No comment on national issues until after elections – Obasanjo

A former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has
said he will henceforth maintain silence on the
state of the nation until after the forthcoming
general elections.
He said this on Wednesday while addressing
traditional rulers from Egbaland who were
attending a seminar organised by a non-
governmental organisation, The Village Network
Empowerment Initiative. The seminar held at the
Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
The former president, who had in recent times
criticised President Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration, said it was unfortunate that some
people could misconstrue his good intention for
the country.
Hence, he said he had chosen to keep mum until
after the elections.
Obasanjo, who also flayed the situation in which
teachers in some states were being owed salaries
for upward of six months, said Nigerians had an
opportunity from February 14 to play their own
part in enthroning leaders of their choice.
He said, “Where we are now, I have spoken. I have
used body language and whoever still does not
understand all I have been saying, it would take
such a person a long time to understand.
“It is something that is very clear for us all to see.
Some people came to visit me from Benue State
three days ago and told me teachers in that state
had not been paid for six months.
“There are states where teachers have not been
paid for four months, three months and two
months. That is not good at all. It’s only God that
can help us to overcome all these problems.
“All I know is that God has done His own part and
it’s now left for us as human beings to do our
own bit. Do we, as Nigerians, say that God has not
been magnanimous enough to us?
“Is it human or natural resources that we do not
have? We are blessed with a lot of fertile land.
Shakespeare says the fault is not in our stars but
in ourselves that we are underlings.
“God has done his own part and it’s now left for
us as human beings to play our own part. That
our own part starts from the 14th and it’s now left
to you and me. I won’t say more than that. I’ve
said I won’t say anything anymore until after the
elections.
“You’ll hear from me after the elections. But I’ve
said it verbally and through body language and
how you understand it all is now left to you. But
whatever you still don’t understand about all of
these, I will put it in prayers that God should
enable you to clearly understand it all better.
“But I won’t say more than this until after the
election.”
Delivering a lecture to the traditional rulers on
“Waste to Wealth, Health, Biogas productions as an
alternative source of energy for sustainable rural
development,” the Director of the Zoo Park of the
Federal University of Agriculture, Prof. Moses
Oyatogun, enumerated the uses of different waste
for energy production.
He advised them to take advantage of all manner
of waste in their environment.
The initiator of the Village Network Empowerment
Initiative Network, Oba Olufemi Ogunleye, said he
organised the seminar to enable the traditional
rulers to acquire knowledge and exposure towards
the development of their communities.