When Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Turned Prayer Warrior in Banana Island…
Loathe or love him, former President Olusegun Obasanjo remains an enigma. Beyond his chequered military background, his tough-talking, brash, confrontational ways, there is a prayerful, God-fearing side that not many know about. A devout Baptist who once said his only mission after being freed from prison in 1997 was just to spread the gospel and concentrate on his farms. Fate, however, rewrote the script of his life by thrusting him to the presidency. But that ecclesiastical part of him remains very much alive. And he has even authored a number of Christian books. Some select Nigerians experienced this part of him last weekend when his younger cousin, Princess Abiodun Omotade, threw open the doors of her Banana Island home to celebrate her 55th birthday. When Baba was told to pray, he started off typically by cracking jokes in his guttural voice before launching into a robust praying session that lasted minutes leaving many in awe of his mastery of the bible. The guests forgot that just last January, Baba bagged a master’s degree in Christian Theology from the National Open University of Nigeria. And he has said he is not done yet as a PhD in the same discipline is within sight. A veteran socialite, the celebrant is the widow of Deji Omotade, ex-permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Industries and Federal Capital Territory who died in the ill-fated Bellview Air crash of October 2005. In her early 40s when she lost her husband, the Abeokuta, Ogun State princess was down but not out. She knew she could not mourn for too long as her husband’s estate and businesses needed her physical supervision. Connected and enterprising, Princess Omotade has always been a regular face in the corridors of power, an access she utilised optimally o grow her businesses which span oil and gas, manufacturing and banking. Though a private affair, the 55th birthday party was very well attended. Even Baba did not leave without dancing with a couple of the more than eager guests.