Obasanjo: Time to Treat Thyroiditis

By Bala Ibrahim

I am not a medical doctor, so let me start with an apology to those whose field of study I am invading today, but I must confess, my action is necessitated by the unending embarrassment former President Obasanjo is visiting on our country, Nigeria. The cause for this relentless empathy to embarrassment, which has become the pastime of former President Obasanjo, needs to be looked into, and methinks, it is likely to be related to an organ malfunction, the thyroid organ. The last time I checked the dictionary, after I overheard a conversation between some medics, on the issue of dementia and its likely cause, the term Thyroiditis was referred to as a general term that refers to the inflammation of the thyroid gland.

The dictionary says Thyroiditis includes a group of individual disorders causing thyroidal inflammation but presenting in different ways. From the conversation of those medics, one of whom I know to be a good medical doctor, they said, the most common cause of the disorder is an autoimmune disease, which is the result of your immune system accidentally attacking your body instead of protecting it. When symptoms occur, they said, they may vary depending on the stage of the inflammation. One of such symptoms can be dimentia.

Again, my dictionary refers to dementia as, the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change.

When the above outlined symptoms are juxtaposed, alongside the manifested characteristics of Baba Obasanjo today, one needs not be a medical doctor, to come to the conclusion that indeed the old man is due for admission at the hospital, for the treatment of Thyroiditis or dimentia. And I so recommend, with every respect and immediate effect.

Recently, while speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, the former Nigerian leader, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, alleged that subsequent administrations in Nigeria had failed the nation, describing Nigeria as a failing country.

“The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated for all to see. As we can see and understand, Nigeria’s situation is bad. The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, discord, division, disunity, depression, youth restiveness, confusion, violence, and underdevelopment,” -Obasanjo.

If we go by the Clean hands doctrine, there is the maxim of equity, which says, he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. In other words, a person who makes a claim in equity must be free from any taint of fraud with respect to that claim. For example, Obasanjo must do everything to absolve himself from the blame of immorality and corruption, before he can accuse other leaders, before or after him, of such malfeasance. Morality is essentially practical. There is no point in calling others bad, when you cant claim to be good. According to Oscar Wills Wilde, the Irish poet and playwright, morality is simply the attitude we adopt toward people whom we personally dislike.

Irked by the latest attitude of Obasanjo, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, responded thus:

“Obasanjo left behind a legacy marred by constitutional violations, corruption, and poor leadership during his time in office. Brazen illegality and assault on the Constitution of Nigeria reached a disturbing height under the leadership of Obasanjo. The unconstitutional impeachment of four State Governors and allegations of corruption, including misuse of public funds and involvement in the Halliburton bribery scandal were among Obasanjo’s ways of handling Nigeria’s economic resources”.

The Government was quick to criticise Obasanjo’s regime for the neglect of national infrastructure, leaving federal roads in disrepair, and failing to address the country’s power crisis despite spending $16 billion on electricity projects. They accused him of prioritizing personal interests, such as advancing private enterprises like his university and presidential library, funded through questionable donations.

Since he left office, Obasanjo has made it a duty, to treat Nigeria and Nigerians as his own grandchildren, with a self imposed superiority over everyone, including previous leaders, whom he regards and relates to with some contempt. Why?

When it comes to the issue of moral values, I think Obasanjo should move to the back seat, until the end of such discussion, because, he lacks the locus standi to participate in such discussion. While I applaud Chief Onanuga for the swift response, I also implore the Presidency to look into the idea of sponsoring the old man for the treatment of Thyroiditis. That way, the country would be saved from subsequent embarrassments, I think.