Obasanjo And His Political Posthumous Style

Going by the way our former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, usually communicate his opinions on national issues, one will be wondering if this septuagenarian has ever been a President of the most populous black nation.

In most cases, his arguments cannot be outrightly condemned or accepted as we cannot take the message without the messenger.

It is only in this clime that people turn to political saints and saviours overnight, truly, 'politics have no relation to morals’ says Niccolo Machiavelli.

History will never fail to remind us of the man who Ghana-Must-Going cash to National Assembly to avoid impeachment in first term and execute third term agenda in the second term. It will never be too late to reopen $16bn expended on power sector without any meaningful result. May be we will need to blame history for not deleting from our memory N360m library that came from 36 States Governors.

Nevertheless, the current economy situation should reflect across board. If NASS budget dropped from N150bn in 2014 to N115 in 2016, it means it has not reflected oil price slumping from $110/barrel to $35/barrel.

Obasanjo would have made his argument balance if he beams his searchlight to his current political godson in Aso Rock.

It will be unfair for anyone to point accusing finger to NASS without asking the executive basic question. Why should a government of integrity proposed N39bn for Presidency at oil price of $35/barrel when it was N25bn in 2015 for same purpose by the immediate past administration with oil price benchmark at $53/barrel?

Does this increase of N14bn justify the current economy reality?

If we are asking NASS to reduce its budget why should Presidency budget increase? Why are we not asking State Governors to reduce their oceanic bogus security votes?

While we are expecting NASS to make its budget's detail public as promised by the Senate President. There should not be any secret in spending tax payers sweats.

Also, to the innocent public your belt tightening continues with a new electricity tariff starting today, 1st February, 2016 and N50 stamp duty burden added last month by CBN.

Our advice to Mathew Okikiola Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo is that he should tell APC to stop making ordinary man sweat for its officials to be licking sweets.

Ifedayo Obi,
Good Governance Advocates