Obasanjo Fires Clark: Your Language Offensive, Uncouth

Obasanjo Fires Clark: Your Language Offensive, Uncouth

Tuesday, December 28, 2021 11:27 am


 

Obasanjo and Clark

* Says He Doesn’t Hate Niger Delta People

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written a reply to Chief Edwin Clark, the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ijaw National Congress, INC on his accusation that he(Obasanjo’s) hates people of the Niger Delta.
In the letter titled “My response to the open letter by Clark”, Obasanjo said: “Let me proceed with the most basic constitutional fact that you cannot have two entities in a sovereign State.”
Those who purchase crude from Nigeria “enter into a contractual relationship with Nigeria and not the Niger Delta.”

Obasanjo went further: “I have never shown any anger, distraught with Niger Delta region nor any part of Nigeria.

“Some of the languages you have deployed to describe me in your letter are offensive, uncouth and I totally and completely rejected them.

“I am not inconsistent, hypocritical, unstatesman, and nor am I anybody’s lackey.

“You use your own yardstick to judge others. I hope you think and adjust. Negotiation achieves better results than dictation.”

It was Obasanjo who fired the first salvo when he, at a peace and security parley convened by the Global Peace Foundation and Vision Africa in Abuja, attacked the National Secretary of the INC, Ebipamowei Wodu. According to Obasanjo, the oil found in the Niger Delta does not belong to the people of the region.

Then Chief Clark fired a personal letter back to Obasanjo, saying:
“Please be informed, Your Excellency, that henceforth, together with other groups with whom we are working, the Afenifere of South-West, the Middle Belt Forum and the Ohanaeze of the South-East, we will take a critical look at any hypocritical dialogue you want to invite us to, or co-chaired by you until our rights under the constitution are recognised and respected. This also serves as notice that we withdraw from the communique issued by you at the end of the two days meeting.“

“By the way, may I ask you, why you have not made a similar outburst against the open declaration of the governor and the people of Zamfara State, that the gold under their soil belongs to them? Where were you when people went to the Villa, accompanied by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, to present a gold bar to President Muhammadu Buhari, mined by the government and people of Zamfara State, as their property? Your Excellency probably did not speak because Zamfara State belongs to the North, whose interest you continuously hold dear to your heart.
“This inconsistency is what many other elder statesmen, like myself, are unable to tolerate. If this country must remain peaceful and united, it must be based on truth, justice, equity, same rules for all. As the saying goes, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

“Your views represent the continuous arrogant stance and disposition against the people of Niger Delta. This is despite the environmental damage the region is suffering. Your Excellency did not deem it fit to empathise with the people of Nembe, Bayelsa State, in the recent pipeline leakage, which has inflicted untold hardship on the people of the area and caused humungous damage to the area; the aquatic life is destroyed.”

Below is Obasanjo’s Letter:

Obasanjo’s letter to Clark1

Obasanjo’s letter to Clark2

Obasanjo’s letter to Clark3

Obasanjo’s letter to Clark4

Obasanjo’s letter to Clark5

Obasanjo’s letter to Clark6


Join The Conversation

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.