Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
A former Minister of State for Education, Prof. Jerry Agada, has described the face-off between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Muhammadu Buhari, as ‘very shameful’ and a slap on Nigeria’s nascent democracy.
Prof. Agada stated this in a chat with newsmen in Makurdi, on Sunday.
He stressed the need for well meaning leaders in the country to quickly step into the matter with a view to addressing the issues raised to avoid the two leaders plunging Nigeria into a shithole country.
He posited that the allegation by former President Obasanjo that President Buhari’s administration was plotting to level false charges on him, to pave the way for his indefinite incarceration was weighty and should be critically and holistically analyzed by appropriate authorities.
Speaking on the allegation by Obasanjo that President Buhari was planning to use fake documents and witnesses against him to perfect the plan, Agada averred that it would be unhealthy if the allegation is found to be true.
He, however, maintained that Obasanjo’s claim has brought a shame to this country, stressing that it is not proper for a former President to raise such claims against a sitting President in a nation that is still trying to nurse its nascent democracy.
“Well, as a former President and formerMilitary Head of State, Obasanjo knows his onions and he has his own security apparatus and can get any desirable and undesirable information from whatever quarters. So, I am not in the position to say what he (OBJ) was saying is true or false but what I am saying is that, for the mere fact that this was being said about Nigeria state, is very shameful and disgraceful.
“In other words, he who has security apparatus to himself and knows what is happening around him, must have sensed the danger somewhere and that’s why he has burst out to say what he has said.”
“If Obasanjo knows what he is saying is true depending on how he heard from whatever source, then, it is unfortunate. Something like that should not happen because a former head of state or president should be given a maximum regard and respect whatsoever.”
“On the other hands, if Obasanjo knows that what he was saying is not true and that he was just raising false alarm then, he should know that he is disgracing Nigeria before the international community.”
Commenting on the recent call by Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan-Ali for the suspension of the anti open grazing law, Professor Agada, said the Minister’s comment clearly shows that he had been contracted by some cabals to work against Buhari and the APC.
“While l am still bewildered if the said statement truly emanated from supposed serving Defense Minister, l consider this statement as flatly ridiculous, absurd, and the highest level of public disgrace to democracy and the Nigerian populace and l believe PMB will ignore this kind of advise.
“By this singular utterance, the Minister of Defence Mansur Dan Ali (rtd) has inarguably displayed incontestable lack of the required sensibility and capacity to serve as Defence Minister in a country of over 180 million people with over 300 ethnic nationalities.”
Professor Agada who noted that the sacking of Dan Ali as Minister of Defence is long overdue explained that Mansur has become a security threat to the nation and a liability to the Buhari administration and should therefore be relieved of his appointment without any further delay.
“It is now absurd and undemocratic for Mansur to still remain in office as Minister of Defence. It is time for Herdsmen to be proscribed as Terrorists group more also that their umbrella body, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association have come out to warn Journalists against calling them or reference to them as killer herdsmen”.
The incumbent Chairman of Benue State Civil Service Commission while applauding governor Samuel Ortom for his stance on ranching said the governor should be regarded as hero and institutionalized for saving the Benue valley from the hands of the killer herdsmen.
“If not for Ortom, these people would have taken over our land, our state and the entire Benue valley. I want to sincerely commend him for his stance and doggedness”.