Remi Obasanjo: Hell Hath No Fury...

Comfort Obi

I don’t know if you have, in the past few weeks, been reading Mrs Remi Obasanjo. By way of introduction, she is President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first wife. I use is reservedly because the marriage between the two had since broken down. Meaning that she is, indeed, Obasanjo’s ex-wife. But no matter.Nigerian women have a thing about husbands. You only need to listen to their cultural songs to appreciate how important it is to them to be married to a man, no matter how irresponsible the man may be. They stay put in loveless marriages. They stay in marriages that have become suicidal. They want to answer "Mrs" by all means. They go through all sorts of things to get married. Some seek, and get husbands through diabolical means. When their husbands humiliate them and flaunt other women before them, they stay on, "because of the children," presumably. Even when their husbands throw them out and move on, they refuse to revert to their maiden names. As if they are ashamed of their fathers' names. They dabble into the affairs of their ex-es. They act miserable, and generally give the impression that their hearts are still with their ex-husbands. And,it doesn’t matter how comfortable they are. It doesn’t matter that they no longer need such men, or their names, to get on in life. And it doesn’t matter how responsible their children are in the society. I guess this is the problem with Remi Obasanjo.Everybody knows that Remi and President Obasanjo have not lived together for over 25 years; that Obasanjo had since married some other women, the most loved – and I guess, the most favoured – being the late First Lady, Stella Obasanjo.Until Remi Obasanjo started granting interviews to the media, I had a lot of respect for her. I felt she was carrying herself with dignity. And, although she is no longer married to President Obasanjo, I placed her above all the other Obasanjo women, including even Stella. I felt she was the one who married the man when he was a nobody. She gave birth to his eldest children who have all become successful in life. Remi ought to be proud of herself. She ought to thank God that inspite of whatever happened between her and Obasanjo she is well, alive, and comfortable. Her children have turned out right. Among others, she is the mother of two medical doctors – one a state commissioner, the other a successful businessman, and the most known of the Obasanjo boys.But suddenly, Remi Obasanjo has become talkative. She is now granting interviews, discussing her family and President Obasanjo’s love life. She is sounding frustrated, like a woman who still aches for her former man. And if you’ll excuse me, she is sounding like a childish school girl. In sum, she is a poster for the saying: "Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned."Remi Obasanjo first spoke when City People carried a story about Chief Onalapo Soleye, former Finance Minister under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, and until recently, it is alleged, a confidant of the President. City People mentioned that Soleye was one of those who tried to make peace between Obasanjo and Remi. That struck her like thunder. So, she sent for City People to correct that impression. In doing that, she presented President Obasanjo as an irresponsible father and a leader without his own mind. She said Soleye had been feeding on Obasanjo. She hinted that Soleye is one of those pushing Obasanjo to elongate his stay in office for selfish reasons. Obviously, she is very angry with Soleye. If, as she claimed, Soleye is responsible for her failed marriage then, she certainly is justified in her anger. But if your man really wants you, nobody can come between you – not even family. But here, Remi says Soleye, a friend, broke her marriage. And she didn’t stop at that.She told the world that President Obasanjo was such an irresponsible father that he not only refused to be responsible for his children’s education but at a point, barred them from Otta. So, you ask: Why is Remi Obasanjo saying these things now? Are the children complaining? Are they not the ones with their father now? Yes, they have done well, but I dare say, for now, they are where they are because of their father, the President. And Remi cannot complain. Aside from being successful in her own right, the children must be taking adequate care of her.Penultimate week, Remi crossed the borderline in another interview with the Saturday Punch. She chided the women who she said are running after the President. So, you wonder what her headache is since the man is no longer her husband. She revealed that Obasanjo "chased" her no end in the good old days. What is new there? Then, she descended to the ridiculous? She said Obasanjo was washing her dirty pants for her in London and was cooking for her when she was ill. "He will not do that for another woman," she gushed.
And you ask again: What is new there? Many husbands wash their wive’s underwears and cook for them sometimes, not just when they are ill. As for the President not doing those for any other woman, the ex-Mrs Obasanjo may have to cross-check her facts. I guess Stella enjoyed all that and more, including being wedded at old age.Here is an unsolicited advice to Remi Obasanjo: Resist the temptation of reducing the President of Nigeria to one who washed your under-garments. Those are really private matters. Revealing them to the public reduces you in the eyes of the same public. Honest.