Obasanjo would have been jailed had Yar’Adua not died -Oba Akiolu

The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, in this in­terview with Political Edi­tor, AKINJIDE AKINTOLA, said but for the death of former President, Yar’Adua, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo would have been jailed. Excerpts:

On comeback of Daily Times of Nigeria
Problems are made for hu­man beings to be solved; with dedication, commitment and prayer you will succeed. Daily Times would not die again. It is the oldest newspaper in Nigeria with the likes of Ernest Ikoli, Babatunde Jose and others and, with time, you will assume your leadership role again. You must not be sensational but put the interest of the country first while publishing your story. Newspapers can mar or make a nation, that is why they say a pen is mightier than the sword. We can only try, but everything is in the hands of Almighty Al­lah.


During your reign, the city of Lagos has witnessed tre­mendous development all over, comparable to the best capitals in the world, How do you see this?
Well, I would say Alhamudu­lahi, Alhamudulahi, Al­hamudulahi; it is the work of God, dedication and prayers at its best. In Lagos, we don’t dis­criminate against anybody, we are always our brother’s keeper. With open mind, we take care of everybody, and that is why God has done it like this. And you have not seen anything yet; it is going to multiply in geometric proportion by the grace of God Almighty in the years ahead.

Are you saying more giant strides are still on the way?
Of course, by the grace ofGod Almighty, we will see more giant strides. You have seen all what the past governors have been able to do right from the time of Mobolaji Johnson who laid a very solid foundation for others to build on. And then Alh­aji Jakande also tried a lot. Most of the land which the govern­ments are developing now, were acquired during his own time, and he tried. Look at the Bada­gry road, Lekki- Epe road, it was Jakande who started them. Though he had his faults like all human beings, as I have mine, but he tried a lot to open up some of the suburbs. Previously, if you are going to Ijebu Ode, you go through a long precarious road, but with Lekki, which Mu­dashiru came to improve upon. We have seen what Bola Tinubu did and even this present gov­ernor, how everything is being made better now. We thank Al­mighty Allah, and it has just started, things will be better with hard work, dedication, love for all and prayer to God. It will be better, but you must pay your tax so that government will get more money to do more useful things.

President Goodluck Jona­than was here in your palace yesterday on a courtesy visit and you welcome him with open arms. Contrary to what happened during the Obasan­jo years when he was against Lagos, are you working along the line that Lagos must be in the good books of the Feder­al Government so that there would be better development?

Look let me tell you, let us be frank with ourselves. I’m not a politician but at the same time I’m a politician. By the virtue of being in office as Oba of La­gos, I want things to be better for Lagos and for all Nigerians and that is one of my oaths of of­fice. Jonathan is a human being; he met most of these problems. Let me tell you something which I forgot yesterday, if Yar’Adua had been alive for six months before he died, Obasanjo would have been in the prison yard. Be­cause, I Oba Akiolu, I had the op­portunity to have seen some of the things on ground. But time has not come, after February, I will tell you people more and I’m serious. I tell you, anybody who is anti-Lagos for no just cause; he has benefitted from Lagos, materially, by marriage, by ev­erything and he wants to dam­age Lagos, lai lai, it will never happen; he will never succeed and God Almighty will never al­low him to succeed on it.

How do you want to ensure that peace reigns in Lagos be­tween the two major contend­ers as there have been fears of possible unrest during the polls?
Let me tell you, Lagos people have opened their eyes and they have seen that it is God Almighty who appoint leaders. Jonathan is a human being, he has his own shortcomings. Most of the prob­lems he inherited from previous administration. As a human be­ing, he has tried his best and I can assure you by the grace of Almighty Allah, it is what the government and people of La­gos deserve that God will grant, that’s why all praises and thanks go to Almighty Allah. All powers and authority belong to him. I can assure that the next gover­nor by the grace of Almighty Al­lah is going to be Akinwumi Am­bode. Jimmy Agbaje is my blood relation, the mother of his late father is from our family and he is a very good man. Jimmy too is my personal pharmacist and a very good person but I’ve made it abundantly clear to him that I’m not going back. When he was in the other party, the ACN, I spoke with him, he had his own reason for doing what he did and I’ve told him, he’s free to enter this palace anytime any day be­cause he is a very, very good per­son. Ditto with Akin Ambode. In 2007, former President Obasanjo was unnecessarily harassing La­gos for no just cause but Ambode stood firm with dedication and absolute loyalty and that is why I pitched my tent with him and he is a very, very intelligent and hardworking person. And he is a financial guru and organiser of the highest order. I’m not hiding it, I make bold to support him. He is the next God-chosen gover­nor and that is it by the grace of God Almighty.

