zeen nurei: Cambridge University scholar of African history, John Iliffe, has this to say about Obj: ” Obasanjo having been an active opponent of apartheid and an architect of the African Union. THE MOST IMPORTANT AFRICAN LEADER OF THIS GENERATION , Obasanjo has had an extraordinarily diverse career as soldier, politician, statesman, farmer, author, political prisoner, Baptist preacher, and family patriarch. As a soldier, he secured the victory in Nigeria’s civil war” . In a nutshell , even in his life time his history is being written favorably

He has been at fore front of African affairs.
His leadership has been felt much more than in Africa continent . Obj was the leader of G77, comprising most developing countries of the world . When he was president of G77 he started the campaign for global debt relief arguing that the so call debt was another form of enslavement . Later the western world agreed to debt relief , but only to poorest countries in the world, excluding Nigeria but Obj fought on for Nigeria.

Now back to Nigeria . I know those of you who don’t like the man for whatever reason , I know some just hate him because he does not belong to their political or ethnic side but that is the reality of human beings .

Here is a man who met external reserve of Nigeria at $2 billion and within 8 years left it at $68 billion .Even though the price of oil , in real terms , was the lowest in the history of petroleum when he came in . A barrel of oil was sold $9 per barrel .

He met external debt at $ 35 billion and left it at none .
He met 200 thousand functioning fones left it at over 70 million.
He met Stock Market Capitalisation @ 400bn left it 13 trillion naira...As at when he left office Nigeria stock market was best performing in d world.
We know the Story today..6yrs after all his legacies were destroyed.

May God help Nigeria.

gbadexy: The writer is correct in a way sha.
It doesn't mean he is not corrupt or a saint, but he is the amongst most sincere.
His achievements were impressive but I suppose •̸Ϟ•̸y most sincere leader would be buhari.

emmy-richie:
Backyard bull shit. There was no light, no roads, no health facilities, education sector decayed.

His move for privatisation was marred with great irregularities.

So many flaws.

I don't buy this nansense.

zeen nurei:

@gbadexy
I doubt if obasanjo is corrupt at all or can you give me some evidences that shows contrary to my opinion. The most corrupt president ever in nigeria is GEJ am sure everybody will agree with me on this but I don't know why some people doesn't like the truth.

zeen nurei: @bloggernaija
I concur with your arguments but my question goes; Why did GEJ destroyed all those legacies instead to just maintain them without even adding his?

Abagworo:

GEJ did not destroy Obasanjo's legacy but rather continued with it at a slower pace. GEJ is trying his best but he was not created to be a leader and people take him for a ride. Most people around him do what pleases them and not what pleases GEJ including his own wife.

zeen nurei:

My Bro will you tell me some of the OBJ policies that GEJ continued with? please lets talk with high sense of reasoning. Do you really mean that GEJ cabinet take him for ride? can you expantiate what you excatly mean by that?

For me a leader must be competence which goes beyond words, it is the leaders ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how and also a leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others.

mumumugu: A thief is not respected in his own country

juman: obj not sincere.

Abagworo:

Power, communication, banking and agriculture. The problem is implementation which I will fault his leadership qualities for.

On your 2nd question you and I know that a lot of things being done in this regime like his wife snatching mic from a governor and engaging a Governor in power tussle, ministers making frivolous expenses and damning whatever consequences, individuals faking importation of petroleum products and collecting non-existent subsidy Etc. would have been suicide under Obasanjo. The fear of his reactions would have been there.

zeen nurei:

We only work with facts not just a word. Thank you

ifebosco: the writer is on point,
lack of infratructure was the onle problema obj had in his term

juman:

There were massive election rigging during his time.

Despite as a former head of state, he failed woefully as president.

gbadexy: The writer is correct in a way sha.
It doesn't mean he is not corrupt or a saint, but he is the amongst most sincere.
His achievements were impressive but I suppose •̸Ϟ•̸y most sincere leader would be buharwhy buhari,is it because of his WAR AGAINST INDISCIPLINei.

zeen nurei:

Thank you for your response, but are you current with the recent election that took place in Anambra State were massive ringing took place and people blocked to perform their civic right, this is just one out of many that hapeen in 2011 genreal election.

zeen nurei: Cambridge University scholar of African history, John Iliffe, has this to say about Obj: ” Obasanjo having been an active opponent of apartheid and an architect of the African Union. THE MOST IMPORTANT AFRICAN LEADER OF THIS GENERATION , Obasanjo has had an extraordinarily diverse career as soldier, politician, statesman, farmer, author, political prisoner, Baptist preacher, and family patriarch. As a soldier, he secured the victory in Nigeria’s civil war” . In a nutshell , even in his life time his history is being written favorably

He has been at fore front of African affairs.
His leadership has been felt much more than in Africa continent . Obj was the leader of G77, comprising most developing countries of the world . When he was president of G77 he started the campaign for global debt relief arguing that the so call debt was another form of enslavement . Later the western world agreed to debt relief , but only to poorest countries in the world, excluding Nigeria but Obj fought on for Nigeria.

Now back to Nigeria . I know those of you who don’t like the man for whatever reason , I know some just hate him because he does not belong to their political or ethnic side but that is the reality of human beings .

Here is a man who met external reserve of Nigeria at $2 billion and within 8 years left it at $68 billion .Even though the price of oil , in real terms , was the lowest in the history of petroleum when he came in . A barrel of oil was sold $9 per barrel .

He met external debt at $ 35 billion and left it at none .
He met 200 thousand functioning fones left it at over 70 million.
He met Stock Market Capitalisation @ 400bn left it 13 trillion naira...As at when he left office Nigeria stock market was best performing in d world.
We know the Story today..6yrs after all his legacies were destroyed.

May God help Nigeria.

DerideGull:



I do not if the John Iliffe is an African or Nigerian however if he is either African or Nigerian, it is unfortunate that Cambridge University education did dent his inferior mentality. In the first paragraph of this unfortunate thread, the author raised two distinctive issues as he praised Obasanjo an opponent of Apartheid and opponent of Biafra who helped secured victory for Nigeria in the civil war.

It is very ironic the so-called Cambridge University scholar did not notice the parallel between the struggles against Apartheid and for homeland by Biafrans. The only difference in both struggles is the absence of Europeans. I have already noticed that it takes Europeans in any cadre for an African to validate his/her humanity. It really sucks.

Emusan: The GSM we are enjoying today was brought by OBJ REGIM,that alone is enough to qualified him as a good leader.

Abagworo:

GEJ did not destroy Obasanjo's legacy but rather continued with it at a slower pace. GEJ is trying his best but he was not created to be a leader and people take him for a ride. Most people around him do what pleases them and not what pleases GEJ including his own wife.

GenBuhari: Arrant nonsense!

This is similar to saying that GEJ brought us Facebook
or that Abacha brought us the personal computer.

In any case if any leader should be credited for GSM, that should go to Abacha he was first to issue GSM licences

juman:

The performance of present government should not be the standard to compare obj regime.

Despite the anambra elction that was bad, the national inec has been performing better and better before. For example the election in ondo was very good(nigeria standard). But agreed the election in anambra was minus to inec.

zeen nurei:

Sir, Prof John Iliffe (born 1 May 1939) is a British historian, specialising in the History of Africa. Iliffe is professor at St John's College, Cambridge. He was awarded the 1988 Herskovits Prize for The African Poor. He is one of the best african historian in the world.

OBJ fought for the unity of and succession of this country not contrary Sir, which is a credit for all soldiers that fought for the same thing during the civil war.

NO VICTOR, NO VANQUISHED