By Chris Ochayi
ABUJA—THREE former military Heads of State, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari yesterday threw away their political differences in Abuja, and embraced themselves at the public presentation of a book in honour of Chief Servant of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo while presenting the book, entitled, “Praxis of Political Concepts and clichés in Nigeria’s fourth Republic” to the public, described Governor Aliyu as a man that produces practical solutions to practical problems.

But Obasanjo while presenting the book, had to drag both former leaders General Buhari and General Babangida, who were initially unwilling to accept the gesture along with him to the podium to perform the duty Both Babangida and Buhari  had to shift their grounds as a result of physical pressure from dignitaries seated close to them at the event.

The book is an essay put together by 25 contributors and edited by Professor Isaac Olawale Albert in honour of the Chief Servant of Niger State.

According to Obasanjo, “here we have a man who produces relevant and practical solutions to practical problems. He is a man that practices politics with academic background and interest.

Obasanjo stressed further that, “he (Mu’azu Aliyu) is the inspirer of this book and there are some other things he will inspire and I call on others to emulate him as an inspirer.”

Commending those behind the book for creating an idea and brings it to reality and for a work well done, Obasanjo added,  “I have browsed through the book and I have found it interesting and easy to read even though it is academic in nature and style”

In his remarks, the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida poured encomium on the Chief Servant. He congratulated the Governor for combining the intellectual activities with that of politics and said that he subscribed to other speakers at the occasion.

General Babangida however, advised the editor to include clichés used during the military era in subsequent editions “because they are part of the nation’s history.”

But former Head of State, Major General Mohammadu Buhari while responding to speech delivered earlier by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro which he said that universities all over the world both in developed and developing countries are short of funds, called on the Vice Chancellor to educate him and other Nigerians on the comment.

He said, “I wonder if the countries that are swimming in dollars are starved of funds as we do in developing countries or are only the students that are in the universities that are in the problem. These are the questions I would like to get answers to subsequently.”

Buhari noted that those who had been to Saudi Arabia and those who go there now, they could not find their direction because the development is phenomenal because the money budgeted for is being used for development.

He therefore frown at why the fund that is channelled to education, healthcare, infrastructure and other sectors of the economy is not judiciously utilized and nobody is asking questions leaving us to remain as we were in the 70s.

The CPC presidential aspirant for the 2011 election however called on the Federal Government to change its attitude towards graduates whom he lamented could not mobilized to serve the mandatory National Youth service Corps months after their graduation.