Jimmy Agbaje was quoted to have said in the diaspora that if Jonathan did not win the February election, Niger Delta Militants will destroy all our oil installations?
He would not want destruc­tion in the country. Did you hear him saying that? Because hu­man beings, for what they want, they can say anything. Jimmy is a peaceful individual. That’s the rumour they are carrying, God will not make it happen. Jona­than said it times without num­ber that his re-election does not worth the blood of any Nigerian. Nigeria belongs to all and we will live happily and peacefully. It was a Yorubaman, maybe about 20, 30 years ago who carried the cross of the Niger Delta people that was the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo who had been solicit­ing for the Calabar, Ogoja Riv­ers (COR) states. And it is God Almighty who wanted to assist them that put Jonathan there. Most of the money we spend in this country is from that area. They are also entitled to lead this country. The person who feels that Jonathan is a rubber stand that he would assist him to be there so that he can control him and God has now shown it to him that if a man keeps quiet that does not mean he is a fool. But Jonathan can still improve and do better than what he inher­ited. I know what I’m saying, if the late President Yar’Adua had lived for another six months or one year, Obasanjo would have been in prison yard. Quote me, I, Oba Akiolu, I said it and I mean it. And I still maintain it. There are many things still hidden and I will expose it. He is a pretender of the highest order. Obasanjo is a pretender and an anti-Lagos.With his mouth at Island Club on 24th April 2003, he said you either love Lagos or leave Lagos. He didn’t love Lagos and didn’t leave Lagos. And all the finan­cial gains he made is from Lagos here. What he acquired genuine­ly and what he did not acquire genuinely, but everything is in the hands of God. You will see what will happen.

On Jonathan, many people felt he has not performed to expectations. He came in on the crest of general accep­tance of the people that this man who never had any shoe was one of them. But he has disappointed a lot of people as he failed to deliver on his promise?
Let me tell you, Nigeria is a very difficult place to govern; I’m not his mouthpiece, and I have no cause to be his mouth­piece. But he has his own weak­ness as a human being but I know that God has a way of do­ing his things and you will see what will happen. Anybody who does not love Lagos, who does not love any Yorubaman cannot make any progress in this coun­try, no doubt about that and I’m very serious about it and I have my reasons for saying it.

On corruption, you said yesterday that Obasanjo started it, how can it be tacked?
With God, hardwork and determination, it will be well with this country. Nigeria is a blessed country. If you see young people now, 99 percent of our people want to go into politics because it is a way of getting cheap money. Let me tell you, when unjustly, because it was this very Obasanjo, with Atiku and others, when they felt that they were putting my name in retirement unjustly with oth­ers like Daura and Okeke who was Chairman of the Police Service Commission, myself and others, they did their own but God did his own. A year and two days that I left the services of the Nigeria Police Force, God brought me into this palace by the support of my people, the plan of God and the able leader­ship of Bola Tinubu, I became the Oba of Lagos and since that time, my chiefs, Imams, Bish­ops, friends, everybody contrib­uted to making Lagos a success story and we are still going to do more. And I made it abun­dantly clear to many people to mind what they say about Bola Tinubu. He is a human being but he is the first Yorubaman, first Lagosian to put Lagos on a sound footing. Even he himself, he came through the system of the Afenifere- Ijebu Igbo/ Iken­ne caucus.