William Shakespeare’s eponymous tragic play, Julius Caesar, is no doubt a cautionary tale.

After all, most of us would agree that it is only a stubborn fly that follows a dead body to the grave. Of course, people need not die before learning life’s often painful lessons. My concern here is to draw a link between an event in Julius Caesar and ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo’s letters to two other eminent Nigerian personalities – the first being ex-president Goodluck Jonathan and the second, the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. I refer to the incident between one of Rome’s strongest men, Julius Caesar, and his third and last wife Calpurnia. And for the record, the said letters are those written by Obasanjo on 2nd December 2013 and 23rd January 2018.

Calpurnia had a premonition about her husband’s murder and tried in vain to dissuade him from going out that day. She even lied to one of the conspirators that her husband had suddenly taken ill and so would not be able to attend that day’s meeting of the Senate. As is well known, obstinate Caesar ignored his wife’s warning and delivered himself into his enemies’ hands.

And they gleefully killed him.

However, before his death Caesar learnt his last lessons. Eyes glazed in death throes, Caesar witnessed betrayal from a most unlikely person. At the time, not even one of Caesar’s trusted allies, Marcus Antonius, could save him. Antonius was only human after all, one who could even barely save himself from danger.


There are a few points that can be drawn from what transpired between Caesar and his wife. First, when Calpurnia urged her husband to stay at home on that fateful day she was not in any grave danger, but her status as a wife was. Her personal life was not under threat, but her love was. Calpurnia knew that her life remained, but arguably her esteem and happiness were about to be taken away from her forever. Second, she understood the full implication of the premonition, quite unlike Caesar. Third, from any privileged angle one might want to look at it, Calpurnia’s importance as both a wife and a member of the more intuitive sex had been undermined. Clearly, she had been disrespected and humiliated. Although Calpurnia meant well, all of her entreaties were spurned by her apparently all-knowing husband. Maybe she was ignored because she was ‘just a woman’; whatever the reason, the consequence was grievous for Caesar.

And Caesar’s fate awaits anyone who ignores good counsel – today. Calpurnia loved Caesar and did all that was humanly possible to keep him a little while longer. But Caesar’s fate had been designed to be a lesson to posterity. The world has not and cannot forget the historical Caesar for his greatness and stubbornness.

How does this connect to Nigeria today?

Like Calpurnia, Obasanjo’s warning had once gone unheeded. When he wrote his famous letter to former President Jonathan, he had warned the latter not to seek re-election in 2015. Jonathan didn’t listen. Entitled ‘Before it is too late’, Obasanjo’s letter had accused Jonathan of many hideous things. Determined to make Nigeria work, Obasanjo had deployed a little bit of propaganda and subtle mendacity in his bid to make Jonathan drop his ambition. Well, Jonathan did run – and the rest is history. Like Caesar, Jonathan learnt his lessons in a most brutal way. Although not Caesar, Jonathan also bore perfidy from those who wined and dined with him. When Obasanjo wrote Jonathan at the time, the former’s political career was neither at stake nor under siege. But the welfare of hapless Nigerians was surely at stake.



Now Obasanjo is once again playing the role of Calpurnia.

With humility, decency and a sense of statesmanship, Obasanjo has advised President Buhari to quit now that the ovation is loudest – and begin his last lap in Daura. This is good advice from one brother to another and I see no malice whatsoever in it. And neither is it self-serving. Those berating Obasanjo for writing the letter know that he has seen enough fame and wealth that will last him even more than his time here on earth. If he wants cheap popularity, Obasanjo knows how to order it. Since assuming the presidency, Buhari has relentlessly exposed himself to deserved public criticism. He has indeed given cause to Nigerians at home and abroad to mock his credibility.

It is no wonder that even his diehard supporters are now disappointed in him and have frustratingly rated him low. If care is not taken, Buhari might end up being rated the worst president Nigeria has so far had. I understand that Governors El-Rufai and Shettima, lost in the cesspool of pride, are egging him on to re-contest in 2019. They should continue in their crusade of shame. But El-Rufai and his cohorts need to be reminded about the blurred line between the present and posterity.

As someone who has seen the good and bad side of the highest office in our land, Obasanjo is well-positioned to know when to advise a Nigerian president to quit the alluring corridors of power. He has given Buhari time enough to show that he can make Nigeria better than he met it, but the reigning president seems not to know how. Buhari has a noble option before him: to heed Obasanjo’s Calpurnian counsel – and head for Daura come May 29, 2019. What may follow if he does otherwise may not be like Caesar’s or Jonathan’s, but may be something that cancels out all that he ever cherished in his well over two scores of active public life.

Ochibejivwie wrote from Department of English, University of Lagos.

http://guardian.ng/opinion/the-calpurnia-in-obasanjo/

Lalasticlacla Mynd44

Obasanjo the afonja oracle has spoken. Buhari the chief failure,Daura is inviting you for dinner in 2019. Sarrki and other BMC are fools that needs to be castrated

@HungerBAD na where you go

which kind name be Ochibejivwie? Buhari must go

optional1:
@HungerBAD na where you go

Because him get money you they ask of am, you ever ask of me?

optional1:
@HungerBAD na where you go

Present Ma'am.

