Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo is at it again, playing the game of power chess behind closed doors with a group of Nigeria’s military elites. On Sunday, Obasanjo landed in Minna, Niger State, after a convenient stopover in Edo State, where he had graced the 90th birthday of Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin. But, of course, the real business began when he touched down in Minna at 4:15 pm.
The ex-president wasted no time heading straight for the Hilltop mansion of former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida (yes, the same IBB who annulled the freest election in Nigeria’s history). And as if the cast wasn’t already intriguing, ex-Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar and former National Security Adviser Aliyu Gusau were already waiting, undoubtedly plotting or at least reminiscing about their glory days of ruling Nigeria in uniform.
While the meeting’s agenda remains as secretive as their past military regimes, whispers from “sources close to the former leaders” suggest the meeting was about the increasingly dire insecurity and banditry in Niger State and northern Nigeria. But, really, do we expect anything to come from this? These same leaders presided over a Nigeria that laid the foundation for the country’s current chaos, and now, they’re supposed to have the answers?
It’s a curious sight, watching the old rulers scramble to appear relevant, holding meetings that will likely result in the same tired solutions. If Nigeria’s issues could be solved by retired military men with a history of questionable governance, wouldn’t we have cracked the code by now? But here we are, watching these figures come together, hoping they can pull off one more miracle to save a country they helped sink into dysfunction.
