“I apologize to Jonathan & Buhari should ask for forgiveness from Jonathan”
– Shehu Shagari’s son.
1983 is a year that’s synonymous with our Current President when he overthrew the leader of the government of the second Republic,
Shehu Shagari who led the country from 1979 to 1983.
Shehu Shagari’s tenure had its own ups and downs and Buhari became the new head of state even though some reports say he didn’t fully participate in the coup but he was entrusted with the leadership.
Late Shehu Shagari
Shagari died in 2018 and his son,
Aminu Shagari who is a three-term House of Representatives member talked about many things in a recent interview where he made some utterances worth analysing.
Some of the daring remarks was when he said it was during the military era of
General Yakubu Gowon that the country started getting it wrong.
Aminu Shagari
He said that era was marked by dismissal of civil servants in their numbers. Those who were dismissed had nothing of their own because the government owned all and that made some of them to become contractors which they then used to enrich themselves by stealing public funds. There wasn’t anything like gratuities and pension and had to resort to stealing for fear they might become destitute.
Yakubu Gowon
His reasons seem rational and understandable but there are people who say there isn’t any justification for theft. If those people did it in the past for lack of gratuities and Pension, the current crop of civil servants participating in these illicit acts whom are entitled to such will have no justification for their actions.
He also had more to say regarding the Current and former President in person of Buhari and Jonathan respectively. He said even though his father and family had forgiven Buhari before his death for the past events surrounding his overthrowing, he is still disappointed that the Presidency didn’t officially contact them after the father’s death; they only did sign the condolence letter.
Buhari signing Condolence Register
The son was part of those who mobilised and garnered support for Buhari but he didn’t even honour their dad after two years of his demise which Buhari promised to immortalise.
Buhari recently named railway stations by some highly respected individuals in the country but there was no mention of Shehu Shagari and it hurt the son. It is bound to hurt knowing fully he was a former leader of the country and it will be honourable to send the family an official message from the Presidency.
His Excellency Jonathan and President Buhari
Finally he tendered apologies to former President, Goodluck Jonathan for his role in dividing the then ruling party, PDP.
In his words; ” Let me use this opportunity to tender a public apology to former President Jonathan and seek forgiveness because I helped to divide the Peoples Democratic Party and bring down his government, but, I have found out that what we thought about his stewardship was not entirely true.
I expect President Buhari to also ask for forgiveness having found out that most of the things he accused my dad’s and President Jonathan’s administrations of are not true.”
Some Nigerians might agree with him because some things which the previous administration was accused of weren’t actually true but just as with Politics, things are said in the heat of the game. But does Buhari in particular or the party which he represents deserve to send an apology?
Just as in politics, if Nigeria is to go back in time, every citizen deserves an apology and should demand an apology from the leaders in one way or the other and not them apologizing to themselves alone.
Do you think the Late Shagari deserves the immortalisation as his son demanded since others have been immortalised?
What do you think about the son’s statement regarding Buhari tendering an apology to Jonathan?