I greet you ohhhhhhh. How you dey?

The same EVER-OBJECTIONABLE OBJ who tried to seek a THIRD TERM?

How soon people forget.
DID HE EVER HEED THE ADVISE OF OTHERS?

The same DUKE he is getting in bed with now, he soundly rejected in favor of GEJ whom he thought woukd make a better PUPPET!

OBJ is an OPPORTUNIST. Calpurnia LOVED CAESAR. OBJ HATES NIGERIA! OBJ is and will forever be a “BRUTUS”!

Like TINUBU, he is disappointed Buhari has not died after 2 years like Yaradua.

The Northerners have BEAT the WESTERNERS at their own game!

Muchechechecheche

So obasanjo has suddenly become a good man to give advise abi?...who brought us into this mess in the first place.. From yaradua to GEJ.......

HungerBAD.. I need your help

You guys should kukuma worship Obasanjo nah , abi if person advise you it has never been by force to accept such advice. Life is easy, it is better to try and fail than always think could I should have tried. Failing is not a crime, losing is not death.

Hmmmmmmm.


Everybody now sermonizing. Get your correlation right.Obasamjo is never Calpumia. Calpumia concerns were that of a truly loving woman. She never went to the public square to declare her feelings known to all. OBJ is just like an abandoned housewife seeking for relevance. What wrong has PMB done that OBJ didnt magnify 100 fold as President. But then Calpumia attitude was why great leaders take leave of their wives when preparing for battles. Using the tragedy of Brutus is just disingenuous. Why didn't you used that of Anthony and Cleopatra. Anthony refused yo heed the call to save Rome because of Cleopatra. Hope you like that.See, one is free to criticise PMB from ones celestial height but to do that from OBJ obtused viewpoint portrays us as a people in stupor all this while.

Lannister20:
HungerBAD.. I need your help

SCAMMER

2019 election is still about 12 months away but it is just like tomorrow because everything in the nation is now set to work in that direction.

There has been a coalition of people trying to create the third force that can hijack power from the incumbent and we have also seen PDP trying to put its house together to wrestle power from the APC which dislodged it in 2015.

One of the heavyweights in Nigeria’s political space today is former President Obasanjo who has written an 18-page letter to President Buhari not to seek for reelection. He advised him to go and rest after his first term in office.

We have also seen some moves by some people, for example, the wife of the president, claiming that there is a cabal that is influencing some decisions at the centre . She is trying to make it abundantly clear that a force, other than President Buhari, is in control at the centre.

There is also the general view of the opposition in Nigeria. Many of them think in the same direction with either Obasanjo or Aisha. Some people have combined the views of the two ( Obasanjo and Aisha Buhari), as a result, they support these opinion leaders.

What is the bitter truth that we should know about this situation on ground?

