Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advocated the election of Vice President that would take over from incumbent President, rather than conducting presidential election.
Speaking at an event to mark his 80th birthday celebration by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Abuja yesterday, Obasanjo sensationally dropped Matthew from his name.
The former President stressed that the system adopted by the NSE is one where election is held into the office of deputy president, who takes over from the incumbent president upon the expiration of his term, and is also referred to as President-elect.
He added: “The system of the NSE where the deputy president is president-elect will eliminate rancour and I wish we can bring that to politics in Nigeria.”Obasanjo also used the occasion to announce that he has dropped Matthew from his name, saying: “People ask what is in a name? For me, there is so much in a name.
“When I was born, my mother and father decided to name me Matthew. I grew up being called and addressed Matthew. What is the meaning of Matthew in The Bible? He was a tax collector.
“So, when I grew up, I dropped Matthew from my name. If anyone does not want to see my eyes red, no one should call me Matthew again.”He also charged engineers to strive for perfection, as any act of imperfection of engineers often leads to monumental loss of lives, as compare to other professionals, such as doctors and lawyers.
“Doctor’s mistake often leads to the death of one patient. Lawyer’s mistake leads to the client going to jail. But if an engineer makes a mistake that leads to the collapse of a bridge or house, many people would lose their lives.
“That is why engineers must be very careful and must be efficient not to allow mistakes to be made,” he said.Obasanjo also debunked insinuations that there were five national chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during his time as President, insisting: “There were only four. That included Chief Solomon Lar, Audu Ogbe, Barnabas Gemade and Ahmadu Ali.
1 Comment
MR OBASANJO SHOULD STOP TAKING US TO ANOTHER DARKNESS,WHAT IF THAT PATICULAR GOVERNMENT IS BAD,THE VICE PRESIDENT SHOULD BECOME PRESIDENT AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF THEIR TENURE.WHERE IS THAT PRACTICE IN THE WORLD?