It has become a yearly sacramental that during this season, friends and
associates of Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
converge in the hilly town of Abeokuta, Ogun State, to mark his
birthday. On this occasion, Friday, 5th March 2021, the gathering
celebrates this most outstanding African and global citizen as he is
supposed to turn 84 years, or admittedly, something slightly higher.
Beyond mere fete and jollity, these yearly gatherings have become a
festering ground for cross fertilization of ideas among some of the
world’s best minds on no few contemporary problematics. This year, the
assemblage, also virtually, by world leaders will focus on “Governmental
Models in a Post COVID-19 Era in Africa”. However, there will likely be
a turning of minds inwards to focus on the man whose other names are
Matthew, Aremu, Okikiola. More than the past, guests both from
in-country and out, will again ask from where comes the rather restless
and ebullient deportment of this statesman whose life remains an open
book of great achievements and no few raised eye brows.
It has been the tradition in most countries that political leaders such
as former presidents, who would have completed their statutory limit in
office, seldom continue to maintain an activist lifestyle of involvement
in national politics. At best, they preoccupy themselves with some
charitable causes and remain on them. Even in some rare cases as in the
United States where the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill
Clinton and Barrack Obama had to depart from what has come to appear as
a normal of silence, the interventions were relatively measured and
brief.
This is a far departure from the mien of few former presidents,
including the birthday celebrant at Abeokuta whose visibility in
national discourse, in social relations and even on the global scene
remain unquenched but, rather, continuously re-energized. Chief
Obasanjo’s active life is legion and cross cutting. He is no longer a
known member of any political party in Nigeria, but his voice is active
on most national political issues and he is a back channel brickman on
national dialogue, consensus building and state building. At other
times, he adopted the rather unorthodox channel of publicly circulated
letters in order to be heard more audibly; a style which some disagree
agonizingly.
Relatedly, his schedule has not been less inundated with participation
in the perennial stream of discussions by all and sundry on themes
pertaining to the Nigerian economy and social development. At the
personal level is his endless shuttles across the country on account of
his stuffed calendar of social engagements, explainable from over 60
years in level public service. No less, his global schedule appears an
extension of his crowded domestic activism. He maintains a record of
being counted as one of the most sought after and travelling former
national leaders and is also quite vocal on the Global Agenda.
Undoubtedly, there is no other former Head of State of any country known
to belong to the number of common concerts of the world’s most venerated
seniors.
The question therefore is why has it been impossible to fetter Chief
Obasanjo down including muting his thoughts especially at national
level. Added to this is the curiosity as to what efforts both private
individuals and institutions have deployed to keep him, as it were,
politically sedated and less mobile. Not so! All manner of measures, ie,
fraternal, persuasive and otherwise have been resorted to. But OBJ has
had an unusual capacity to wriggle out from the fetters of restrains
whether by family, friends and by others who are at times less
fraternal.
The best explanation for this old man’s agitated mental and physical
disposition would have best been left to psychoanalysts, the religious
and close family to make scientific, spiritual and emotional
explanations. But since his life has been in the public domain, it could
be possible to hazard a guess on some pertinent aspects, which are in no
way exhaustive. This is especially for some of us who had the good
fortune of working closely with him for years.
In this delicate excursion, it would appear fitting to place the primary
driving force at Chief Obasanjo’s very nature as a person. Those who
have known him from the earliest days (the number is fast thinning out)
adduce that he is simply being himself. He is believed to have been
twitchy and always lively from cradle, lending credence to the debated
cliché that “you can’t change human nature”. Although medical and
psychological studies suggest that individual nature may change with
proper guidance, but early in life only. OBJ’s case is one of those that
is already late as such conscious reformatting did not seem to have
happened timely.
Another very pertinent aspect of the ‘Baba’ Obasanjo’s story is his
rigorous lifestyle from infancy. He is stated to have started life in
the village of Ibogun-Olaogu in a modest family of peasant farmers. So
his life began under very strict, Spartan and austere circumstances in
the family’s smallholdings of cocoa and kolanut farms. This made him
extremely serious minded and focused on making a difference. Even more
than that, his Owu sub-group of the Yoruba nationality are known as
ancient warriors. Indeed his own direct forebears were known as fearless
fighters and played gallant roles especially during the days of the
so-called “Yoruba Wars” (1789-1880). So, someplace in his genomics, is a
truculent spirit especially against what seems normatively wrong.