The very first thing that we need to admit, if we want to analyze this issue without any iota of bias and sentiment, everything in life is about interest.The question will now be what interest is Obasanjo fighting for? What interest is Aisha fighting for? What interest is FFK, PDP, Ezekwesili, etc fighting for? That is another question to be answered, but the truth that we must accept is ‘ it is all about interest’. You remember the common saying ‘ there is no permanent friend, there is no permanent enemy but permanent interest in politics’.
Who is the accuser? The second issue to address is who is the accuser or adviser in this case? Let us start from Aisha Buhari. This is the wife of the President. She is supposed to be the closest person to him. She is supposed to be enjoying some direct benefits from him, etc. Unfortunately, something is wrong somewhere. Aisha Buhari believes that there is a ‘Cabal’ that has limited her influence, strength and power. Being a woman from a royal root, there is nothing you can do to remove royalty from her gene, she wants to rule and reign. Unfortunately, she has a husband that believes in doing it in the interest of all and not in the interest of any. Aisha has seen the ‘Cabal’ as the second ‘wife’ to her husband and she believes the only thing to do is to break the cabal. She cannot influence any appointment, she cannot influence any contract, she cannot influence her trips, there was a time she was barred from seeing her husband because of his health status , this made her to cry openly. She therefore has issues with the ‘Cabal’. She wants her husband in power but doesn’t want the cabal around him. How possible, you will ask?
President Obasanjo: This is a great man by all standards. An ex military man, former military Head Of State, former President, a writer, a PhD holder, Balogun of Owu Kingdom, an elder statesman, a Christian leader, etc. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is indeed a great man. But let us analyze his message and the messenger. The message is that Buhari should not contest for second term in office because there are elements of nepotistic approach in his government, his health status and his shallow knowledge of economic management and internal democracy. These are deep issues and they should be looked into. Who is the messenger is the second question here? Former President Obasanjo is the least right person to condemn Buhari in this country. Obasanjo’s first term was so bad that there was nothing that could be pointed to as his achievement. When i say nothing, i mean nothing at all. He practically was rolling on the floor to get his party ticket in 2003bfor reelection. He prostrated for Atiku, begged some governors and made them (governors) party leaders in their states in order to influence things and people for him. He had nothing to show as his achievement in his first term. Obasanjo, as we know, pushed for his third term in office. This shows that the kind of people Obasanjo is. Obasanjo practically manipulated everything to amend our constitution to allow a third term for himself but was pushed back by other forces. He sent emissaries to institutions, schools, churches, mosques, to push for his third term. He introduced politics of Bags of money popularly called ‘Ghana must Go’. Obasanjo could not point to any physical achievement in roads, rail, airport, power or anything. His era in power was full of bloodletting both political killings like the death of his attorney general, the Great Bola Ige, the Cicero of Africa, the death of Harry Marshal, the wiping away of a community in Odi,Bayelsa, the killings in ZakiBiam, Benue, many air crashes that lost hundreds of lives, the Niger-Delta problems began with him. Many freedom fighters like Asari Dokubo were jailed. The closure of Nigerian Airways, the introduction of political victimization leading to Atiku running away from his party, Rotimi Amaechi running to Ghana to save his life, there was a palpable fear everywhere, the insecurity leading to state of emergency in Ekiti and Plateau. The problem with Nigeria began practically with Obasanjo. We cannot forget what he did to South West Nigeria, how the governors, 5 of 6 governors were removed and he installed his own footsoldiers for his own personal second term interest. How he held back the allocations for Lagos States local governments for many months just to use Tinubu to make a political statement. How he separated brothers like Obanikoro being used against his boss and friend, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, etc His method of using EFCC to fight his political enemies. Politics of calumny, vendetta, etc was introduced by no other but Obasanjo. He openly called 2007 election a ‘do or die election’ on the national TV. Obasanjo is the architect of our woes according to the believe of many. Yar’adua had to admit it that the election that brought him into power in 2007 was a fraud. Obasanjo asked INEC to just write out results as confirmed by residents of many places after 2007 elections. Elections did not take place at all in many places yet Baba pushed his candidate to the seat of power. This is the Obasanjo advising us today. This is the person playing god on good governance today. Going into his role as father and husband, his children have said things that proved he is not a so good father, how he abandoned them, he didn’t train them in school, etc. His first wife does not have a good thing to say about him as well. How then can we compare him with Buhari? Many other moral issues are too bad to mention here for many reasons. We all remember the accusations of Mojisola, his son’s wife, etc.
What does PDP want? PDP was the vehicle that was supposed to have taken us to our promised land in Nigeria. The windfall of 2003 to 2007 and of 2010 to 2014 could have rewritten the history of Nigeria. We had the opportunity to work on our electricity, over $15B was embezzled by the people involved. It was so bad that the legislators that were to even probe Obasanjo shared part of the money being investigated. Nigeria lost the golden period and ended up worse than it was before PDP took over. We lost the glory of being the giant of Africa in sport and sporting events, we lost in military, we lost in politics of Africa, we lost in the world, we are deficient in infrastructures, no road, no water, no electrical power, no savings, no good airport, no standard university, nothing that PDP gave to Nigeria for 16 years of leadership.
Who are the people who don’t want Buhari to go for second term in office? They are many and belong to different political classes. Many of them are the corrupt people who keep on losing their loots to the Federal Republic of Nigeria everyday. Some of them cannot spend their loots so it becomes a do or die between them and Buhari. Many of them have run away from Nigeria. We know that Muazu, former PDP Chairman, Deziani Allison Madueke former Minister of Petroleum Resources, etc have run away from Nigeria because of the fear of Buhari. We know what Patience Jonathan, many permanent secretaries, former ministers , former governors, etc are losing everyday being products of corruption. These sets of people don’t want Buhari to continue.
Another set of people are the impatient people. Itbis believed that there is always a time-lag between when something is planned and when it is executed. ‘No leader can fix Nigeria in four year’ in the world of Goodluck Jonathan the immediate past president of Nigeria. It takes patience to achieve some things in life, especially good things. Rails, power, roads, cannot just get better in one day, it will take some times.

Finally, Buhari as a person may not be perfect, he has his flaws and shortcomings as pointed out by former President Obasanjo but he is the fairest of them all. Even Obasanjo who wrote the letter could only mention just about 4 major issues. This is nothing but an evidence that Buhari is better than Obasanjo himself. Buhari has started to put Nigeria on a solid rock of good governance. He needs to do it better and quicker though. He needs to ensure that security of lives and properties are maintained. He needs to create more jobs for the youths and old. He also needs to avoid nepotism in its entirety.

If today we are not importing rice again, rated as best in portfolio and stocks markets in the whole world, one of the best emerging economies in the world, one of the best in the ease of doing business, improved agriculture, improved security, etc then it shows things are getting better but may not be what we want. We want more from him.

Buhari is still the best. Primus inter pares (Best Among the Equal)

optional1:
@HungerBAD na where you go

bae where have you been ive missed you like..........

Have missed you too so much dad..

Can we talk off Nairaland...

robosky02:



bae where have you been ive missed you like..........