07042018 - Investigate your ministers

34 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 7, 2018
REVEALED: Why IBB spared Abacha
I had hints of Abacha coup from UN, Mbu reveals in his
autobiography
By Soni Daniel,
Northern Region Editor
IN a rare display of bitter
truth, Nigeria’s ex-
Permanent Representative to
the United Nations,
Ambassador Matthew Mbu,
has revealed that he knew
about the plan by the late
Head of State, General Sani
Abacha to remove Nigeria’s
Interim leader, Chief Ernest
Shonekan, from office within
three months.
Mbu’s revelation is
contained in his
autobiography entitled
“Dignity in Service” due for
public presentation on
Tuesday next week at the
Yar’Adua International
Conference Centre, Abuja.
At a news conference in
Abuja announcing the book
launch, the son of the late
diplomat, Senator Matthew
Mbu Jr., eulogised his father
and said that he would be
proud to have him again as a
father if there was another
opportunity because of his
outstanding qualities that
helped to build the Nigerian
nation.
“We are very proud of the
legacies of our late father and,
today, we are happy that he
was more concerned with
rendering national service
above self service while alive,
something that is fast
declining in today’s Nigeria.
“Today’s politics is
dominated by people who
want to seek personal gains
above national interest and
that readily explains why the
nation is not making the right
progress despite many years
of politics,” Senator Mbu Jr.
lamented.
In the book, the late
diplomat, who was the
foreign affairs minister in the
government, said he had hint
of the Abacha’s coup against
Shonekan from the United
Nations but did not specify
who the actual person was.
The Boki-born politician and
career public servant wrote,
“Thereafter, they gave me
hints that we would not last
more than two to three months
in office and that they were
going to sack us. I had hints
about the eventual takeover
by General Abacha from the
UN.
“When I came back, I
packed all my things as usual
but I could neither get
Shonekan to understand me,
nor even his boss, IBB. I said,
“Don’t make the mistake of
handing over to Shonekan; if
you do that, in three
months Abacha will take over
and Shonekan will be
jettisoned from his seat.”
“Exactly three months later,
it happened. IBB phoned me
and said, “You said it!” and I
replied, “What did I tell you?”
There was an intimate
relationship that existed
between IBB and Abacha.
IBB told me that Abacha had
done him favours in the past.
He had saved him from two
coups. Probably that explains
why they were so intimate
because he was the only one
who could come and interrupt
him at anytime and stay with
him for hours.
“As the foreign affairs
minister, I had a lot to do and
I could not wait until when
IBB was through with
Abacha, other ministers could
not do it but I could go there
at anytime and I would
always ask IBB, “What is it
between you and this man,
haven’t you done enough for
him?” He would reply “He
did so much for me.”
How Abacha wanted to
detain me because of Ken
Saro-Wiwa
“The execution of Ken
Saro-Wiwa was considered to
be out of line with
international norms and there
was outrage, Nigeria’s
reputation was once more on
the line. Nigeria was to be
expelled from the
Commonwealth.
“At the time that they asked
me to go to London to talk to
my friends. Abacha was also
contemplating detaining me.
He sent for me several times
but I refused to heed his call.
When we finally met, he said,
“You are my friend, you are
supposed to be here with me
but you refused to come. I sent
for you several times.” I
answered, “I never heard.”
He said, “I’ve been
compelled to use Maitama
Sule, Shonekan, everybody
else but you, why did you
refuse to come?” I did not
know there was a plan to get
me detained. I was leaving
for Calabar at 5p.m, but at the
airport I was told, “No you
can’t travel, the commanderin
-chief has directed that you
go to London and lead a
delegation to talk to the
Commonwealth about
Nigeria’s problem.” I said
“When?” They answered
“tonight” and I retorted,
“Have you got a ticket for
me?” That was the catch: they
had nothing for me — it was
just a ploy to see whether or
not I‘ll say no.
Jonathan, Yar’Adua
unprepared for
presidency of Nigeria
The fellow who saved me
was in the government — he
had told me, “You’d better say
yes because they want to
detain you, so use all your
diplomacy to wriggle out of
it. If you say no, that’s exactly
what they want from you.”
Their thinking was that they
had done everything to get
me to Abuja, and I refused so
they wanted to detain me
under the guise that I refused
to serve Nigeria in her hour
of need.”
Mbu also narrated in the
book why he stayed away from
Jonathan’s government
despite the fact that he
championed for a South-
South presidency using the
*Says Jonathan, Yar’Adua not prepared for Nigeria’s presidency
*Laments Obasanjo’s PDP blocked Odili from presidency in 2007
*Insists 1979 election was rigged
South South Peoples
Assembly, SSPA.
He said, “I deliberately
wanted to stay away from the
administration of Goodluck
Jonathan. In the game of
politics, you only engage in
exclusion when you fail to
fight for your rights. Jonathan
was excluding himself and
his presidency was heading
for a precipice.
“He needed to reorganise
himself and strategise.
Politics is not a charity, if you
fight for what is your right,
and you cannot protect it, it
will be taken from you. The
South-South got recognition
when I championed the
South-South People
Assembly. We campaigned
for the presidency. It was
clear to everyone that Dr.
