USAfrica: Why Obasanjo described Jonathan as a "weak leader", BokoHaram, Odi, etc.

USAfrica & USAfricaonline.com: In an indirect swipe at Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, the man who handpicked him to become vice President (in 2007) and supported him to be elected leader of the country (in 2011), former President and retired army General Olusegun Obasanjo has in November 2012 characterized Jonathan as a "weak leader" who allows problems to grow without any decisive response.

I note that retired General Obasanjo who sees himself like many in his ruling PDP and across Nigeria as a leader eager to bring the forceful, punitive weight of state power to most issues drew a sharp line further away from Jonathan's evidently more laid back approach, arguing "if you say you don't want a strong leader who can have all characteristics of leaders including God fearing, then have a weak leader and the rest of the problem is yours."

In continuing the contrast, Obasanjo directly compared Jonathan's back-and-forth approach to his own government's blanket, iron-fist massacre and assault on the Ijaw town of Odi (in Jonathan's home state of Bayelsa) on November 20, 1999 concerning the killings of 12 police officers on November 4, 1999.

"I sent soldiers to a place and 19 of them were killed. If I had allowed that to continue, I will not have authority to send security whether police, soldier and any force any where again. So, I had to nip it in the bud and that was the end of that particular problem…."

Obasanjo especially cited what he considers Jonathan's failings in tackling the menace, killings and security challenges posed by the radical Islamic sect Boko Haram across northern region of Nigeria.

He pointed to what he considers the lack of strong and decisive response to Boko Haram by Jonathan; adding that "my fear at that time (Boko Haram raised their case/challenge) is still my fear till today. When you have a sore and fail to attend to it quickly, it festers and grows to become something else…. Whichever way, you just have to attend to it. Don't leave it unattended to. On two occasions I had to attend to the problem I faced at that time" -- a part reference to his sending soldiers to "deal" with the gang who killed security officers and send a very harsh message to the people in Odi whose homes were also burnt down and several civilians killed.

Human Rights Watch concluded that "the soldiers must certainly have killed tens of unarmed civilians and that figures of several hundred dead are entirely plausible" in its report of December 1999 titled "The Destruction of Odi and Rape in Choba."

Another telling aspect of Obasanjo's remarks at the 40th anniversary of charismatic Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor's "call to ministry" at the Word of Life Bible Church, Warri in Delta State of Nigeria emerged when he argued that "the beauty of democracy is that power rests in the people, and every elected person would seek your votes to come back; if you don't want him, he won't come back." My political science translation of this comment: Obasanjo is making it clear, he will not support President Jonathan's possible, likely quest for another term in office or what Nigerians artfully call "tenure elongation."

It is important to note these words from the multimillionaire farmer Obasanjo: "if you say you don't want a strong leader who can have all characteristics of leaders including God fearing."

My translation of Obasanjo's point: evidently, his subtle way of saying to Nigerians, since you rejected my quest for an unconstitutional third term in 2003, I gave you the late President Umar Yar'Adua, a medically unhealthy and frail man with a very modest, non-aggressive reserved vice President Goodluck Jonathan! And, he reminds us "then have a weak leader and the rest of the problem is yours."

Therefore, it is reasonable to say Obasanjo knew the "problems" he handed off to Nigerians for rejecting in 2002-2003 his unpopular, masked, expensive and failed quest to govern Nigerians, again, and against their consent.

Yet, love him or dislike him, I respect Obasanjo for always speaking his mind; even if his comments are largely self-serving some of them are realistic.

Nigeria,we hail thee…!
•Dr. Chido Nwangwu, Founder & Publisher of USAfrica, CLASSmagazine, first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper published on the internet USAfricaonline.com, former adviser to Houston's Mayor on Africa business and recipient of several journalism and public policy awards, was recently profiled by the CNN International for his pioneering works on multimedia/news projects for Africans and Americans.