Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, on Friday evening, sneaked into Ibogun, Ogun State, the ancestral village of his predecessors in office, ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
On the trip were: the former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Kabir Turaki; a former Minister of National Planning, Suleiman Abubakar; King A. J. Turner; and a former Chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, Jide Adeniji.
The visit lasted for about four hours, of which Obasanjo and Jonathan spoke alone behind closed doors for 40 minutes.
No member of Jonathan’s entourage or Obasanjo’s associates, was allowed into the inner room where the secret talks took place.
Obasanjo, welcoming Jonathan, said: “The first point I want to make, is to thank you very sincerely and most sincerely for taking it upon yourself to pay us a visit at this point in time, and at this location. Secondly, since you left office, you hardly have time to sit down and relax like you have been able to do today, and I hope, I sincerely hope and pray for more of such relaxed situations, where we can reminisce on situations of the past that we have been through in this country, and we can also look at what the future portends.
“I believe that not only Nigeria, West Africa, and Africa, and indeed the world will continue to tap our experiences, our wisdom, and I hope and pray that when the call is made to you, you will be more than ready to put your experience, the lessons you have learnt into the service of this country, for Africa, and indeed for humanity in general.
“I have said to you before, and I will say again, that there are plenty of opportunities out there, within the country, within West Africa, within Africa, and indeed in the larger world, where people will want you to make contributions.
“I believe that you are resting now, and when you have fully rested, you will be hearing from me, because I have this opportunity to be around the world, and if I mention your name in dispatch. I thank you sincerely, that you have received us as we are in this village to prove to you that we are in a typical village. I was telling you that your village is better than mine.
“I want to say that we have it. Nigeria is a good country, and we must never be tired of lifting the country up to the height that God has created it to be, and God did not make a mistake when he put all of us together, and if He doesn’t want us to be together, no power in the world will have made us come together.”
Explaining his mission, Jonathan said he had planned to visit Obasanjo during the yuletide, in company of former Military Ruler, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, but the plan fell through, owing to unforeseen circumstances.
He said the idea came about when he visited Babangida, in Minna, when the two of them agreed to come to Ibogun.
It was not immediately clear if the trip was part of the ongoing political realignment for the 2019 general elections.
However, a top source simply said: “It is a reunion of Papa and his son. Do not read any meaning into it.
“The ex-President decided to make it a private visit, in order to be able to have frank talks with Obasanjo.
“During the visit, Obasanjo and Jonathan locked themselves up for 40 minutes. No member of Jonathan’s entourage nor Obasanjo’s associates in Ibogun, was allowed to be part of the private session.
“All I can tell you is that the two leaders were able to iron out a few things, and Jonathan has since returned to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.”
At the end of the visit, ex-Minister, Turaki, who is the Chairman of ex-Ministers Forum, gave the vote of thanks.
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