| Obasanjo not afraid
to go – Aide
By LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja
Monday,
November 27, 2006
|
•Obasanjo
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
| |
President Olusegun Obasanjo is not in any way afraid of
life after office, says one of his aides.
The Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs,
Mallam Uba Sani, who stated this in Abuja on Sunday, said
in spite of what some of Obasanjo’s critics might say,
he has nothing to lose sleep over outside office.
"The president is not and will never be afraid of life
after office. His legacy is there for all to see. From a pariah
nation, Mr. President has transformed Nigeria to a country
of opportunities and hope. Above all, the president recognizes
the fact that Nigeria remains a work in progress", Sani
stated.
He condemned insinuations in some quarters that the president
was sponsoring his daughter, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and
his former aide on domestic affairs, Dr. Andy Uba to elective
offices so they could help protect him in retirement, describing
such as unimaginable.
Sani explained that not only are the duo qualified to seek
election into the offices, which they are campaigning for,
the president had discharged his assignment creditably like
no other leader before him had done for the country and so
could not lose sleep over anything in retirement.
"Some emergency conspiracy theorists insinuated that
the duo winning PDP nominations and subsequently getting elected
into public offices may be part of the calculations of the
president’s strategists. They went further in their
warped thinking by alleging that Iyabo and Andy are being
positioned to help protect the president in retirement.
"The insinuation is distasteful and calculated to deny
two eminently qualified individuals the opportunity of serving
their fatherland because of their biological and working relationship
with the president. When has being the daughter of the president
become a reason to disqualify a person from contesting for
pubic office?" he asked.
The president’s aide said apart from possessing a doctorate
degree in her field, Iyabo had not only distinguished herself
as a commissioner in Ogun State , but also had continued to
confound her peers with her brilliance.
He said that Uba, in addition to being humble and innovative,
served the country in his own right with uncommon commitment,
pointing out that the country desired the continued contributions
of people like the duo.
Calling on all Nigerians to be vigilant, Sani claimed that
those he referred to as anti-democratic elements who he said
are masquerading as critics of the president were trying to
"roll back the frontiers of our democracy," adding:
"They have consistently applied the following strategies:
campaigns of calumny, subjection of opponents to psychological
and physical intimidation, creating fear in the minds of Nigerians
and sponsoring hate campaigns against the president and government
of the federal republic."
He said President Obasanjo was committed to strengthening
the foundation of the country’s democracy and enjoined
all to join hands with Obasanjo to bring about a country of
Nigerians’ dream.
|
