FOUR years after he failed to perpetuate himself in office, Olusegun Obasanjo is explaining why African leaders are reluctant to leave office. He should know, considering that he did everything not to leave, until Nigerians shut the door on him.
What did he learn? Apparently nothing. The excuses he is making for sit tight leaders say a lot about Obasanjo and his self-serving agenda.
He wants Africans to forgive their leaders, guarantee they will not be prosecuted after leaving office, so that they in turn will become law-abiding.
Why should leaders who have become criminals be awarded an amnesty? Will that be good reason for them to be more reckless while in office? Obasanjo used his immunity to do whatever he wanted while he was in office for eight years. He wanted to use the same immunity to extend his stay in office until Nigerians refused.
His suggestion of an amnesty for African leaders will also make him a beneficiary outside the fact that the abuses of the amnesty will recreate the problems that we want to avoid by asking these leaders to obey the law. Is that too much?
Obasanjo’s proposal made at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, is at best insulting to Africans and shows their leaders are not responsible enough to obey the law.
“Unless it is absolutely necessary, I believe that any African leader, whatever mistakes he made while in office, unless it is a heinous crime, when he gets out of office should be left alone to vegetate and retire to his village, or where ever he wants to retire to,” he said. What Obasanjo calls mistakes are pre-meditated ruination of countries and peoples.
“One of the things that can discourage others from following the footsteps of those who have vacated power is the fear of what will happen to them after they leave office.”
Do these leaders think of the fact that they would leave office? Do they even act as if they are human? What would Obasanjo consider a heinous crime? Obviously, corruption will not qualify….
Copyright, Blaise APLOGAN, 2010,© Bienvenu sur Babilown
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