Former Civilian President and Military dictator, Olusegun Obasanjo was on Wednesday at his mischievous best when he described the late business mogul, Aare Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola as the ‘First Communication Industry Millionaire’ in the country.
He made the widely considered derisive remark on Wednesday while delivering a lecture on the topic “Eyin Ni Iwe Wa: You Are Our Epistle,” at the centenary celebrations of the Baptist Boys High School (BBHS) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
His claim, made in a derogatory sense, was an attempt by his envious self to diminish the hard work that went into how late MKO Abiola made his wealth as an accountant with the then telecommunications giant, RCN before he later assumed the status of a global business mogul, symbol of wealth and model in humanity.
Obasanjo, an avowed antagonist of June 12 1993 presidential election that was globally acknowledged to have been won by Abiola also hypocritically said that ‘bad belle’ was his reason that Abiola’s landslide election victory was annulled by his military friends.
The retired military general, an alumnus of BBHS was at his detestable loquacious best when he hypocritically disclosed that apart from him, the school would have had MKO Abiola as another former President, but “bad belle” prevented him from becoming President.
Obasanjo as president of this country for two terms of eight years, enviously denied Abiola an official posthumous presidential status. He detested any mention of MKO Abiola while he served as president.
What he failed to do in eight years despite being same Egba man, Yoruba and product of BBHS like Abiola was done by current president Mohammadu Buhari, a Fulani man, in his first term in office.
“What then could have informed the crocodile tears that Obasanjo was shedding at his former school’s centenarian event,” asked a Lagos-based Lawyer, Barrister Samson Fafunwa when asked by Theliberationnews to give his take on Obasanjo’s derisive remark.
Speaking further with Theliberationnews, Fafunwa was of the opinion that Obasanjo is envious of Abiola’s intimidating wealth and fame.
Like Fafunwa, many still believe that contrary to Obasanjo’s myopic description, Abiola was more than the ‘first communication industry millionaire’ of this country but one of the greatest humanists, if not the greatest, from the black man’s continent and, the indisputable symbol of the current democratic dispensation that Obasanjo undeservedly was its greatest beneficiary.
At the event, Obasanjo also said: “Today, there are distinguished old boys in all walks of life, i.e., private sector, academia, military and paramilitary, civil society, traditional rulership, etc. Such is the present President of Old Boys Association of BBHS, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku.
“I believe that I must not be too forgetful to leave out yours truly, the son of Obasanjo, a modest war-victorious General and former Military Head of State and former President of Nigeria. Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the first communication industry millionaire in Nigeria and the acclaimed winner of the 1993 Presidential election who was in a class by himself.
“If not for Nigerian bad belle, M.K.O. Abiola would have been President and with me as President, we would have needed one more old student of BBHS to be President for us to permanently locate it in BBHS after three times,” President Obasanjo said.
He said without the moral virtues and sound education impacted on him by BBHS, he would not have become what he is today.
Obasanjo also noted that the school molded the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, former Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Prince Bola Ajibola, among others, into what they all became in life.
Awolowo was at BBHS in 1928; Ajibola graduated in 1955; Abiola was among the 1956 set, while Obasanjo left the school in 1957.
Obasanjo noted that aside from education, the 100-year-old school had at different times inculcated godly virtue in all its products.
“Without BBHS, I would not have been what I am,” Obasanjo declared.
He urged the new generation to preserve the moral virtues and discipline impacted on them by the school, and pass them on in perpetuity.
The former President said “What all these great products of BBHS have in common is godly virtue inculcated in them by the School. That was education plus. We carry it anywhere we go as epistle written by BBHS to our families, our communities, our States, our country, and our continent of Africa and indeed our world.
“We must impact with humility, honesty, integrity, wisdom, courage, competence and fear of God – these must continue to be our characteristics and our attributes to make a change for good wherever we are. We must be different.
“In conclusion, the class of 1979/84 had beautifully constructed the gate and road into the School. They also granted me the pleasure of making financial contribution to that laudable effort. They had offered to name the road after me for which I thanked them but I had craved their indulgence and to which they have agreed to name the road after E. L. Akisanya and the road becomes E. L. Akisanya Road and the gate E. L. Akisanya Gate.”
