Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole survived a motor accident at Ewu Village along the ever busy Benin-Auchi road in Edo State at about 9.45am Saturday, 28th December, 2013 on his way back to Benin City from his Iyamho Village. The incident occurred at about 9.45am at Ewu, in Edo Central Senatorial District, when a Peugeot J5 Bus filled with tomatoes and plantains apparently lost control and rammed into the Governor's Flag Car from the opposite direction before swerving into a road side ditch.

Taking a second look and very critical exposé of  former President obasanjo's letter to Jonathan is the covert or i may say overt indictment of the judiciary in the ill-fated letter This is because the body language of the said letter seems to suggest that the government under president Goodluck Jonathan may have unwittingly facilitated or influenced the release of some supposed criminals, apparently referring to Mustapha and co to feather its political nest especially as 2015 approaches Quoting him precisely 'assisting criminals to evade justice cannot be part of a job of the president ' This remarks no doubt have cast aspersion on the entire justice system in the country, putting them on the dock and making them to look as grossly incompetent, corrupt and willing tool in the hands of the power brokers It also suggests that whatever judgment or judicial pronouncement from the high revered institution has either been negotiated or paid for by one of the party or a proxy who has a shared interest It is not only curious but very ridiculous that such statement will be coming from a former president who has a history of abuse of court judgment and human right in Nigeria Obasanjo's vituperation ought to have been ignored but given the weighty issues he raised and his precedence as former head of state of unparalleled record of eleven years in the country, it will not be out of place to remind him of his sordid moral past especially how he related with the judiciary arm of the government during his tenure In September 2005, an online media, the Sahara reporters to be precise of septeber 5 2011, reportedly quoted former chief justice of Nigeria, justice Muhammad Uwais as lamenting his harrowing experiences under president Obasanjo and I would like to quote them verbatim here 'A just released Wikileaks cable shows that Nigeria's former Chief Justice, Muhammadu Uwais, was so highly fearful of President Olusegun Obasanjo's interference with the judiciary that in 2005, he sought a meeting with the new American ambassador, Mr John Campbell, so that "someone knows what is happening here" in  case something happened to him Mr Uwais told Mr Campbell that he and other Supreme Court justices were experiencing "pressure and harassment" from President Obasanjo because the presidency was concerned that the court might not 'do his bidding' beginning with complicated effort of James Ibori, the Delta State governor, to run for the governorship again in 2003 against the background of his alleged conviction for stealing roofing materials years earlier At a point in the complicated process that involved all kinds of interests and political manoevres, Justice Uwais told Mr Campbell that the Ibori case had been followed by attempts to deposit large sums of money into his bank account in order to implicate him As the legal challenge against President Obasanjo by the ANPP's General Muhammadu Buhari over abuse of security forces, lapses in voting procedures and other elements of the severely flawed 2003 elections  drew to a close in 2005 with the Supreme  Court gearing up to announce its decision, pressure on the judiciary and  other participants mounted Mr Uwais told Ambassador Campbell that attempts had been made to bribe, blackmail, intimidate and threaten him Despite that, the Chief Justice stressed he would see the process through and that he had never considered walking away from the challenge " Justice Uwais characterized Obasanjo as "mean, insincere and not trustworthy," a man who would turn on anyone for petty personal reasons " he said, and continued that Obasanjo was "increasingly addicted to the office of the Presidency " This is just one out of countless cases of threat and intimidation of the judiciary that occurred during his tenure and if this was the fear of the chief law officer of the country then what about his subordinate and I think your guess is as good as mine One is not trying to absolve the judiciary of corruption and untoward behavior but that such sermon shouldn't have come from someone who was neck deep and a beneficiary of what he is now raising alarm One cannot forget in a hurry how Obasanjo turned down the supreme court judgment ordering him to release local government funds that was unlawfully withheld by the government of president Obasanjo where the then Lagos state governor Ahmed Tinubu went to court and obtained a judgment in his favour Suffice to say that it is also on record that Obasanjo championed the selective prosecution of political opponents Without being modest to president Jonathan's government, at least the country has not  in the recent years witnessed high profile assassination just as it has not also abused court judgment unlike Obasanjo who decides which judgment to honour and which to ignore As former senate president Emeh Ebute rightly observed in his recent treaties of Obasanjo's letter, that given the destructive tendencies that characterized Obasanjo's rule which period human right abuses and defiance of law, we all are at loss to unravel the import of chief Obasanjo's assertion Written By Ifeanyi Nwabugu

