Iyabo Obasanjo, Kalu Otisi: Where are they now?

Since they left public service, nothing has been heard about them again. ELEOJO IDACHABA in this piece seeks to know where they could be now.

Iyabo Obasanjo

Mrs. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo; she was active in politics and rose to become a senator to represent Ogun Central from 2007 to 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Every attempt to return to the upper chamber in 2011 failed as she was defeated by Gbenga Obadara. Before then, she was involved one way or the other in the administration of her state, Ogun, under the administration of Gbenga Daniel, where she was the commissioner for health. While in the Senate, she was the chairman of Senate’s health committee and member of the committees on security and intelligence, land transport, science and technology, education, national planning and inter-parliamentary. Many Nigerians can still recall that in April 2003, precisely on the day of the general elections that brought her into the Senate, her car was shot at. Luckily, she was not in the car but three adults and two children who were in the car that day died, unfortunately till date, no news about the where-about of the perpetuators. Many say, like her father, she is controversial.

For instance, in 2008, she came under the scrutiny of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for her role in the unremitted budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Health she supervises in the Senate. While others refunded the amount they allegedly shared among themselves and two former ministers were shown the way out of the cabinet, Iyabo refused to return hers claiming that the nine-members committee she chairs lobbied the funds from the ministry. She also maintained that the money was spent on a conference on capacity-building some members of the committee attended in Ghana. The matter got to a head one day when she escaped from her residence in Abuja by jumping over her fence on hearing that officials of the EFCC were at the entrance of her gate. In 2009, the case was thrown out of the High Court for lack of merit. She, however, described the allegation as “sheer blackmail,” saying all that was because she was the daughter of the former president whom the sitting administration was not comfortable with. Since then, it’s not clear where she had been except for some controversial letters she was alleged to have written to her father about six years ago.

Mustapha Bello

Mustapha Bello is the former minister of commerce under former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2002, before he was dropped in a cabinet reshuffle. He was later appointed under the same administration as executive secretary of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) in 2003, where he served for two terms, the second of which was renewed by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009. A one-time member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mustapha joined the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in 2002, shortly after he left the cabinet in order to run for the 2003 governor in his state, Niger, but lost to Abdukadir Kure, the incumbent. Before then, he had a running battle with Kure on policy grounds for which Kure allegedly accused him of masterminding an assassination plot against him after the convoy of the governor was involved in an accident. Bello as commerce minister once complained about the poor telecommunications services by the providers and called on them to improve while also working to reduce their tariff in line with what operates in other countries. Under him as the NIPC executive secretary, what is today known as the robust business relation between Nigeria and China started.

For instance, in 2005, it was recorded that trade between Nigeria and Peoples Republic of China exceeded $2.8 billion thereby making Nigeria China’s  second largest trading partner. All these happened because the tempo of doing business in Nigeria became easier for foreign partners through the ONE-STOP-SHOP opened in the headquarters of the council from which it was easy to identify possible areas of business opportunities in the country. Also under him, officials from Islamic Development Bank (IDB) visited Nigeria to discuss banking business which today led to the establishment of Islamic Bank of interest-free rating in the country. Today, the bank is a toast to many industrialists just as the World Bank and IMF are to many countries. In 2015, he left the PDP through a letter he wrote to the ward chairman of his Kontagora local government area without stating where he was going to, stressing that it was purely for personal reason. He said, “I write to place you on notice that I am relinquishing my party membership of PDP with immediate effect on purely personal reasons. I thank you for the opportunity to associate with you over the last 16 years.” Since then, no one has heard anything about him again.

Kalu Otisi

Whenever the name Kalu Otisi is mentioned, what reminds one about him is that he was a broadcaster with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) for many years where he was a delight to viewers in many homes as he read the network news @ nine. With a voice that reverberated through the tube in an alluring manner, one could not but tune in to the end whenever he was on. That was Kalu Otisi on the screen. However, for a long while after he took a break from the tube, he became the spokesperson of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), an agency of the government charged with the responsibility of training Nigerians in the oil and gas sector, as head, press and external relations unit. He carried on this assignment with a sense of vigour until he was replaced in 2016. Since then, his whereabouts has not been known. He was noted for his knack for details and excellence as he has no patience for shoddy jobs. This was one major area he had problems with some contractors who bided for jobs in PTDF. He was, however, pleased whenever due diligence was carried out on any proposal to his office. His wife, Olamma, a chaplain who has spent the bulk of her life with him, said, “Kalu Otisi is my husband. He is ever so supportive and encouraging. He is willing to do anything that would empower and free me to be all I can be and fulfill God’s plan for us. He supported me to go to the Bible College where some other men do not see any sense in it. He is the best life partner ever.” But where is he now?

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