Scandals rock Obasanjo’s family

One would have thought the accusations against former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo would have been limited to corruption allegations. But a sex scandal? Geez. What is this world turning to? This is the height of moral decadence if indeed it is true.

Gbenga Obasanjo (Olusegun Obasanjo’s first son) is accusing his wife of having sex with his father to gain government contracts when his father was President of Nigeria. According to a ThisDay report: Gbenga Obasanjo’s Divorce Gets Nasty

Gbenga, first son of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, got contracts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) while his father was in office, his estranged wife, Mojisola, has claimed.

Mojisola and Gbenga are currently seeking the dissolution of their seven-year-old marriage at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja Division, in Suit No. ID/172HD/2006.

While Gbenga is claiming that his wife was sleeping with the former president  – his own father – in order to get government contracts, Mojisola claims her husband has been violent towards her.

Not too long ago, news broke that Iyabo Obasanjo (the former President’s 1st daughter.) had been involved in business whilst she was holding office as a Commisioner in Ogun State. Not just that, she did business under a fake name.

I am quoting BusinessDay’s 9th Jan 2008 editorial: Iyabo Obasanjo’s N3.5bn contract scam 4th paragraph

While entering into the contractual agreement, Iyabo was alleged to have presented herself as Damilola Akinlawo and this was happening when she was the commissioner for health in the government of her home state, Ogun.

13th and 14th paragraphs:

Iyabo’s case is very scandalous with far-reaching implications not only for the country’s international image rating but has revealed that for all his moral pontification, Obasanjo was hypocritical in his crusade against corruption.

We are not unaware of moves in high and low places to frustrate the case; hence we urge EFFC and all the other anti-graft agencies petitioned by the Austrian company not to sweep the issue under the carpet.

Read also from: Before the dust settles on the Obasanjo father – daugther scam

Most commentators on the N3.5billion power projects contract agreement involving Sen. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello; her company, Akiya Nigeria Ltd; and an Austrian Firm, M. Schneider have concentrated on the impersonation aspect of the deal, wherein she falsely presented herself in the contract papers as Mrs. Damilola Akinlawon.  The impersonation is of course a fraudulent act, aimed at concealing the facts that she was (as of the time), Mrs. Iyabo Obasanjo – Belllo, a serving Commissioner for Health in Ogun State and the daughter of the nation’s serving president.  But there are two other corrupt dimensions to the contract which the EFCC cannot ignore.  These are:

(i) The signing of a contract by Iyabo Obasanjo – Bello on behalf of her company Akiya Nig. Ltd. with the Austrian Company Schneider, under whatever name, amounts to engaging in private business while holding public office as Commissioner for Health in Ogun State, and thus contravenes section 2(b) of the Code of Conduct for public officers.

(ii) The award of the contract to Schneider by President Obasanjo knowing that his daughter, Iyabo, was in partnership with the company, and being aware of the impersonation fraud which the said daughter had committed in using a false identity, was a contravention by Obasanjo of section 1 of the Code of Conduct which forbids a public officer from putting himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his official duties and responsibilities.  It also contravenes the Oath of office of the President.

Thus, both Obasanjo and Iyabo have cases to answer. The ball is now in the court of the EFCC.

President Yar Adua inadvertently implicated his predecessor Obasanjo when he made it known that the previous administration had sank a whopping sum of $10 billion into the power sector. Today, there is nothing to show for it. Nigeria’s energy crisis continues unabated despite the metamorphosis of NEPA into PHCN. I am quoting SunNewsOnline: Obasanjo wasted $10 billion on power – Yar’Adua

President Umaru Yar’Adua on Monday bared his mind on the country’s perennial power shortage, revealing that the Obasanjo administration pumped a whopping $10 billion into the power sector between 2000 and 2007 without much result.

Much as he recognised the need to hasten action on the issue of power supply, he said his government was treading cautiously so as not to repeat the mistake of the immediate past administration.

Olusegun Obasanjo, I care less about what happens in your family what concerns me is the nation’s resources. Where is the money? Where is our money? Our roads are still in a terrible state, insecurity is everywhere, armed robbers are terrorizing the citizenry at night, whilst the police harasses and extorts money from the people during day. Electricity supply where it is available is highly unstable and corruption in ‘high and low places’ seems to have come to stay. So what exactly was my benefit from your 8 years as President of Nigeria?

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Oluniyi D. Ajao
Oluniyi D. Ajao is an Internet Entrepreneur and Tech Enthusiast based in South Africa. Follow him on twitter @niyyie for more tech updates.

11 Comments

  1. When look at the state of the nation, one will wonder what is really wrong with Nigeria. I dont mind moral corruption of Obasanjo or anybody, but the looting and mismanagement of public funds is what bothers me. The greatest Sin in the world is the personal sins, but sins that involve other violating other people rights. Obasanjo will answer his case with God, only him, and God wishes to forgive, he will certainly do. But for sure for denying us the right to good living, that one he will have to ask us for forgiveness before he can turn to God for forgiveness. When one look at the Energy Sector, what does it cost to generate electricity? The whole country is confused. Rather than selling our natural gas and buy food stuffs y cant we use the natural gas to generate power then manufacture our food stuffs. The focus of the government is misplaced. They are busy talking about LNG export, but non is talking about domestic consumption of natural gas. Industries are crippled because there is no electricity. They just sat down there telling Nigerians all kind of stories. It doesn’t cost anything to have a power plant up once there is coal or natural gas.

  2. i want to first of all apologise to my fellow nigerian on the siege that has been rocking our past x incumbent president.
    but, if we look at things in a more ideal way we find out that we all have our own kind of skeleton in our various cupboard .
    i am not saying that what the man did to the son was right but have gbenga squiled if the money his father stole from us ,he had a lion share in it.
    i see no too much difference between the Abacha,s and the obasanjo,s

  3. His father Obasanjoplotted to kill Gbenga before the news broke out.He would have been long dead!! Silently killed by his own father. If it were you, what would you do? Keep silent and be killed or tell the world and expose them? In my opinion, Gbenga is still in danger today. Shame them and their evil. Obasanjo never suported his first wife to raise the children. She did all herself. What a beast Obasanjo is!!!!!!!!

  4. Did he really shag his daughter-in-law? And if he did, well, why would he think twice about squandering our money? Probably doesnt have a conscience. Lucky dude. What more can I say?

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