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, December 27, (THEWILL) -  A coalition of civil rights activists, under the aegis of Network of Progressive Activists, on Friday slammed former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his controversial letter to President Goodluck Jonatan, saying the former leader has no lesson to teach anyone on good governance Maintaining that Obasanjo has no credibility whatsoever to lecture Nigerians on corruption, the group asked, in a statement, how exactly Obasanjo acquired his enormous wealth, saying it could not have been on his pension as a retired Army General and Head of State nor on his pension as a former two time civilian President The group said Obasanjo's anger with President Goodluck is based purely on his suspicion that President Goodluck might exercise his constitutional right and seek a second term in office 'Is that not what democracy is all about,'' it  however asked, advising President Jonathan, if he decides to run, to tell the Nigerian public, and let the public pass the ultimate judgment 'Politics should not be based on unsubstantiated back room deals on who runs and for how long General Obasanjo especially in this case has no locus standi to preach to anyone on whether to run for a second term or not Nigerians have not forgotten his chicanery when he tried to amend the constitution to seek a third term!,'' the group said in the statement 'An 18-page tirade that is dripping with contempt and vituperation is hardly the careful missive of a thoughtful leader and or Statesman,'' the group stated It added: 'It has been said that there are three things in speech that ought to be considered before some things are spoken - the manner, the place and the time 'Nigerian awoke Thursday December 12, 2013 to an 18-page letter by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Jonathan Goodluck castigating and blasting him for all the ills and ailment afflicting Nigeria since independence from the blight of Boko Haram to the internal party politics of the ruling Party, Peoples Democratic Party 'The General doled out a litany of wrongs and wrong doings and then proceeded to liberally dole out advice, counsel and dire warnings to President Jonathan for good measure, Nigeria's former Dictator turned politician arrogantly and sadly compared President Jonathan governance to the scourge of his fellow dictator and nemesis General Abacha   General Obasanjo with a bold face asserted that he 'sense a semblance between the situation we are gradually getting into and the situation we fell into as a Nation during the Abacha era '  Seriously General! 'Well, thankfully, 'this universe hinges on moral foundation   There is something in this universe that justifies Carlyle in saying 'No lie shall live forever There is something in this universe that justifies William Cullen Bryant in saying that 'Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again ' There is something in this universe that justifies that biblical writer in saying 'You shall reap what you sow ''' According to the group, 'The retired General from Ota and sometime farmer's attempt to Abacha-rize President Jonathan's government is the equivalent of a slap against the collective faces of Nigeria Whilst it is true that a good debate and constructive criticism, is healthy for democracy, however, any such 'criticism must be dignified, must be factual, must be realistic, and must be honest 'General Obasanjo perfidious comparison of President Jonathan to his one time chummy- colleague-turned-nemesis, Late General Abacha without a scintilla of fact no matter how tenuous is quite unfortunate, destabilising and profoundly sad   General Obasanjo of all people should know better that at this critical juncture in our fledgling democracy, inflaming the passions of the masses as a means to a calculated political end is subversive to our Nation state   'The blood of our heroes past shall not be in vain' 'General Obasanjo will do well to heed the wise counsel of our beloved sage Mandela when he said 'It's a good thing to assume to act on the basis that others are men of integrity and honor, because you tend to attract integrity and honor if that is how you regard those with whom you work 'Perhaps this Abacha mongering can only be dismissed as the idle and fanciful talk of an old General and politician hell bent on being on the stage long after the curtains have been drawn 'However, in the words of a true leader like Mandela 'I shall stick to our vow never, never under any circumstances, say anything unbecoming of the otherthe trouble of course, is that most successful men are prone to some form