I read a story recently about a person who was called an idiot by a fellow member of a general WhatsApp group for responding to a question by another member of the group. Instead of attacking back as is usually the case, the attacked took the attacker’s insult in good faith and responded in the most matured way. She said, “Thanks so much. Now that you point my attention to this idiotic part of me, I’ll surely work on it. God bless you my dear…”
This unprovocative reply, coupled with the bashing of other members of the group, made the attacker see the stupidity in her action. She later called the attacked woman to apologise and they became friends.
One major lesson from the story is that your reaction to negative feedbacks on situations shows how mature you are.  Again, you have the power to win people through your maturity and composure and not through overly being sanctimonious than the person, among many other valuable lessons.
Relate this story to what is currently happening in the country particularly, the issue of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the way the matter is being handled by the president’s aides and image makers and you begin to wonder the level of maturity of these people.
Yes, Obasanjo is not a saint. He must have his own share of blame in the economic, infrastructural, structural and other challenges facing the nation today, just like all past leaders of the country. He must have made some mistakes or acted in ways that were not in the best interest of some citizens or some sections of the country both as military Head of State and a President, but that does not take away the fact that Obasanjo is a statesman well respected across the globe and whose opinion on a public discourse carries a lot of weight.  One thing you must give to the former President is his courage to speak out whenever he deems it necessary and he says it the way it is, irrespective of whose ox is gored. This is a quality lacking in many other past leaders and statesmen.
So it was expected that the presidency should have handled the January 20, 2019 letter of the former President with caution. Instead of calling him names and referring to him as “coward” and “a 90-year-old liar” as the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, did or suggesting that Obasanjo is sick and should get well soon, as contained in Shehu’s response,  the presidential spokespersons should have sought audience with the former president and explain things to him. Perhaps there might be information at their disposal which he is not privy to.
One of the moral lessons from the story I narrated earlier is that if someone calls you anything negative and you lose yourself and begin to fight or shout or do anything terrible, you only prove them right. It invariably means that by calling Obasanjo names, the presidential aides, party chieftains and other people involved in the act are further authenticating Obasanjo’s claims that Buhari’s administration does not tolerate criticism.
It will be recalled that when the former President wrote his first letter to Buhari in 2018, titled “The way out: A clarion call for coalition for Nigeria Movement” the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, handled it in the most professional and mature manner.  He wrote to Obasanjo, explaining with facts all the issues raised by the statesman. That is the way to go.
Meanwhile, what is even the big deal about the “points for concern and action” letter? There is basically no issue raised in that letter that has not been spoken of by many other Nigerian before. Is it the issue of integrity of INEC and its ability to act creditably and without bias? Or the insinuation that the security institutions, including the EFCC, Police, Code of Conduct Tribunal are being misused to fight critics and opponents?  Or the question about the Trader Moni project, prosecution of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the recent posting of Amina Zakari to the collation centre for the presidential election?  These are burning issues which had elicited diverse reactions from many notable individuals and groups including the major opposition party, the PDP.
What the President ought to do right now is to go through the letter and comments by other well meaning Nigerians and ask himself some salient questions.  Is there any truth in the allegations raised by the former president? Are there plans to use INEC and security agencies to rig the forthcoming elections in favour of the ruling party? Is Zakari’s posting to the collation center, the distribution of the N10,000,00 trader moni to only the traders in the urban areas and the ongoing prosecution of Justice Walter Onnogen all plots to ensure that President Buhari returns to Aso rock at all cost after February 16  election?
Should the sincere answers be positive, Buhari has to call those involved in the plots to order.  The last thing the nation needs now is any action that will derail our fledging democracy. Let all the political parties be given a level playing ground devoid of harassment and intimidation by security agencies. Let the electoral umpire be unbiased and impartial in the discharge of their duties then Nigerians will accept the outcome of the election. Anything short of that might throw the country into chaos and anarchy.  Let our leaders do the right thing.

Calista Ezeaku