Obasanjo Says Nigeria Ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan Has Become Wise Since He Leaves Office

Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday visited Ibogun, Ogun State, the ancestral village benefactor, Baba Olusegun Obasanjo.

The rare meeting between the duo who were bitterly divided in the run-up to the 2015 election saw Obasanjo tell his host how wise he (Jonathan) had become since leaving office.

“When leaders come, they have little or no experience. When they have to go is when they have really amassed a lot of experience, where they have wisdom, their experience is in high demand.

“Those like you and me who have the grace of God to bow out gracefully, if there is now what I call constitutional office, we have residual responsibilities for Nigeria," Obasanjo said.

With Jonathan on the trip, which observers branded as fence mending yesterday, were former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Kabir Turaki; a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Suleiman Abubakar; King A.J. Turner; and a former Chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Jide Adeniji.

They flew into the village in a chartered helicopter at about 11.30am.

The visit lasted about four hours of which Obasanjo and Jonathan alone spoke 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 received his visitor in company with ex-Governor Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was ousted as National Secretary of the then ruling PDP by Jonathan and his loyalists.

Obasanjo took Jonathan round the village for a door-to-door greeting of the elders and the residents.

Obasanjo, welcoming Jonthan, 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 such relaxed situation 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".

An inside source described the meeting as "a reunion of Baba and his son".