Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and the Awujale of Ibebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona have put their differences aside and finally made up a
Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo and the Awujale of Ibebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona have put their differences aside and finally made up after their protracted media altercation earlier this year. This is evident in some rare photos of Obasanjo spending time with the Awujale. The former president recently took time out to spend a cosy afternoon with his bosom friend who had left the comfort of his palace for a short relaxing holiday in Lagos.
Both men dined, exchanged banters, laughed heartily and sang along to old school music. This is quite surprising considering that Obasanjo is hardly one to make the first move at reconciliation with anyone he is feuding with. But to have made up with Oba Sikiru Adetona shows that he holds the Awujale in very high esteem.
Their very verbal altercation which got a lot of people worried began early this year when according to the Awujale in his autobiography, ‘Awujale: The Autobiography of Alaiyeluwa Oba Sikiru Adetona Ogbagba II’, the former President failed to address the issue of true federalism in the country as president by calling for a national conference. The Awujale said that though Obasanjo had promised to address the issue before the 1999 elections, he however didn’t on attaining office. Not even his several visits to him in Aso Rock, Abuja did he consider changing the status quo.
According to the Awujale, that was the dividing line for him in their relationship, more especially as he played an instrumental role in bringing Obasanjo back to power as president in 1999. In the book, the Awujale also accused Obasanjo of using the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, to persecute billionaire businessman and founder of Globacom, Otunba Mike Adenuga and further described Obasanjo’s eight-year tenure as a complete waste, short of tangible achievements.
Well Obasanjo didn’t take kindly to all that Oba Sikiru Adetona said and made it known. In a letter dated December 30, 2016 and addressed to the Awujale, he berated the monarch while describing him as a liar and a rumour-monger. The ex-President said his assertion in the publication was a tissue of lies and untruths adding that he did not expect the monarch to be objective as regards Adenuga since the billionaire was his cousin.
The former president denied using the EFCC under Nuhu Ribadu to witch hunt Adenuga saying that the EFCC was free to do its job as it saw fit under his watch without guiding, leading or directing them on what to do. The president was however of the opinion that Adenuga being the monarch’s cousin beclouded the monarch from seeing things in their true perspective hence the need to badger him(Obasanjo) to compel the EFCC to drop the case against Mike Adenuga who obviously had a case to answer.
He denied hating Adenuga as opined by Oba Sikiru Adetona adding that if he indeed disliked him (Mike) he would not have been granted the mobile telephone license which made him a billionaire. Obasanjo ended his letter by saying that the type of hate propaganda the monarch has tried to project against his person was grossly unbecoming of an Oba let alone an Oba of his status and stature.
Well it’s good to see that they have both buried the hatchet and moved on.