Peter Odili from the South-
South zone was ready to
provide leadership.
“However, the PDP
primary of 2006 was a fiasco
of internal democracy.
Jonathan was made the
running mate to Umaru
Musa Yar’Adua in that
convention. Dr. Peter Odili,
our prepared and preferred
candidate, was betrayed by
the party hierarchy.
Personally, I was sick because
of the antics of a mischievous
individual who had hoped
that things would
degenerate to a level that
would lead to crisis and a
declaration of a state of
emergency.
“We are all mortals;
President Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua could not
accomplish much, not just
because he was sick, but also
because he was not prepared
for the demanding office of
president. That was equally
true of Jonathan as vice
president.
“When Yar’Adua
eventually passed the way of
all mortals and an
unprepared Jonathan
became president, Jonathan
suddenly forgot that he was
the president of Nigeria and
became obsessed with the
Ijaw nation propaganda with
a selected few. That was not
the idea of the South-South
presidency I championed.
“It does not mean a narrow
agenda, rather a national
service from this once
forgotten zone. The
obsession of Jonathan with
certain characters kept me
away from the presidency. A
Yoruba man, Olusegun
Obasanjo influenced his
nomination as vice president,
Dora Akunyili, an Igbo
woman, intervened in the
federal executive council for
the transfer of power to
Jonathan. Pastor Tunde
Bakare of Save Nigeria
Group, made the Senate,
headed by someone from the
Middle Belt, to initiate the
doctrine of necessity. So, why
the obsession with a myopic
agenda based on Ijaw
President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki in a chat with the
Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruk during a condolence visit to the Emir
Daura, Katsina State, over the death of Senator Mustapha Bukar, on Thursday.
propaganda?
“My distance from
Jonathan was not complete
incommunicado. I did advise
him to properly articulate his
agenda and reduce the
bogus listed items to three: (1)
free and fair election (2)
security and (3) reduce the
quantum of corruption that is
visible within the corridors of
power.
“If these are achieved,
Nigerians in their ingenuity
will fashion out the rest in no
time. I proposed this to him
because these are
intrinsically democratic
dividends. No other system
of government can deliver
them thoroughly with checks
and balances”.
Mbu also spoke about the
1979 election, revealing that
it was rigged by the National
Party of Nigeria, NPN.
“The 1979 elections were
brazenly rigged and that was
partly why the army came in.
I contested for the senate. I
went and told Zik, “For the
first time they rigged
elections against me” and Zik
said “What!?” and I said, “Yes,
the way they told me, they
said I was going to fail.” Victor
Akan couldn’t believe it and
tried to blame me for not
taking their warnings
seriously. But I guess I took
too much for granted,” the
author said.
“They told me that they just
changed my results in favour
of Joseph Wayas. They
admitted that “Wayas never
campaigned, we put him
there for nothing, the results
we were announcing were
your results, we just gave it
to Wayas.”
“That was the only election
I ever lost. But I also knew
that they were not going to
last long in power with that
kind of situation. Moreover,
the army boys told me they
were going to strike. They
said if I planned to go
anywhere I could go and I
said “I hope it’s not going to
be bloody.” They assured me
that it was not going to be
bloody but that they were
taking over government,
which they did,” the book
reveals.
BRIEFS
OAAN dissociates its members
from fallen signpost
THE Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria
(OAAN) has dissociated its members from the
signpost which was brought down by a reckless driver
leading to a fatal accident on Thursday at Ilasamaja
area of Lagos which claimed lives of innocent people.
In a statement signed by OAAN President, Mr.
Tunde Adedoyin, reacted to the news report on the
incident which referred to the signpost as a billboard,
thus creating a wrong impression that the accident
was caused by the fallen billboard.
According to him, the signpost was a directional
signage and the property of the Federal Government
and not a billboard as was erroneously referred to in
the news reports adding that OAAN members as professionals,
adhere strictly to guidelines issued by government
agencies.
The statement states further; “ The attention of the
Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN)
has been drawn to news reports on the accident that
occurred yesterday at Ilasa, Lagos, involving a truck
and a traffic directional signage, and which unfortunately
caused the death of at least three commuters.”
Osinbajo Insists private
sector remains key in
making economic decision
Victoria Ojame
VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the
Federal Government considers the private
sector before taking vital decision on the economy
of the country. The Vice President said this
on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the Nigerian
Economic Diplomacy Initiative (NEDI), an initiative
of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. ‘’We are also
committed to ensuring adequate consultation is
made, especially with the private sector before we
make further commitment to some of the international
treaties that are important to us.
He said Nigeria was also committed to strengthening
economic ties at the official level on issues
like technical cooperation, air services, double taxation,
investment promotion and protection, citizens
rights and others.
‘’He noted that trade and investment ties between
countries were driven in the main by their private
sector actor. ‘’In the case of Nigeria, the private
sector is particularly important because it accounts
for well over 90% of our GDP.
‘’We are aware that building a competitive and
vibrant national economy of our dream relies on
enabling the innovation and dynamism of our private
sector operators to flourish.