Picking a Vice President was one of my mistakes – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo during leadership and entrepreneurship mentoring sessions with selected school students said one of his mistakes was picking a Vice President when he was to become the President of Nigeria in 1999.

Obasanjo, who won the 1999 and 2003 presidential elections, ran alongside Atiku Abubakar.

Source: YouTube/ChannelsTV

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[idahosacharles]

The best time we have enjoyed Nigeria with absolute peace is during 8 years of Obasanjor presidency. We have always travelled to Nigeria with happy faces but nowadays it's fulani bandits, rutualist killers and kidnapping everywhere, police scammers etc and humans have no values anymore in Nigeria. Obasanjor is still our hope in the area of supporting good governance. He is the face of good governance in Nigeria. President Umaru of blessed memory who dead in office is also one of great president because he loved every Nigerian citizens and not following fulani islamization of Nigeria and ethics cleansing as it is nowadays by Buhari. Nigeria need unitary systems again and not American presidency system.

[aoppong]

Obasanjor knew how to go with Ghana 🇬🇭! So Nigeria enjoyed the most peaceful time in her history!

[gbengalala]

I laugh when some people are still asking questions on who to support and vote for in the next general election.
Let me expose your mind a little.

See what Tinubu collects from Lagos State government since leaving office in 2007 by the law passed by him as governor:

1. 300% annual salary as severance package as approved by RMAFAC.
2. 100% of annual basic salary of incumbent gov as salary for LIFE even after leaving office.
3. Six new cars every 3 years
4. A new house in Lagos, minimum 5 bedroom
5. A new house in Abuja or any other location, minimum 5 bedroom.
6. Free medical care for him and members of his family for life.
7. Entitled to cooks, stewards, Gardners, and domestic staffs, all pensionable.
8. 300% of his annual basic salary as governor every 2 years as furniture allowance
9. 100% of annual basic salary as governor as his house maintenance allowance
10. Two DSS officers, 1 female officer for his wife and eight policemen to guard him.
11. 25% of his annual basic salary for personal assistants.
12. 30% of his annual basic salary for car maintenance .
13. 20% of his annual basic salary as utilities maintenance.
14. Pensionable drivers, no limits to the number.

This is apart from what he gets as a percentage of collections from Alpha Beta for tax collections for Lagos State and the total control he has over the governor and the treasury.

But See what Peter Obi collects from Anambra State since leaving office as governor:

1. No gratuity
2. No pensions
3. No houses
4. No cars
5. No allowances of any kind
6. No maintenances of any kind.
7. No personal assistants paid by the state.
8. No domestic staffs paid by the state.
9. No aids sponsored by the state.
10. Not even pure water.
11. No shishi from the State.

So choose you today who means well for Nigeria and who will serve the people selflessly.

Am just exposing your mind to see the truth. It is now your decision to make and to convince others.
Use your reasoning. Vote and support wisely.

[honeybadger]

I may not like Obasanjo so much, but I deeply respect him. I say this because, if Nigerians must be very honest, Nigeria was just coming out of the military regime before he came in. He was able to stabilise the country and even paid our foreign debt. He may not have performed so well in other areas of the economy, but when you compare what the government we have today and what Obasanjo's presidency was, In all honesty, we all must have to give some credit to him

[tivlumunaminde]

General Obasanjo himself becoming the president of Nigeria in 1999 was a great mistake. Having just been released from prison, he lacked the sane mind capacity for every decision he made as president of Nigeria up to attempting going third term in office. I suspect he still has that post prison frame of mind as typically represented by his declaration here. The choice of vice president which he now regrets as mistake was the best thing that saw Democracy and Nigeria not collapsed under his leadership. Obasanjo ordered the invasion of Udi, community in Bayelsa state, killing hundreds of people. He moved over to Benue communities of Zaki-Biam, Gbeji, Vaase, Tongov, killing hundreds. He caused impeachment of many Senate Presidents, untill an attempt on speaker Ghali Umar Na'aba nearly cost him impeachment. He wasted $16b on power projects. Obasanjo should have gone back to prison which for the entire eight years in power was what he worked for.

[Tirelesswarrior]

This man talks too much and contradicts himself routinely. For crying out loud, he was embittered by his assistant's outright defiance towards a pursuit of 3rd term. It's over 15 years now and he's still bitter impugning his assistant's integrity everyday. He has done this for many years and succeeded in sowing a dark perception of his Vice amongst voters. It's enough. Let the man be and pursue whatever he wishes. The vile and vindictive mindset of an 85year old is pathetic.

[chikanjoku]

Chief, don't justify yourself as being pathetic. Ignorance is not an excuse. In the first place, you were not elected into office. You were selected just to apeace the Yorubas on Abiola's murder. Atiku represented Northern interest in power. The whole thing was army arrangement. Stop preaching the gospel of "Mistake". Besides, you had every opportunity, every power to restructure Nigeria during your 8 years term as a president, but you didn't. If you were a man of principle you wouldn't have compromised Abiola's mandate with Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, etc. You all knew what you were doing then.

