First off, it is still unclear whether or not
you wrote that letter to your dad – ex-
President Olusegun Obansanjo – circulating
in the media. Your failure to come forward
(through a neutral source) to affirm or
refute the letter and its contents have
forced many to believe that you indeed
penned that piece.
Personally, I've read the letter, and just
can't hide my disappointment. I'm
particularly disappointed because everyone
that has read it, and will ever read it must
have had issues with their own dads at
some point in their lives. Some even have
more disastrous relationships with their
fathers or parents. Some don't even know
their parents and earnestly pray to have
somebody to call father, no matter how
irresponsible he may be. I don't know if you
have ever been to the orphanages. Please
do…You will understand.
To tell you the truth, throwing mud at your
father's white garment in the village square
is the least effective way of redressing
such complex family squabbles. What you
have done is sacrilegious...
It shows bad upbringing and want of
character. It puts a big question mark on
the academic background and intellectual
quality of the author. By all known cultural,
social and global standards, your open
letter and its contents are very
inappropriate.
I'm sure you are a mother, a busy mother
for that matter. You have been a senator,
commissioner, business woman et al. That
shows how busy you must have been. That
also shows you can't boast of having been
a 100% effective mum to your kids. There
must have been times your professional
work or political schedules clashed with
your wifely/motherly routine. And as such, it
will be wrong to claim that you have been
there for your children and family
EVERYTIME they needed you. But that
doesn't make you a bad mum. That doesn't
mean you have failed or neglected your
motherly roles. That doesn't also mean you
love your family any less.
I'm sure you worked hard and made all
these sacrifices for the sake of your
children; your family. How would you feel if
they turn around and throw mud at you, like
you are doing to your father? How would
you react to a mail in the media tomorrow
authored by your own son, accusing you of
neglect, or prioritizing your political pursuits
far above your motherly obligations? Would
you rather rejoice? The same people you
toiled for?
I won't bother to go into the contents of
your mail, simply because its purely a
private family affair, which ought not to be
in the public domain in the first place. But
please be reminded that your political
progress and achievements so far were
enabled and powered by your surname –
OBASANJO! The plethora of lawsuits and
trials you escaped during the Senate Health
Committee scandals are thankfully
attributable to your last name. You literally
walked away from legal prosecution, and a
highly-probable conviction. It wasn't magic.
So, the freedom you enjoy today, is just on
borrowed time. It shouldn't be.
Let me conclude by advising that family
disputes should never be used to settle
political scores and mundane differences.
Its wrong! It is not the duty of a daughter
to win more enemies for his father. In fact,
it is a TABOO. Many of your father's real and
imagined enemies must have been amused
by your letter. But in their minds, they
tremble at the mere thought of having a
child like you. They would wish to be
childless than to have a child that would
bring them nothing but disgrace. Nobody
wants that. And you too!
Let political scores be settled politically. But
don't allow yourself to be used as a willing
smear tool in the hands of forces against
your own father. This is wrong!!! You have
elders, uncles, brothers, sisters, and a host
of relatives to complain to. There are
traditional and cultural institutions for
redressing such family grievances. Use
them!
Please remember that even the people you
write and complain to, may have worse
family problems. Look at all the great men in
history: Prince of Wales, Nelson Mandela, Bill
Clinton, MKO Abiola, Fela Anikulapo Kuti …
name them…they all had family problems…
You are not the first, and won't be the last.
Please my dear sister, don't invite curses
upon your innocent head.
And finally, of all the commandments in the
Bible, there is only one with a promise:
Honour thy father and thy mother, so that
thy days may be long. So says the holy
scripture. She who hath ears, let her hear.
May God help you to do the right thing…
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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