The former president also warned people from referring to
him again as Matthew, a name he said he dropped a long time ago.
He said: “If anyone does not want to see my red eyes,
don’t call me Matthew again.”
He said that
moving people from one position to another could be a blessing in
disguise, citing the examples of former Governor of Osun State, Prince
Olagunsoye Oyinlola and former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Senator Barnabas Gemade .
Oyinlola was military administrator of Lagos during the
Abacha regime and was one of those affected by the Obasanjo purge while Gemade
lost his position as PDP chairman in a move believed to have been sanctioned by
the ex-president.
Obasanjo said the development has not affected his
relationship with both men because to him, Nigeria comes first in everything.
He said: “Talking about engineering in politics, when I
got into office as elected president, I got 93 officers of the armed forces out
of the military because they were used to what is called the chummy chummy life
in government house, and if I had left them in the military they would have
been the ones that would have created more problems for us and our democratic
dispensation would not have lasted as it has.
“Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was one of the 93 officers,
but in everything in life there may be a silver lining. If he hadn’t been out
at the time he may never have been governor. If Senator Gemade had not been
kicked out as chairman he would never have become a senator, but I’m happy that
I was looking for perfection and what is best for Nigeria.
C- The Nation Newspapper
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