By LAIDE RAHEEM, Abeokuta and NOAH EBIJE, Kaduna

Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has concluded plans to meet with top members of the nation’s socio-cultural groups from the North, South East and South West over insecurity.

A source told Daily Sun at the weekend that 20 members each would be drawn from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo as well as Afenifere, bringing to 60 the number of persons from the zones that will meet with the former president.

The source said the meeting was put on hold because of the death of Afenifere’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, which coincided with the proposed meeting.

“From all indications, Obasanjo is ready to contribute and help the Federal Government get out of this insecurity.

“He wrote recently to ACF, Ohanaeze and Afenifere to nominate 20 members each, making it 60 persons to meet with him for a meeting over insecurity in the country.

“I think it is a very good development by Obasanjo, and if you read his last open letter to Buhari, he was not too hard, it was more of advice and way out of the current insecurity,” the source said.

Obasanjo and Gumi had, after their meeting in Abeokuta, recommended that the Federal Government should set up a special court for the trial of bandits.

Meanwhile, Obasanjo has blamed the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late philanthropist, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, on ‘bad belle’.

According to him, the annulment robbed Egbaland and Ogun State the rare privilege of having three of its prominent sons occupying the number one leadership position in the country at different times since independence

Obasanjo spoke, yesterday, during the 46th President Party of Abeokuta Club in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Apparently referring to the former head of Interim National Government, Ernest Shonekan, himself, who governed the country first as a military head of state and a civilian president, noted that Abiola would have become the third, if 1993 poll had not been annulled.

Obasanjo was honoured as Trustee of the club, while Abiola was awarded a posthumous Vice Patron.

The former president, who recalled that Abiola was his classmate at Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, said he (Abiola) richly deserved the award bestowed on him by the Abeokuta Club.

“When Abeokuta Club was in the process of being birthed, things in Abeokuta were not as rosy as they are today. And the sons of Abeokuta who were in Lagos put their heads together in the late Sobo Sowemimo’s house to think of what they could do to improve the development of Abeokuta as a city. I pay tributes to those founding members, those who have departed this world and those who are still here.

“I want to thank the club for this honour being bestowed on me and on my schoolmate, MKO Abiola which he richly deserved.

“Kabiyesi, the Alake of Egbaland alluded to it. Normally when you win a cup three times, you keep that cup. Isn’t it? If not for ‘bad belle’, Abeokuta would have produced president of Nigeria three times, in which case, we should have kept it permanently,” he said.

Obasanjo then pledged to continue to contribute his quota to the continued growth and development of Egbaland, Ogun State and Nigeria in general.

“But be that as it may, we have a great heritage. And we should be proud of our heritage.

“On this note, I thank the president, the patron and grand patron, members of Board of Trustees, the executive. I want to say this, I will continue to contribute my quota to the development and growth of this club and by extension, the development and growth of Abeokuta, of Ogun State, of Nigeria, of African and indeed the of world in whichever way I could,” the former president said.

Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, while presenting the award to Obasanjo, described him and Abiola as proud sons of Abeokuta, noting that some ‘bad blood’ didn’t allow Abiola become president. (Daily SUN)

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