of vanity   There comes a stage in their lives when they consider it permissible to be egotistic and to brag to the public at large about their unique achievement' 'Unlike the Mandela and other great leaders of our time and time past, our aged farmer from Ota has 'Nothing special to offer '  As we are apt to say in Nigeria 'We don see your hand finish' for more than 40 years, he has been at the helm or near the helm of affairs in Nigeria Him and his cohorts of recreational and professional brigands have had their hands on the wheels of the ship of State and indeed in the coffers of the nation's treasury and one can dare that him and his generation of leaders have steered our Nation aground   Nigeria has been moribund and marooned by all the maladies that you now comfortably and conveniently heap on this present young generation of leaders 'Despite General Obasanjo's pretenses of infallibility, his records of services are replete with broken promises missed opportunities, missteps and folly   Nigerians are tired of being trampled upon and over by revisionary historians whether they hail from the plain farm fields of Ota or from far flung corners of our beautiful Country   Nigerians are tired of being played as fiddles by politicians hell bent on plunging us across the abyss for selfish misguided and malevolent reasons 'Truth be told, General Obasanjo's anger with President Goodluck is based purely on his suspicion that President Goodluck might exercise his constitutional right and seek a second term in office   Is that not what democracy is all about   Dr Jonathan Goodluck if he decides to run, should make his case to the Nigerian public, and let the public pass the ultimate judgment Politics should not be based on unsubstantiated back room deals on who runs and for how long   General Obasanjo especially in this case has no locus standi to preach to anyone on whether to run for a second term or not   Nigerians have not forgotten his chicanery when he tried to amend the constitution to seek a third term! 'A true leader and statesman would not be concerned with ephemeral opinions, but with established truths   A true leader possessed of the faculty of reason in its purity and excellence can never be enslaved by prejudice, and will put out from his mind all preconceived opinions as worthless, such a leader would rather carefully and dispassionately weigh and consider every word before speaking An eighteen-page tirade that is dripping with contempt and vituperation is hardly the careful missive of a thoughtful leader and or Statesman 'In other democracies,  simple decency requires a former leader especially for one who has been at the helm of the nations affairs to go quietly into the sunset   'A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when the despise him   But a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, the led will forever be cherished,'' said   Lao Tzu   This is a lesson the septuagenarian former dictator and farmer from Ota will do well to take to heart 'President George W Bush eloquently stated the need for leaders to gracefully bow off the stage with dignity when he said, 'I don't want to be on these talk shows, giving my opinion, second guessing the current President I think it's bad for the country, frankly, to have a former president criticize his successor ' 'Former presidents as is the case especially in the USA should not speak out against a current president They occupy a unique position among retired elected officials: that of having occupied the most powerful and difficult job ever Enduring criticisms, second-guessing and in charge of the vast domestic and foreign policy apparatus of our country Former Presidents have first-hand experience and are a vital resource to presiding presidents When former presidents begin to carp, rant and publicly criticise their successors, they put politics above public service 'There are two other reasons why a former president should remain publicly silent in any criticism of a current president In the first place, criticizing the incumbent of an office one once held somehow lacks class and dignity In the second place, the perpetrator of the criticism may have no room to criticize, given his own record in the area of criticism 'For example, when President Obasanjo criticises and condemns President Jonathan of corruption, it brings to mind the old saying about not throwing stones if one lives in a glass house In its way, Aso Rock is also made of glass The sitting President is under constant scrutiny and should be able to rely on frank advice from those who served before him That advice should be from the perspective of a former leader of all the American people and should not be tainted by narrow, partisan considerations 'Any former president who speaks out against a current president immediately becomes 'persona non grata' in the glass halls of power and forfeits his special status and value to our country 'General Obasanjo has no credibility to lecture Nigerians on corruption   How exactly did he acquire his enormous wealth, it could not have been on his pension as a retired Army General and Head of State