Between Obasanjo, Abacha and refineries
During his 8-year-tenure, which witnessed an unprecedented rise in oil revenues, Obasanjo claimed to have spent an estimated 800 million dollars to fix refineries. Surprisingly, for the eight years he spent in power, the refineries were not functioning normally and importation of refined petroleum continued, helping Obasanjo’s cronies to smile to the banks. They were […]
During his 8-year-tenure, which witnessed an unprecedented rise in oil revenues, Obasanjo claimed to have spent an estimated 800 million dollars to fix refineries. Surprisingly, for the eight years he spent in power, the refineries were not functioning normally and importation of refined petroleum continued, helping Obasanjo’s cronies to smile to the banks. They were so excited with their newfound wealth through importation and other official patronage that they were falling over each other to donate generously to Obasanjo’s private presidential library project. Despite the 800 million dollars purportedly spent by Obasanjo to fix refineries, the nation didn’t witness any remarkable improvement in their working conditions.
Such is the tragedy of this country where we easily forget to remind our leaders of their insincerity. There is absolutely no reason why Obasanjo should spend eight years blaming Abacha for his own failures. Just like the 10 billion dollars purportedly spent to revamp the country’s power generating capacity, the 800 million dollars the former Obasanjo administration claimed to have spent on fixing refineries didn’t change anything. Even his so-called privatization policy was the biggest daylight robbery ever committed against Nigerians. Public enterprises, including the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries, were sold at derisory prices to Obasanjo’s cronies. The late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was so scandalized by the corruption and disregard of due process surrounding the privatization process that he was forced to cancel the sale of Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries, which Obasanjo sold to his friends at give-away prices.
Nigerians should always put their sentiments aside and assess leaders objectively, regardless of which section they come from. The late General Abacha was not a saint but he did a few concrete things for the country and their results on the ground speak for themselves. The disbanded Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) was able to achieve appreciable results within a relatively short space of time. For the first time, Nigerians had come to appreciate the benefits of petroleum subsidy withdrawal because they could see the results of where the proceeds were invested to improve the conditions of our roads, hospitals, schools, water supply systems and other critical areas of social services. Nigerians had access to cheaper, safer and affordable drugs in public hospitals.
It is also to late General Abacha’s credit that Nigeria’s moribund railway system was rescued. The railway system is one of the cheapest modes of surface transportation. Abacha’s railway rehabilitation and modernization programme kicked off with remarkably promising results. Upon his election in 1999, however, former President Obasanjo frustrated the railway projects purely for political and private malicious motives. He also gave the Petroleum Trust Fund a kiss of death for the same reason.
His action is a reflection of the myopia of our leaders. How can any wise leader frustrate socially and economically relevant projects simply because he wanted to spite the memory of a perceived enemy? Obasanjo rode to power on the posture of self-righteousness. Deceit, however, cannot last for too long without falling by the way side. The defunct PTF had only N60 billion in its coffers but was able to achieve in five years what Obasanjo failed to achieve in eight years. Under Abacha, our foreign reserve was only 10 billion dollars but it rose to 63 billion dollars during Obasanjo’s tenure. Despite this huge difference, Obasanjo’s performance level leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, the Ota farmer once declared that he was ashamed of the conditions of federal roads, which was a case of self-indictment.
Hypocritically, towards the end of his tenure, former President Obasanjo decided to re-introduce the railway modernization projects after abandoning them, evidently to spite Abacha’s memory. Nigerians were not, however, fooled by his tricks. The country lost a lot of grounds in the execution of these railway projects because of Obasanjo’s decision to undermine them for political reasons rather than the public interest. At the end of the day, Nigeria is the loser. Despite branding General Abacha as corrupt, did Obasanjo stop graft in the country? Instead, corruption grew like weed under his nose! At a point, Nigeria achieved unenviable distinction of being among the most corrupt nations of the world under Obasanjo. What happened corruption is still eating up Nigeria like a consumptive disease 15 years after Abacha’s death? That is the poser for Abacha’s enemies!
Uzor wrote from Unguwan Waje, Keffi, Nasarawa State