Celebrating Olusegun Obasanjo @80!
General Olusegun Obasanjo is a name that reverberates with everyone, bold old and young, in Nigeria. To say he is a legend doesn’t quite encompass the totality of the man. Though feared by some, he is loved and admired by many especially by the people he served as President/Commander-in-Chief, twice in his lifetime. Recall that 21 years ago, the late General Abacha for being part of the coup to take power from him jailed Obasanjo. Obasanjo was later released in 1998 and became a democratically elected president in 1999. He himself has proclaimed that his time in prison was well spent because he found God and preached the word to other prisoners. But God had more plans for him and in 2003; Obasanjo was re-elected in a seamlessly successful election. His government left Nigeria almost debt free, no small feat by any standard. Although there was the ‘Third Term Agenda’, which later fell through, Obasanjo did not rest his laurels after leaving power. In 2008, he was appointed by the United Nations as a special envoy for Africa and has since overseen democratic elections on behalf of the African Union and Ecowas in countries across the continent. Today, Olusegun Obasanjo is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. He is also a member of Club de Madrid, an independent nonprofit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Its members are over 100 former democratically elected Presidents and Prime Ministers from more than 60 countries. Olusegun Obasanjo has one of the biggest farms in the country. Those who are close to him say he is very jovial and the astuteness of his brain is phenomenal. He remembers every single detail and every name no matter how small or big the person is. He is also very engaging and is as comfortable in a King’s palace as he is in a classroom of kids. Such ability to connect with people of all ages and from all works of life is what makes Obasanjo so brief leavesas mention uniquefit anas a men lasting encounteras and spritely.several intriguing. impression.with decadesToday him So we Obasanjois, youngerno celebratehe matter certainlynot is howa 80 to man but of receivedand valor. level The fromof respect well-deservedfar and he wide commands accoladesshows theat he the extenthas global stage.of a tree They until say the you storm never blows. know Obasanjothe strength hasthe politicalproven not terrain,just his but great also prowesshis depth in of wisdom in dealing with the complexities of a nation like Nigeria. With his innate ability to unite everyone together regardless of class, tribe or creed and his laudable presence on both national and international platforms, Obasanjo is truly a man of great valor. I hope most men of our generation will emulate a man of such stature. A man whom, regardless of the roles he has played in and outside the political domain both national and globally, can still be so down to earth, and is known to share a good joke with all and sundry more often than not.