nor on his pension as a former two time civilian President ' We as Nigerians recall that not too long ago during General Obasanjo second stint as civilian President, KBR and its subsidiary Halliburton pleaded guilty to conspiring with its joint-venture partners and others for authorizing, promising and paying bribes to a range of Nigerian government officials, including officials of the executive branch of the Nigerian government, NNPC officials, and NLNG officials, to obtain the EPC contracts KBR also pleaded guilty to payment of tens of millions of dollars in "consulting fees" to two agents for use in bribing Nigerian government officials 'KBR and Halliburton admitted that, at crucial junctures before the award of contracts, KBR's former CEO, Albert "Jack" Stanley, and others met with three successive former holders of a top-level office in the executive branch of the President Obasanjo government to ask the office holder to designate a representative with whom the joint venture should negotiate bribes to Nigerian government officials Mr Stanley and others negotiated bribe amounts with the office holders' representatives and agreed to hire the two agents to pay the bribes According to court documents, the joint venture paid approximately $132 million to the first agent, a consulting company incorporated in Gibraltar, and more than $50 million to the second agent, a global trading company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, during the course of the bribery scheme KBR admitted that it had intended for these agents' fees to be used, in part, for bribes to Nigerian government officials 'Today's guilty plea by KBR ends one chapter in the Department's long-running investigation of corruption in the award of $6 billion in construction contracts in Nigeria This bribery scheme involved both senior foreign government officials and KBR corporate executives who took actions to insulate themselves from the reach of U S law enforcement," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M Glavin of the Criminal Division "The successful prosecution of KBR, and its agreement to pay a more than $400 million fine, demonstrates that no one is above the law, and that the Department is determined to seek penalties that are commensurate with, and will deter, this kind of serious criminal misconduct 'We as Nigerians also remember that President Obasanjo did nothing to prosecute the criminals in his government nor did he do the honorable thing and resign   Instead a this criminal enterprise and its permanent blight on Nigeria was swept under the rug by with the establishment of a Special Investigation panel headed by for Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro even though it declared in its Interim report that the Retired General from Ota was directly and irrefutably involved in the Halliburton bribery scandal where over $180 million were paid as bribe to 'key government officials and Politicians' including General Obasanjo As our own anti corruption crusader Balarabe Musa said 'There is a popular demand by Nigerians that the government should investigate Obasanjo's regime because of the numerous financial atrocities committed by him No government can be more corrupt than the government of Obasanjo His eight years reign exposed us to the present challenges bedeviling us ' According to the group, 'It is trite to also remind the General by mentioning that his trusted aide Andy Uba and 'go for' was charged in the US Federal District Court in Portland, Oregon with money laundering Judge Marsh of the US District Court in Oregon accepted a plea deal and settlement wherein Andy Uba pleaded guilty and paid thousands of dollars in fine 'Particularly troubling to most descent Nigerians is the patronising and egotistic nature and tone of this letter to a sitting President elected by majority of Nigerians to lead the Nation   General Obasanjo condescendingly proclaims that he is both the political godfather of President Jonathan and indeed all presently sitting politicians   He unabashedly declares to the chagrin of all descent humble persons that after God and President Goodluck's parents, he is third in line in terms of importance   He further declared that he has heard 'it said the governors and members of the PDP' are his 'political children' and then dripping with arrogance proclaims, 'Anyone who may claim otherwise will be like a river that has forgotten its source' Wow!!!!  