Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, Dr Christopher Kolade, yesterday, bickered over the SURE-P initiative of the Federal Government.

While Chief Obasanjo said he did not believe in the SURE-P, Dr Kolade, said he believed in it.

They spoke at the presentation of lectures delivered over the years by Dr Christopher Kolade titled ‘Kolade’s Canons’, at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Lagos.

Obasanjo, who was special guest at the book launch, lampooned the SURE-P, saying it was an initiative he did not understand.

The former president said though he did not have an inkling on what the SURE-P was all about, the chairman of the programme has given satisfactory explanation about why he took up the appointment.

Said he: “I have said it publicly and I will never stop saying it that his service as the High Commissioner to Britain at the time he agreed to be exported, made tremendous impact and helped me and my administration. I don’t know about SURE-P. People come to me but I have not sent anybody to you. I have got many people who have come to me and said ‘send me to Christopher Kolade, he is in charge of the SURE-P’. I don’t know what is SURE-P.

“When he (Kolade) was celebrating his 80th birthday, those who had misgivings about him taking up that assignment challenged him and he gave satisfactory explanation. If he does not give it, those of us who have complaints, won’t understand.

“I am a complainant about the situation in my country. If we don’t feel concerned about what is bad, you would not have brought about what is good. You have to be able to identify what is not right and complain about it and speak about it. Don’t just complain and speak, try and prescribe the alternative. You know whatsoever you do in this country, I will support you”.

Commending the former Nigerian High Commissioner to England for assisting his administration, Obasanjo described him as a gift not only to Nigeria but also to humanity.

He said: “I will never be tired of showing up on anything that concerns Christopher Kolade. Kolade said I cannot be here and not be heard and I said well, I won’t say much but I will just concur with what everybody has said. But when I told him that ‘you may not like what I would say’, then he warned me that he would speak after me.

I believe in SURE-P — Kolade

In his defence, Dr Kolade disagreed with the former president just as he expressed optimism that the SURE-P initiative was a programme he believed in.

Kolade said “The SURE-P matter is not a matter for today. If I am still in SURE-P, it means I believe in SURE-P, which means I don’t agree with the person you are quoting.

“All the lectures I have delivered all points to the direction of how we can improve our country. How can we do better with what we have, Nigeria has a lot of resources and a lot of potentials, but we don’t seem to be doing too well.

“In all my career, I noticed that I was driven by this passion to see what we can do to better the situation in our country. All the speeches and lectures I have given, have the same objectives on how we can improve.”

Roll call at the occasion

Notable personalities present at the book presentation include chairman of the Honeywell Group, Mr Oba Otudeko; former Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc, Mr Pascal Dozie, Vice Chancellor of the Pan-African University, Professor Juan Elegido; Bishop George Bako; Mr Fola Adeola, Professor Emevwo Biakolo and Owo born business magnate, Otunba Johnson Fasawe among others.

Read more: Vanguard