Nairobi — African heads of state, even those who can only claim modest hiccups en-route to the top are often too full of themselves. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's recently overflowed.

Mr Obasanjo's spill-over became evident when he offered Liberia's President Charles Taylor political asylum. Mr Obasanjo explained that as long as God grants Mr Taylor a long life and the Liberian keeps his trigger-happy fingers off Liberia's politics, he can live in Nigeria.

It's not clear under what law Mr Obasanjo made the offer. In any case, it's not clear how Mr Obasanjo, a mortal, can guarantee Nigeria's future leaders will allow Mr Taylor a trouble-free-till-death sojourn.

As religious people say, God works in mysterious ways. He might, in return for potential repentance, grant Mr Taylor a long life. The Almighty is entitled to his wisdom. If only he would throw the man into the Hades!

Mr Obasanjo's decision to offer Mr Taylor asylum didn't go down well in some quarters. According to media reports, the Nigeria Union of Journalists has asked a Lagos lawyer to file a case against Mr Obasanjo's decision at the Federal High Court.

Nigerians have always considered themselves champions of the African cause. Well, they have a new rival, South Africa, courtesy of former President Nelson Mandela. But Nigeria remains undoubtedly the Big Boy in West Africa. Indeed for the second time in less than five years, Nigeria is ready to send troops to help restore order in Liberia.

Mr Smart Adeyemi, president of the journalists' union says the union has nothing against Mr Obasanjo's policies of helping regional governments, but Mr Taylor, to quote Mr Adeyemi, "is not a leader any Nigerian will be proud" to see enjoying political asylum in the country.

Of course, the union holds grudges against Mr Taylor. When he was shooting his way to the Executive Mansion in Monrovia, his troops killed two Nigerian journalists who were covering the war.

A recap of Taylor's journey to the presidency is in order. He faithfully served former President Samuel Doe. It was only Mr Taylor's dipping fingers into Mr Doe's kitty that brought a fall-out between the two.

Taylor isn't a forgiving man. When he launched his offensive against Mr Doe, his aim wasn't to democratise Liberia. It was to turn Mr Doe into history. Unfortunately for Mr Taylor, his comrade-in-arms, Prince Johnson, got Mr Doe first.

Incidentally, Mr Johnson was video-taped sipping beer while he urged his thugs tortured Mr Doe. Mr Johnson lives in Mr Obasanjo's backyard. Yet the president wants additional Liberian notoriety.

Mr Obasanjo's asylum offer is an affront to the United Nations. In fact it can, if generously at all, be described as being in bad taste describable only in unprintable adjectives.

Mr Taylor has been indicted by the UN-backed war crimes court in neighbouring Sierra Leone on charges he armed and trained that country's rebels in exchange for diamonds.

Sierra Leone's 10-year war equalled Mr Taylor's river of blood to Monrovia. Liberia remains under a 2001-UN arms sanctions because of Mr Taylor's role in Sierra Leone's war.

Twelve years ago, there was a large gathering of Africans and their "development partners" in Kampala, Uganda. Also present were sitting and former presidents. Obasanjo was among the latter. Memories fade fast.

In his keynote address, Mr Obasanjo bemoaned "absolute immunity" African governments and leaders confer on themselves to commit genocide and other "monumental crimes".

Mr Obasanjo told the sitting heads of state that those who were no longer at State House had something to say, privately. But he was honest enough to say those still in office were doing some things those out wished they had never thought of.

Mr Obasanjo urged Africans to set the continent on an "unmistakable trajectory".

This was not only to achieve basic needs and progress, he said, but in the process to restore dignity and honour. He was evasive on how dignity and honour sneaked out in the first place.

On Taylor, West African leaders disgraced themselves astoundingly on July 4 when UN marshals turned up in Accra, with a warrant to haul Mr Taylor to jail in Freetown, Sierra Leone. They didn't allow Mr Taylor's arrest. Later, Ghana provided His Excellency with a plane home and continued misrule.

If Mr Obasanjo craves for a dint of honour and dignity restoration, he should have lured Mr Taylor to a palm-wine drinking party. Commandoes would then whisk the suspect to where he belongs.

Granting Taylor political asylum amounts to giving a golden parachute to a hijacker who is cornered by air marshals.

Mr Mbitiru, a freelance journalist, is a former 'Sunday Nation' Managing editor