Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, asserted that good leaders are seldom appreciated by Nigerians until after they have left office, saying that previous president Goodluck Jonathan left enviable legacies.
Former All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman admitted that he battled former President Jonathan for power because of their divergent political ideologies.
He said this today in Abuja during the one-year memorial lecture for the late Captain Hosa Okunbo.
“You (Jonathan) left legacies even though that I had reason to argue because it is politics,” Oshiomhole remarked. There is no successor who can afford to do less given the legacy you have left.
However, multi-party democracy is based on the premise that even an angel may be beaten. None of your successors can afford to lower the bar that you have established.
“When you founded the Almajiri School, one of your (Jonathan’s) legacies was that you thought no Nigerian child should be left on the streets and you also appropriated special monies.
“These concepts are not new, but we lack the motivation to put them into action. Until we pass away, we are unaware of who our friends are.
Nobody is respected until after they leave their position, he claimed.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Olu of Warri, and Ogiame Atuwase III were among the other speakers at the occasion who criticized the exaltation of stomach infrastructure in Nigeria’s political culture.
They praised the late Captain Hosa Okunbo as having a big heart, a philanthropic attitude, and a passionate compassion for the less fortunate.
They claim that one of his lasting legacies is the numerous people he raised and helped become responsible members of society.
