A renowned writer, Prof. Chinua Achebe, has scored President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration low on rule of law and war against corruption.

Achebe made the remark in a statement in New York, United States, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Monday.

Achebe, who stated that Obasanjo was hypocritical in the battle against corruption, it described the war as “a myth” to deceive the people and the international community.

He said, “President Olusegun Obasanjo has taken Nigeria as low as it has ever gone. This will surprise the foreign ‘friends’ of Nigeria who may believe the myth that Obasanjo has been fighting to end corruption in the country and to bring democracy to its citizens. Nigerians know better.

”President Obasanjo has had the opportunity to rule Nigeria for three years (1976-79) as a military dictator and later for two terms of eight years as a retired general/civilian (1999-2007).

“People don‘t remember what Obasanjo did in his first civilian incarnation. His second coming, however, was a different matter. He unfolded a gigantic scheme for staying in power beyond his tenure. He set up agencies with long titles like the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“It soon became clear, however, that these devices were not intended to curb the crimes they enumerated but to go after people who disagree with the President, especially on his desire to extend his tenure.”

Achebe buttressed his point by citing the abduction of the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chris Ngige, by ”a criminal gang” with the assistance of the police in 2003, as an act portraying the lawlessness of the Obasanjo administration.

He lamented that because Ngige broke away from the so-called godfathers who tried to hijack the state from him and siphon its revenue, Obasanjo refused to give him any support.

Achebe said, “Perhaps the strangest of these events took place in my own state, Anambra, where a governor was kidnapped by a criminal gang who claimed that they had ‘fixed’ the election and earned the right to receive the state budgetary allocation.

“Whatever the merit of this bizarre story, the governor refused to turn over the allocation to these thieves and began to spend it on building roads and bridges which nobody had done in decades.

“He began to pay pension to retired civil servants who had not been paid in years. Anambra State was transformed overnight. Nowhere else in Nigeria had such a change happened. Governor Ngige became the people‘s governor.

”One would have thought that our anti-corruption President, Chief Obasanjo, would have embraced Governor Ngige as a fellow fighter against corruption. But no. The fellows demanding the state revenue were Obasanjo‘s friends who in anger set about burning down and destroying state property while the police stood at a distance watching.”

The popular writer also accused Obasanjo of planning to ensure that his stooge emerged the victor in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

He said, “As Nigeria gets ready for the election of governors, Anambra State is in a quandary. President Obasanjo‘s hatchet man for the elections is determined that only one candidate will be allowed to run in the state and has gone ahead to disqualify everybody else so that the President‘s favourite man will be alone in the field.

“If this plan goes through, it will amount to nothing less than the disenfranchisement of the people of Anambra State.”

Achebe, however, congratulated the nation‘s judiciary for its truth against “executive tyranny.”

“I must congratulate the judiciary on the tough battle many of its members are waging for the soul of Nigeria,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, said, ”The setting up of the EFCC and the ICPC was a decision that came from a deep sense of responsibility by the President to eradicate corruption from our land and reposition our country in the comity of nations.

“What the President did was exactly what Nigerians wanted. And I do not believe that anyone will quarrel with that. Don‘t forget that the international community is also greatly impressed with the gains we have made in our anti-corruption effort.

“President Obasanjo has kept faith with the Nigerian people. No matter the criticism, he will keep doing good things for his fatherland and humanity in general.

“He has no reason to witchhunt anyone. The President does not even have the mien of someone who witchhunts. He also does not need any institution to fight anyone. All those that have or are being investigated by the EFCC and the ICPC truly deserve to be so treated. There is no sacred cow.”

On the disqualification of other governorship candidates in Anambra, Oyo said, ”It is not for us to say how many governorship candidates there are in Anambra State.

”It is for INEC to say. But I am sure that it is easy to put a lie to any claim that the President compelled INEC to disqualify some candidates. Nothing can be farther from the truth.”

Time for a look back....

Nowadays a lot of people say Obasanjo was not that corrupt.

nairalanda1:
Time for a look back....

Nowadays a lot of people say Obasanjo was not that corrupt.

But your people refers to Obasanjo as their saviour just because he supported Peter Gregory Obi. I even read here some weeks ago that they are going to errect his stature in Anambra state.

Holluwhakemmy:
But your people refers to Obasanjo as their saviour now just because he supported Peter Gregory Obi

I never voted for Obasanjo.

Never backed him.

Never voted for obi or tinubu or atiku or buhari or gej or yaradua