Stop the verbal war, Vatsa tells OBJ, IBB •‘IBB should shut up’

Posted by admin Ibrahim Babangida (1985-93), Olusegun Obasanjo (1976-79, 99-07), Presidency Saturday, August 20th, 2011

The national coordinator of National Democratic Forum (NDF), Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, has sent a passionate appeal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State , Ibrahim Babangida, to stop the verbal war between them, describing it as a show of shame by the two leaders.

The NDF leader, who is a nephew and spokesperson of the late General Vatsa’s family, stated this at the weekend in Minna, Niger State capital, in an interactive session with newsmen while reacting to the media war of words between the two former leaders following accusation and counter accusations over mismanagement of national resources while in office.

Mr Vatsa stated that the exchange of words by the two leaders have further exposed the rottenness in the government, while advising the two erstwhile military leaders to heed the advice the late Major General Mamamn Vatsa once gave to the military tribunal that tried him for coup involvement in 1986.

According to the NDF coordinator, “General Vatsa, during his trial, once cautioned members of the military to be wary of insulting each other if they don’t want members of the public to launch offensive attack on the institution. I want to equally advise these two leaders to be cautious or else members of the public will further rubbish the little respect they have for them and the military institution,” Vatsa stated.

Babangida had last Tuesday, at a press conference held to mark his 70th birthday in his Hill Top Villa, Minna, berated the eight-year civilian administration of Obasanjo, condemning the latter’s leadership over perceived lack of foresight and imagination and for allegedly mismanaging $16 billion said to have been spent on the power sector between 1999 and 2007 without meaningful result.

Meanwhile, the remark made by former military president, Gen. Babangida that former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not manage the affairs of Nigeria well as civilian president has been described as uncalled for by Senator Kola Ogunwale.

According to Senator Ogunwale, Obasanjo became military Head of State in 1976 and handed over rulership voluntarily in 1979, thereby, fulfilling the norms of democracy, while General Babangida conducted the fairest and freest election in 1993, but refused to hand over.

He said: “General Babangida was the ruler of Nigeria for eight years, during which we witnessed unprecedented increase in our external debt and decrease in our external reserve. In 1999, Nigeria external debt was N34 billion, which Obasanjo cleared through negotiations with the Paris Club of creditors. He subsequently left an external reserve of N45 billion when he left office in 2007.

“Obasanjo would have made it possible for Nigerians to have regular supply of power, but for some saboteurs, who disturbed the supply of gas to new power generating stations. This is an incontrovertible fact,” Senator Ogunwale stated.

-Tribunewp_posts