No matter what anyone thinks, it seems former president Olusegun Obasanjo has made it a point of duty to always be a part of the national conversation every step of the way.
On Thursday, the ex-president made news again when a think tank which he established to study critical areas – education, power, the economy, security and infrastructure – and make recommendations which will help the incoming Buhari administration, submitted its report to President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari at his private office along Lobito crescent in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja.
According to reports, Obasanjo set up the committee four months ago under the Centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
Head of Buhari’s Media team, Mallam Garba Shehu told newsmen that Vice Chairman of the Committee and former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu presented volumes of the report of the committee to Gen. Buhari during a brief ceremony held behind closed doors.
He also said that former Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria, Dr. Christopher Kolade who was head of the power committee, gave various stages of the proposed power sector development plan to include, short term, medium term, long term solutions.
“The whole idea was that Obasanjo set up his own think-tank with the aim of carrying out a study on challenges facing the country in five key areas of Education, Power sector, Economy, Security and Infrastructure. The study was commissioned four months ago so that the outcome will be made available to the incoming administration after the election,” said Garba Shehu.
He quoted Buhari as appreciating Obasanjo and his team for their effort, describing their intervention as a great impetus for the incoming government.
Shehu also said that Buhari regretted that the out-going government that is supposed to give him tips on how to take-off has done nothing so far.
He thanked Obasanjo for the gesture and assured the team that the incoming government will be needing their advice as time goes on.
Speaking with Journalists after the meeting with the President elect, Chairman of the Governing Board of Centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Professor Akin Mabogunje said the centre has been working on some critical areas of the economy which they hope will be of help to the incoming government.
He said the “Centre for Human Security of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library has being working on a number of critical issues for the development of this country and they have now sent a delegation of those who’ve been involve with the preparation of those policy documents to talk to the president-elect and get him to appreciate what is being done to help his administration. That’s why we are here.”
Asked how the President elect received the report, the Professor of Geography said “he was very happy that we’ve been thinking about how to help him hit the ground running and he expressed his appreciation for what we’ve been doing.”
Chairman of the APC Transition a Committee, Ahmed Joda who was also present at the ceremony refused to comment on the work on the committee saying “I am here not in the capacity of the chairman of the transition committee. I am here because I am Chairman of one of the committees of the centre that considered security issues at the Obasanjo centre for human security”.
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