Obasanjo does not reward loyalty –Fani-Kayode

A former Minister of Aviation(Under Obasanjo), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo does not reward loyalty like a leader is supposed to do.

He equally said Obasanjo should be grateful to ex-military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babagida for being instrumental to his release from prison and emerging the nation’s president in 1999.

Fani-Kayode, however, described the performance of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in office between 1999 and 2007 as first class and second to none.

Fani-Kayode, who was reacting to the face-off between Obasanjo and Babangida, said such performance had made Obasanjo one of the greatest presidents Nigeria ever had.



The former minister stated this in an electronic mail he sent to our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday.

He, however, said it would be wrong to assume that Obasanjo could achieve much while in office without looking at the contributions of Babangida.

He said, “President Obasanjo has to be eternally grateful to General Babangida because had it not been for the latter he would not have been released from jail, pardoned, rehabilitated, funded and installed as President in 1999.

“This is an incontrovertible fact. Obasanjo went on from there to become one of the greatest Presidents in our history and his record of performance between 1999 and 2007, in my view, is first class and second to none.

“The records are there for all to see and the facts speak for themselves. Yet the truth is that Babangida must take some credit for that too because he was instrumental in making him President in 1999.”

He said credit must also be given to Babangida for refusing to engage in war of words with Obasanjo while in power despite provocations from those in government then against him and his loyalists.

He said, “When I was in government we had our differences with Babangida from time to time but he always responded to us with restraint, dignity, calm and self-respect regardless of our provocations and our moves against him and his boys. Most important of all he stood solidly by those boys.”

He also praised Babangida for always staying with his loyalists no matter their condition, but said the same thing could not be said of Obasanjo.

He said, “The truth is that the loyalty and support that an individual gives to any leader must be reciprocated and any leader worth his salt knows this.

“A leader that takes his followers for granted and takes pleasure in the destruction, humiliation, travails, shame and political persecution of his own loyalists is not a real leader but something else.

“On the other hand the leader that stands by his loyalists through thick and thin and that reciprocates the commitment, love, support, compassion and loyalty that he receives from them is a true leader.

“As far as I am concerned that is the difference between OBJ and IBB. Babangida recognises these things and is loyal to his own whilst Obasanjo does not.”

Though he also said he did not subscribe to the view or accept the notion that the Obasanjo administration was a failure as claimed by Babangida in an interview with journalists, Fani-Kayode said Obasanjo made a grave mistake and also inflicted a deep spiritual wound on himself by insulting Babangida in the way that he did.