since independence. He also adjudged him the best president in terms of performance.
“Jonathan signed the Freedom of Information Act which gave everybody access to public information without intimidation by the Government. How could he have been more democratic? He articulated the finest of global policies on transformation in all sectors of the economy. He has positioned Nigeria in the right direction economically”, Idimi argued.
On the platform, Onye-Eze Abba also said the former President resorted to attack on his political son to please Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other members of the All Progressive Party he might have treated unfairly when he was in government. He said the Obasanjo administration recorded more atrocities, political crises and economic setbacks than the regime he criticised.
Abba added that Obasanjo lacked the moral justification to assess the administration.
But reacting to The PUNCH report on the recent blast by Obasanjo, an online analyst who goes by the name Rainbow was shocked at how people rose to defend Jonathan in the face of dwindling national fortunes and economic woes.
“Obasanjo simply highlighted what Nigerians have been crying about. But why is it so difficult for the President and his apologists to address the issues raised and let Nigerians be the judge? If the Obasanjo administration had not performed to expectation, must the current administration wallow in failure just to show they have the capacity for doing the same thing the former president did? People should show proofs of what Obasanjo did wrong rather simply insulting him when he talks,” he noted.
Obasanjo had raised the alarm on Wednesday over the rising incidence of corruption in the public sector, warning that the social evil could cripple the economy, with Nigeria risking a budget funding crisis in future.
In a statement that has gone viral on social media, Babatope noted that Obasanjo’s antagonistic behaviour toward the Jonathan administration was in bad taste and lacking in substance.
He said, “With due respect to his age and the position he has held, it is wrong. Nobody has ever come out to accuse Jonathan of committing acts of corruption. He has never encouraged it. Jonathan does not allow himself to be governed by sentiments and emotions. He allows all his functionaries to defend themselves whenever charges are brought against them.
“What again do you want? If you talk in terms of the economy, which Obasanjo said has been so bad, that is not just coming up today.”
Babatope said Nigeria had suffered a tumbling economy in the past 30 years, recalling that the Operation Feed the Nation was conceived by Obasanjo as a military head of state in response to the troubled economy.
The PDP chieftain said, “He (Obasanjo) declared OFN to solve the economic problems facing Nigeria at that time. I remember very well the newspapers published a picture where he carried a hoe and was heading for the farm. Since then the economy has been bad, what he should do is to ensure that we assist Nigeria to solve her problems.
“Obasanjo has been involved in these matters. Why is it now that he is saying the economy is bad? We know the economy is bad, but it is not something that happened overnight.”
Babatope said Doyin Okupe, an aide to Jonathan, was right when he said the President would be commended by anybody who cared to carry out a thorough investigation of the history of Nigeria’s economy.
“I have been a critic of many regimes in this country; I have been to jail two or three times because of my position. I have lost my job, I have no retirement benefits and therefore I am in a position to tell people the truth.
“I don’t understand why he (Obasanjo) is doing this. Elections are coming. Some of the opposition parties are threatening fire and brimstones. Yet, you are oiling what they are saying; and he declares every time that he is a loyal PDP member,” he lamented.
Questioning the loyalty of Obasanjo to the ruling party, Babatope said the attack on the President at the slightest opportunity amounted to “throwing stones at the party.”
On his Facebook page, Roland Idimi, a Warri, Delta State-based social commentator, described Jonathan as the “finest democrat” that has ever led the country since independence. He also adjudged him the best president in terms of performance.
“Jonathan signed the Freedom of Information Act which gave everybody access to public information without intimidation by the Government. How could he have been more democratic? He articulated the finest of global policies on transformation in all sectors of the economy. He has positioned Nigeria in the right direction economically”, Idimi argued.
On the platform, Onye-Eze Abba also said the former President resorted to attack on his political son to please Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other members of the All Progressive Party he might have treated unfairly when he was in government. He said the Obasanjo administration recorded more atrocities, political crises and economic setbacks than the regime he criticised.
Abba added that Obasanjo lacked the moral justification to assess the administration.
But reacting to The PUNCH report on the recent blast by Obasanjo, an online analyst who goes by the name Rainbow was shocked at how people rose to defend Jonathan in the face of dwindling national fortunes and economic woes.
“Obasanjo simply highlighted what Nigerians have been crying about. But why is it so difficult for the President and his apologists to address the issues raised and let Nigerians be the judge? If the Obasanjo administration had not performed to expectation, must the current administration wallow in failure just to show they have the capacity for doing the same thing the former president did? People should show proofs of what Obasanjo did wrong rather simply insulting him when he talks,” he noted.
THE PUNCH
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