Abubakar Umar Bristles Page 1 of 7
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Abubakar Umar bristles Page 1 of 7 Abubakar Umar bristles: I'm not an opportunist By Abubakar Umar Sequel to my open letter to the President titled ‘The Devil Is It Mr. President; the Presidency, or to be exact the Presidential Adviser on Public Affairs, Deacon Femi Fani Kayode, exercised his right of reply. I do not intend to pass any value judgment on the unnecessary tantrums displayed in his reaction to what I thought was just a genuine attempt on my part to bring to the notice of Mr. President the divergence of views between him, his small circle of court officials and the general public, in an attempt to participate in democracy. The underlying message of my submission was that Nigerians have not benefited from the President’s vaunted dividends of democracy. That while the President sees what may now be perceived as his ascension to the throne as the Lord’s making, his method of governance needs to be modulated to be in line with the Lord’s ways. But since the release of my letter a few people have taken issues with its tone which they regard as harsh or even crude and rude. If that is true I am sorry as I did not in any way mean to be rude to the President, more so a retired general and a highly respected one for that matter. I am also sorry if the tone of my letter provoked the Special Adviser to descend so low as to attempt to diminish the Presidency, as many well meaning Nigerians have observed, by engaging in most unprecedented and vitriolic attack on the character of a commentator on issues of public concern instead of addressing the issues raised. Many highly regarded respondents have since characterized Femi’s response as indecorous, escapist and unhelpful. I fully endorse their assessment and need not belabour the point. The public as represented by the ever dynamic, brilliant and truly nationalistic Nigerian press, has shown the adviser a yellow card. Judging from the overwhelming support that I have so far enjoyed from my fellow countrymen, I am left in no doubt that they appreciate my persistent struggle as a genuine and selfless crusade for the common good. I have no doubt also that those false and wicked allegations against my person have in no way diminished my stature in their eyes. Modesty however restrains me from saying that their confidence is well earned. Since that abortive attempt at character assassination by the President’s Adviser on Public Affairs, I have been inundated by appeals from well-meaning Nigerians, both at home and abroad, to give the public a chance to respond on my behalf. Many organisations too numerous to mention have also sent such appeals. I have, this far, been restrained out of sheer respect for such people and organizations. Although the adviser claimed in his reaction to be acting on behalf of the President, I am not impressed. I will not aid or abet any action that will further diminish the office of the President. I have high regards for that office, the Vice President, the Chief of Staff, Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed, the NSA, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, the Adviser on Information, Mrs. Remi Oyo and all the good people in that outfit. Moreover, since I still stand by the points I raised in my open letter as they affect the very worsening state of the nation, I should do nothing to aid in further diverting the President’s attention from his onerous task of fixing Nigeria. Considering the short time left in his final term and the enormity of that task, he needs to be fully focused. This notwithstanding, I owe it to my numerous admirers, my family and all those doubting Thomases to set the records straight. I can only do so by responding to some of the more serious allegations made against me by the adviser. I decided on this medium because it is the channel of choice by the Presidency and it is a faster means of response. By this I am not foreclosing my option of seeking redress from the courts. As a matter of fact I had already briefed my lawyer Mr. Festus Keyamo who is already in touch with Mr. Femi Fani Kayode. http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/articles/abubakar_umar_bristles.htm 7/18/2008 Abubakar Umar bristles Page 2 of 7 Some of my critics including Mr Kayode faulted my decision to resort to writing an open letter to the President when according to them I had unlimited access to him and could easily meet him face to face to put my points across. Of course I do not deny that I visited President Obasanjo a couple of times including on the occasion of the pepper soup party that Femi so gleefully recalls and which I don’t consider a big deal. I had after all hosted Presidents and Prime Ministers in my capacity as Governor of Kaduna State, an office I vacated voluntarily some 15 years ago. The close contact between me and the President was however lost after my interview with Insider Magazine, an interview which the adviser assured me had annoyed the President beyond belief. Femi’s reaction in a text message which I have saved left me in no doubt that I would be on the menu in the next Presidential pepper soup get-together if I dared approach the villa again. Since then the adviser had told many mutual friends that Baba will not see me again, but that he was not disappointed because I have never supported him. I was only disappointed that the President could not tell this to me directly since he spoke to me on telephone on a few occasions and we also communicated through respected mutual acquaintances. So why should I bother if an interview which I still consider to be very objective could change the President’s mind so radically about my sincerity? I may not have supported General Obasanjo’s presidential bid in 1999 but I did when it mattered most i.e. when he was facing prosecution in the 1995 coup trial and throughout his stay in prison. I know the President appreciated this because he spoke to me less than a week after his release and his message still rings in my ear. Gen. Obasanjo said to me, "Dangiwa, you know the walls also speak. I heard all that you said and did to protest my unjust trial and incarceration. Thank you so much". I felt more than rewarded by those words because I never in my wildest dreams imagined Obasanjo ever coming out hale and hearty to even return to his farming activities, not to talk of becoming President. My support for him could therefore not be said to be opportunistic. Having received Femi’s message I resolved never to visit Gen. Obasanjo again, as long as he remains in office. Unlike what Femi imagines, the topic of my discussion with the President was almost always ostrich farming and I am proud to say I have guided OBJ in setting up his own booming ostrich farm, hence the reason for an open letter. The public must know that I had in the past written similar letters to IBB, Generals Abacha and Abdusalam on national issues, which I felt so strongly about. In all cases, the tone of the letters could, from the judgment of my present critics, be said to be acerbic but the underlying aim was always to cause the leaders to follow the path of justice, truth and honour which I consider necessary elements in good governance. If today I have to rely on handouts or lobbying for contracts or government-dispensed menial jobs as per Femi’s account it is only because 1 pursued this difficult and at times dangerous course. Perhaps it would have paid me better materially if I had adopted a different and less than honourable course by supporting such leaders on the path to perdition and national destruction. In support of this submission I have decided to reproduce as annexes to this paper two of many such letters which I wrote to President Babangida and General Abacha. Let me however first address the spurious allegations, which Mr. Kayode so maliciously and misguidedly levelled against my character, starting with the fictitious 5 million dollar gift from IBB. 5 MILLION DOLLAR GIFT FROM IBB. The adviser alleged that IBB gave me a gift of 5 million US dollars with which I established my ostrich farm. This he went on to claim is part of Nigeria’s stolen funds which the present government is trying to recover. So if government is in possession of this evidence what else is it waiting for to start the prosecution of IBB? Since the government does not believe in sacred cows why am I spared considering that there is an existing law that deals with such a case of receiving stolen property? Must I even deny the receipt of this staggering sum? I challenge Femi to publish his facts and I will bear the cost. But to the public I say this; if I was ever offered or received this money may God in His infinite power destroy everything I own, and may He make it impossible for me to approach paradise. http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/articles/abubakar_umar_bristles.htm 7/18/2008 Abubakar Umar bristles Page 3 of 7 Although I don’t need to do this I still insist on revealing the source of my farm’s capital. I sold my 400-acre orchard farm, which I had bought long before for a far lesser amount, to Gen.