[philipchira]

But he is being honest, how many people can stand up and say this

[hononebewele]

BOTH YOU AND ATIKU WERE MISTAKES, PERIOD. 🇳🇬

[easybayoo]

Baba don't select for 170 millions. The confusion you generated amongst Yorubas is still disturbing.

[abubakaradamu]

You too General Olusegun, voting you as president in 1999 was a great and regrettable mistake to us and eventually God saved us

[christopheromekwe]

It's a recollection in sincerity. 'Mistake' on its own is not añ insult - it depends on the intentions or purposes of the one who considers a choice as such (mistake)

[fankantv]

Between 1903 and 1908, unimaginable atrocities took place in West-South Africa. Hereros were massacred, ethnically cleansed by Germans. These tasteless crimes against humanity were underrated, racially downplayed. Maturity involves recognising atrocity, accepting culpability, and respecting the legality that binds humanity irrespective of nationality, mentality, the hues of vulnerability and size of prosperity.
Modern Germans should stop exhibiting emotional immaturity and sensitively embrace the assumed intelligence that defines yet has not fully defended their dignity! Somehow, modern Germany is synonymous to inhumanity and internalised racism, irrespective of the ruling patches of sanity sunbathing in this young millennium! Germans should have been wiser and acted better. The embittered is not a fast forgiver….
Africans are deemed mentally lazy. Is this true? Agreed, our education is deeply seethed in brainwashing, cramming, and remembering, instead of deep thinking and scientific lucidities, yet it is the duty of the alarmed to be mentally freed and saved to coordinate and elongate their evolution of consciousness and rebrand the dictates of natural civilisation!
Although the masochistic, narcissistic, chauvinistic, sexist and evidently heuristic inclinations of the ruling thugs of Afghanistan are not desirable, yet what do we call the genocidal dispositions of Americans in Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq? What do we call the atrocities of the British in India few decades/centuries ago? The major problems with and of the World is Europe and Europeans’ hegemonistic mentality. Did tiny and cunning armed Europeans murder the aboriginal inhabitants of North America, Australia and Africa and took their lands and minds or not? Didn’t these murderous Europeans afterwards surround themselves and their loot with nuclear arms and attack anyone that threatens their interests? What and where are the reparations for these atrocities? The distrust between Russia and the West should be re-evaluated and the satanic motives confronted to assuage the doubts of the unsuspecting. The traitors that parade as liberators should not be deemed mentors.
Why is the West desperately co-opting Japan to its deadly military and socio-economic alliance with the disguise of democracy? How possessive is western democracy, liberty, security, and literacy? When will America-backed CIA stop controlling mainstream media and let humanity think freely? There is no modern America without Europe. Take it or leave it, Europeans are cunning, bullish, and tricky. Underestimating Europeans and the extent of their kinetic and potential barbarity is risky! Europeans are not effectively religious; they are fervently ruled by an instinct called self-interest. Europeans are experts at outfoxing the rest of the world. Simple!
Once Europeans’ importance is threatened or destroyed, wars are declared, and these ruthless Europeans attack with utmost fury. To all competitors, beware of European interest! Be aware of European vengeance! Europeans will continue to globally dominate if they control the central banks, political systems, and stipulate financial, military, scientific, medical, and economic policies commonly!
Contemporary slavery is accomplished variedly through wars of intellectual bravery! What is the secret of the golden triangle? Modern humanity will psychologically advance when they stop complaining, start thinking deeply and be grateful! The socio-economic and technological advancements of modern China and United Arab Emirates are dual trademarks of what people that suspect their potentialities and trust their natives can become with effective management and stable leadership!

The cruelty of humanity spells inanity! The world is morally divided because of humanity’s inability to separate ignorance from laziness! Are Africans incapable of building functional societies freed and saved from the malevolence that wreck civilisations

.

[abdoulayenassirou]

Be responsible like our elders babangida, abdussalam, yacubu gawon..the don't talk to much they knew they have done their time

[derealfrancismore]

Many don’t know Obasanjo tried to change Atiku in 2003 but Atiku used the Northern Cabals and CJN to force himself back as VP in 2003.

[nnamdipeter]

Correct man go bless your regime was sweet sir

[bradlewis]

I think the Nigeria government are never honest and will never until the old set of authority step down fully and give chance for youths to take over.

[oyewoleolusegunesq]

That time Obasanjo had no choice. Just like APC forcing a Muslim - Muslim tickets

[joshuabakokurmi]

I do not know why my well respected father thought he could have won election into the presidency with out the articulate support of his vice president and his constituency. Humility and gratefulness to God Almighty should be the Hallmark of our state men. father, you were not picked directly out of prison to be president because you were the best from the West, but because God wills it by showing we, your children in Nigeran to collectively recognized that that south through Abiola has at that given point in time, shortchanged. Restitution even after the fact has always been in our hearts. Save your comments at this electioneering period and allow God Almighty to take his grand choice among these able all Nigerian contestants.

[spoiltchild]

God forbid! Atiku is a mistake Nigeria will never make.
As for Obasanjo, his special place is reserved in hell fire for Bakassi