Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee In opposition to Corruption (PACAC), has advisable that the Federal Authorities ought to take over the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) situated in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, so as to maintain it and protect it as a nationwide monument.
The library whose donation was made in the course of the twilight of Obasanjo’s presidency in 2005 was lastly launched in 2017. A whole lot of civil society organisations and attorneys have petitioned the Federal Authorities to probe the funding of the library, claiming lots of the donors had been public officers and contractors.
Talking on calls by some Nigerians that the library ought to be managed by the Federal Authorities, Sagay mentioned he doesn’t assist the best way Obasanjo was treating the library as his private property when it ought to be a public establishment.
Whereas asking the Federal Authorities to steer Obasanjo at hand over the main facet of operating the library to the federal government for higher administration, Sagay argued that whereas the library will nonetheless be in Obasanjo’s title, it ought to be supervised by the Federal Authorities so that it’ll not lose its worth even after Obasanjo’s demise.
He mentioned, “Obasanjo is a really distinctive kind of particular person in some ways. He doesn’t comply with laid down requirements, conventions and practices. He takes management and personalises every part. To start out with, that library was not constructed by personal donations.
“It was constructed with public funds from heads of assorted Nigerian public establishments whose arms had been twisted to supply enormous sums of cash. Some even donated in billions. So, it isn’t one thing executed by Obasanjo by way of persuasion or personal donors, it’s constructed by public funds. So, actually, that is the most effective case why it ought to be supervised by the Federal Authorities regardless that it was inbuilt Obasanjo’s title.
“So, I don’t agree with the best way Obasanjo is treating it as a purely private property. However that’s his nature. He’s an authoritarian particular person.
“My suggestion might be that the Federal Authorities shouldn’t forcefully take it over from him. However Obasanjo ought to be gently reminded that establishments belong to the nation, not him personally and that he ought to step by step organize to handover the main facets of the operating to the Federal Authorities.
“And if he doesn’t agree, perhaps after his demise, the Federal Authorities ought to simply take it over after spending some authorized provisions. The library will nonetheless be in his land and in his title however will probably be managed by the Federal Authorities.
“In reality, it enhances the standing of the library if it turns into a state-owned property slightly than privately owned. In any other case, I don’t want him to move away quickly. Might he stay lengthy for much longer…. However when the inevitable comes, the library could undergo if it isn’t a public library.

“We now have seen so many households the place they struggle over even little property when the founder passes away and on the finish, it’s both deserted or desecrated and they’re in courtroom for many years. That gained’t be acceptable for such an establishment because the presidential library”, he mentioned.
Nevertheless, talking on the problem, Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister of Info, argued that the Federal Authorities has no enterprise with the library because it was a non-public venture owned by Obasanjo, although he requested and received donations for it whereas in workplace as president.
Momoh, one of many nationwide leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), additionally cautioned the federal government in opposition to carrying vendetta too far.
Quite than take over Obasanjo’s library, Momoh suggested the Federal Authorities to focus its consideration on 1000’s of public libraries littered throughout the nation which are in dilapidated state.
“The library is Obasanjo’s private property and he requested folks to donate they usually donated. He then constructed the library which is very patronised as we speak, folks maintain conferences there and so forth. How can anyone deny what the library was meant to be? Was it meant to be public or personal? If it was public, which authorities set it up?
“Allow us to not carry our preoccupation with vendetta too far. That may be a library pioneered by Obasanjo which is for public use. The motive for establishing the library is what we ought to be . I’m certain it isn’t a Federal Authorities property and it isn’t an Ogun State or any state’s property.
“I feel it’s a personal and private property that he used his place as president to affect the donations to that library. However that may be a ethical situation. I do not forget that even Fayose mentioned he was compelled to donate N10 million and he requested Obasanjo to refund it to Ekiti State.
“You’ll uncover that after he left workplace, the donations fell. A whole lot of the big donors didn’t even showcase after he left workplace. If he had waited until after his tenure as president to gather that cash, perhaps he couldn’t have collected 10 % of it.
“So, he acted sensible by asking for donations whereas he was nonetheless in workplace as president and received them. So, I don’t suppose anyone ought to be speaking about anyone operating Obasanjo’s library. There are many public libraries established. Go there as we speak, lots of the roofs are leaking. Authorities ought to go and concentrate on that”, he mentioned.
When contacted, Obasanjo’s spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi, mentioned he’ll give our correspondent the variety of the managing director of the library in order to talk on the problem however he couldn’t accomplish that as on the time of going to press. (Every day Unbiased)
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