Apparently the Nigerian electorate has nothing to do with the election of their leaders   Nigerians only have leaders foisted on them by General Obasanjo   This type of arrogance, attitude and mindset is dangerous to the Nation and to our young democracy; it is the mindset of a dictator 'Arrogance diminishes wisdom Pseudo dictatorship expounded by General Obasanjo and captured in his 18 page lecture arrogates to him the right to instruct Nigerians about their feelings, their thoughts and their desires, in his military world and Johnny-just-come-lately conversion to democracy and its messy nature, Nigerians especially the current occupant of Aso Rock is a nobody and must live as he is told 'Mandela unlike General Obasanjo wisely counsels, 'It is a grave error for any leader to conduct discussions as if he or she is a school master talking to less informed and inexperienced learners   [Nelson Mandela P 326 ]  Waging your finger in the face of a sitting democratically elected President and calling him a 'liar' and 'Possessed' and 'blood thirsty' is beyond reason and profoundly malicious, malevolent and degrading of the office of the President Gergen, who served in the White House in four administrations, said that once in the Oval Office you appreciate the "continuity of the office " "You form part of a chain and each link is important You almost have a sacred responsibility to keep the office strong " 'General Obasanjo who comes from a military culture that absolutely loathes a debate has to remember democracy is messy   The main aim in a debate, inside and outside and organizations, in political rallies, parliament and other government structure, is that we should emerge from that debate, however, sharp our differences might have been, stronger, closer and more united and confident than ever before   The removal of differences and mutual suspicion within one's organisation, between one's organisation and adversaries, but total focus on the implementation of the basic policy of one's organisation should be our guiding principle 'Unlike General Obasanjo who cries wolf and beats the drums of war and impending 'bloodshed,' there is universal respect and even admiration for leaders who are humble and simple by nature, who have absolute confidence in all human beings   These type of leaders are generally optimistic, believing that in every community and successive leaders whether it be President Jonathan or whoever, that there are goodness in them and that there are good men and women who see peace as the most powerful weapon in the search for lasting solutions 'A weak leader relies on arrogance to hide glaring weaknesses   For one to expect or ask things of others that he himself, if asked, would not be willing to do or give, is the worst kind of arrogance 'A true leader must work hard to ease tensions, especially when dealing with sensitive and complicated issues   Extremists normally thrive when there is tension, and pure emotion tend to supersede rational thinking   Criticism and resentment are alike superfluous   One is tempted to remind the retired General the virtue of silence as eloquently expounded by A L Salmon in his poem Be still! The crown of life is silentness Too much of time we spend in profitless And foolish talk   Too little to say Leave for a while thy chat and empty tale Study the golden speech of silentness ' In conclusion, as one wise elder statesman once said, 'the obtrusive words of the merely clever talker of - mischievous talker though heard perhaps by thousand and at once popularized, are quickly forgotten '  All well meaning Nigerians will do well to forget and indeed will forget your December 12, 2013 diatribe but history will neither forget nor forgive 'There are no greater marks of folly and moral immaturity than irreverence and presumptions; no greater manifestation of wisdom and moral maturity than reverence and humility 'To attain virtue and wisdom one must learn, not only when to speak and what to say, but also when to remain silent and what not to say   The right control of the tongue is the beginning of wisdom   The right control of the mind is the consummation of wisdom 'The fool babbles, gossips, argues, and bandies words   He glories in the fact that he has had the last word and has silenced his opponent   He exults in his own folly, is ever on the defensive, and wastes his energies in unproductive channels   The wise man avoids idle words, gossip, vain argument, and self-defense   He is content to appear defeated; blessed is he who does not strive for the last word 'President Goodluck should be applauded for firmly directing that 'none of his aides or any government official should join issues with Chief Obasanjo ' President Jonathan's dignified stance reminds one of the counsel and thought of a very wise man who said that 'A great leader stands alone in the simple dignity of independent manhood; he pursues his own part fearlessly, and does not apologize or beg ' Unconstructive criticism and applause are no more than the dust upon his coat, of which he shake himself free He is not guided by the changing opinions of men but guides himself by the light of his own mind Other men barter away their manhood for messes of flattery of fashion '  A strong leader poises him and refuses to be swept away from his strong foothold by either the waves of passion with or the storms of opinion without 'So in sum, President Jonathan must learn to stand alone, looking to no one for support, expecting no favors, craving no personal advantages; not begging nor complaining, not craving nor regretting, relying upon the truth within him, deriving satisfaction and comfort from the integrity of his own heart 'So Mr President in this winter of political treachery, machinations and intrigues, you must learn and trust the virtues of dignified patience '