Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that his imprisonment under the late military dictator, General Sani Abacha, in 1995, was a result of his refusal to remain silent on pressing national and international issues.
Obasanjo made the known during an interactive session with 15 young leaders selected from across Africa under the aegis of the Future Africa Leaders Foundation.
The Abacha regime arrested Obasanjo in 1995 owing to an alleged coup plot. However, the former president was released after Abacha’s demise in 1998.
The following year, Obasanjo became Nigeria’s president, elected under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP
The event, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, also featured winners of the Future Africa Leaders Awards.
Obasanjo recounted how he transitioned into agriculture after retiring from the military at the age of 42. He noted that his outspoken nature often landed him in trouble.
“I joined the Army, and at the age of 42, I finished my career as a military officer. But what could I do? I was still young, energetic, and dynamic. So, I took to agriculture,”Obasanjo said.
“During that time, I went into prison, and that is not what I really wanted. Going into prison is really a challenge because I refused to keep quiet. For me, if there was anything to comment on, I did, and so, I landed in prison,” he added.
Obasanjo explained that upon his release, the deteriorating state of the country prompted calls for him to step in and run for president in 1999.
“When I came out of prison, the situation was so bad in the country that some people felt the need for it to be saved, and pressure started coming,” he said.
Obasanjo also recalled how the former US leader, Jimmy Carter visited Nigeria to plead for his release during the reign of military junta leader Sani Abacha.
President Carter was one of my foreign friends who stuck their necks out to save my life and to seek my release from prison. On President Carter’s visit to Nigeria, he got Abacha to agree to take me from detention to house arrest on my farm,” Obasanjo said during the event held at the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“But that did not last for too long. Many other friends and leaders intervened, but President Carter was the only non-African leader, according to my information, that paid a visit to Abacha solely to plead for my release.”
