IN
REMEMBRANCE OF THE OWAMBE FIRST LADY
SEYI
ODUYELA
The news of
the death of the wife of Nigerian President, Mrs Stella Obasanjo
has been greeted with reactions from different quarters. We have
read from friends how nice and caring she was. We have also been
fed with the stories of her dreams and awards. Interestingly,
chieftaincy titles were mentioned as part of her achievements
but nothing specific was mentioned as her contribution to the
lives of ordinary Nigerians.
Yes she was
a good mother to her only son, we know that, because how did
Muyiwa get the money to buy his house in New York? And many of
the criers are beneficiaries of the Owambe First Lady. Either
they have enjoyed a trip or two with her or got contract through
her. Journalists should have gone to the streets of Lagos and
Edo State to hear from ordinary Nigeria if her death meant
anything to them, the response would have been different from
what newspapers have been publishing for one week now.
How would
the wife of Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo be remembered? This is a
question with a multi-dimensional answer. Truly, most of the
sympathizers are mourning that they will be missing their free
rides to foreign countries to attend parties as Mrs. Stella have
been taking to at the expense of the tax payers money. She did
this to the chagrin of her husband who could not take it but
voice out at her burial. For once, Mr. Obasanjo will heave a
sigh of relief that at least no more Mama Christmas at the
Villa.
Mrs. Stella
started her Child Care Trust, about 5 years ago and the NGO has
got nothing to show for it except woes for innocent children in
Nigeria. We need to know what happened to the Polio Vaccine
through the Child Care Trust and one of Okotieboh’s daughter who
worked or still working at the Federal Ministry of Health.
In 2001, she
led delegates to the 40th Birthday of Terry Waya in
London. During the Hurricane Isabel, in 2003 September, she came
to the US with 29 entourage to attend the fund raising of
Jennifer Atiku and her (Stella) birthday bash organized for her
by Jennifer. The 29 people were accommodated at the expense of
Nigerian tax payers here in the US. We will remember her for
turning against Mrs. Titi Atiku to support Jennifer in a family
feud that does not concern her.
We will
surely remember her as the woman who stood by her husband when
he was misruling and making life difficult for the ordinary
citizens and her family members from Edo State are buying houses
in Ikoyi, Lagos. I am sure Mrs. Remi Oyo will not forget
September 23 2004, at the hotel Lobby in New York, the kind of
treatment she got from the First Lady over the rumor that Mr.
President is having an affair with Remi Oyo.
At a point,
according to Aso Rock Correspondents, she resorted into heavy
drinking and smoking to make up for her abandonment by her
“loving” husband and Ben Bruce, former Director-General of
Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) became her companion, to the
extent that people thought Ben sleeps in the Villa. It was at
that time that Stella took up the appointment of commissioning
almost all NTA new stations all over Nigeria.
We have seen
wives of Heads of state in Nigeria, taking up projects, even
when they are fake ones, but Mama Pancake as some used to call
her cannot even face the press. Journalists covering the Villa
will remember her for her usual cold that always makes it
difficult for her to field questions from them after her speech
deliveries. At least, she is now free from that. I remember
sometimes in 2002, when she was invited to the event of the
Retired Officers Wives Association program in Lagos. When she
stood up to address the audience, it was an embarrassment.
Though she was reading from a paper, an address presumed to have
been prepared by her, and she referred to Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu,
the wife of Lagos State governor as “Dear Mrs. Oluremi
Obasanjo.” In her defense to the blunder, she said “I am
overwhelmed.”
There is no
doubt that a lot of people will be jobless now that she is gone,
these are the set of people that will miss her greatly. John
Abebe’s wife, who doubled as personal Physician and House Keeper
of the Villa, apparently taking over the house-keeping duty from
the House Keeper will sure miss her sister-in-law. Now the Glass
House in the Villa should be declared vacant. This is the abode
of the Abebes since 1999.
I wonder
people are avoiding the issue that it is ridiculous that at 59
mama still want to look younger. Sources disclosed that she had
attempted to do the surgery here but was warned because her skin
is too fragile due to too many bleaching. Is it not
embarrassing that Mr. President’s wife died of complication from
plastic surgery?
Now Mr.
Obasanjo is free to bring all those girls…ooops sorry, ladies to
the Villa. He is now a bachelor again. The coast is clear for
the member of House of Representatives from the South-West that
has been sneakingly doing it to get promoted from the
Legislative arm to the other arm of government. But she will
serious competition with other ones who are sharing the Agbe
l’oba landlord with her.
In Yoruba
land if you start loosing your wives they say something must be
wrong with your childhood. Now we have three wives who have died
on the Balogun of Owu. This called for the meeting of the elders
and serious consideration.
The first to
die was his ex-wife who campaigned against him when he wanted to
run for the United Nations Secretary-General Position, Mama
Deboye died in a motor accident in 2002 on her way to Jos from
Abuja, now the Owambe first Lady.
How would it
have been if Stella had stood on the side of the people, said
something to make Nigerians happy in the face of the hardship
her husband is taking them through? She was no where to be
found. She lived her life, full of scandal and negative media
publicity. Insider Magazine is still reaping the fruit of the
interview they had with Ayo Olatoregun, General Oladipo’s
girlfriend, where she alleged that Oga Diya slept with Stella
when Oga Sege was serving terms in Yola prison. Late Abdulkarim
Adisa confirmed to me that it is one of the reasons their ranks
have not been restored to them. Villa sources also disclosed
that Baba would have ditched Stella the way he did to Mama Iyabo
but for advice from friends to cease fire.
We shall
wait and see who the next tenant of the Glass House would be.
Oga
Obasanjo, eku idaro