An added answer to Obasanjo’s avid politicking is his dual-headed
upbringing; both into an atmosphere of Yoruba activist predilection and
western religious orthodoxy. On one side is his deep Yoruba root, which
saw him rise in his folkloric and cultural valorisation. As a Yoruba
patriot where the ethos of character and self-assurance are engrained,
he just grew through life with many other fearless and radical people
around. It will be safe to hazard a guess, that if not for his early
military service and all total public life, he would have been like one
of many line-up of activists, especially from the Abeokuta axis. A
simply flagging of such would include pioneer nationalist, Oba Samuel
Akinsanya, Madam Fumilayo Ransom-Kuti and her sons, (Dr Beko Ransom-Kuti
and Fela Anikulapo), as well as Tai Solarin, Prof Ayodele Awojobi, Chief
Gani Fawehimi, and of course Prof Wole Soyinka, who is still much
around. It is not that other parts of Nigeria did not produce public
campaigners, however, Obasanjo’s cultural environment of the southwest
had its fair share, and he is, unacceptinly one.
The other aspect of Baba:s social upbringing is his strict Christian
faith. His father, Amos Bankole and his mother Bernice Bankole were
among the first set of Christian adherents raised by the American
Southern Baptist Church. As he grew up in life, the need to continuously
tow the path of truth and the propagation of the injuction “thou shall
know the truth and the truth will set you free” defined his inward
drive. Despite his public life, OBJ still teaches the Scriptures every
Sunday and lately obtained a PhD in Christian Theology at the National
Open University of Nigeria.
Last and perhaps most important is Chief Obasanjo’s deep understanding
of a never-ending patriotic call to duty. That is to keep doing what he
has been doing throughout his adult life. His lifecycle, unlike most
other Nigerians, has been in the burning furnace. From when he joined
the army as a young cadet in 1958, there has been no breathing space for
him. After his initial military training at the Regular Officers
Training School, Teshie, Ghana, with no holiday in-between, he proceeded
to Mons Officers Cadet School in Aldershot, England. Returning to
Nigeria in 1959, few months later, he found himself posted to the
warfront in Congo on United Nations Peace Keeping duties in 1961. From
available accounts, in Congo, he had a close shave with death as he was,
at a time, captured by mutineering soldiers against the government of
then President Patrice Lumumba.
Although he stole time while in further military training in the United
Kingdom to get married in June 1963, he was interruptedly returned back
to Nigeria, sent back to Kaduna to be in charge of Field Engineering and
shortly afterwards moved to India for “Staff Course”. Many believe that
his Congo experience and coming face to face with extreme poverty and
hunger in India while added to his global outlook which became useful
assets later in life.
Few days after returning from India in January 1966, Obasanjo was
confronted with the 15th January 1966 military coup in which his bosom
friend – Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu – was one of the Chief protagonist. In
between the first coup, the second military coup and the outbreak of
civil war in May/July 1967, he found himself in the middle of many tough
situations. The rest of it was his unparalleled service as the Rare
Commander of Second Division of the Nigerian Army and later, a Commander
of the “Third Marine Commando” during the Nigerian Civil War. Apart from
his chivalry during the 30-month conflict in the Niger Delta – a major
theatre of war due to the oil and gas installations. OBJ is reputed as
having received the instruments of surrender, bringing the sad
internecine conflict to an end in January 1970.
By 1975, OBJ found himself at the centre of leadership following his
appointment as Nigeria’s third Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters (the
cocooned seat of power of its earlier military juntas). He held that
position until 13th February, 1976 when his principal, General Murtala
Muhammad was assassinated and he became Head of State. It is from this
position that OBJ ruled Nigeria for 4 years before peacefully handing
over power to a democratically elected government in 1979 and went into
private life. Twenty years later (1999), he became, himself, elected as
President under a democratic setting, a position which he held till
2007. The annals of his very eventful tenure as President continue to be
recounted nationally and around the world. These experiences made him
profoundly knowledgeable about Nigeria, more than most citizens..
His entry into the army in 1958 and the 21 years of active service
straightened him in the journey of typical military discipline and
character moulding. For him and several good military officers, both old
and young, such virtues as integrity, patriotism and selflessness were
uncompromisable. Let us know, haven survived like a cat with nine lives,
the intrigues, duplicity and scheming which existed in the days of coups
and counter coups, his inner will became toughened, and he, more daring.
In conclusion, American Civil Rights activist, Dr Martin Luther King,
Jnr once said that, “human progress is neither automatic nor
inevitable”. Progress is only achieved by the continuous activity in
various segments of endeavour by persons who find themselves at the
stage of leadership and are ready to keep the flame burning. Invariably,
it is tireless leaders like Dr King that helped to foster change,
progress and human well-being. Quite often, such tireless leaders appear
to be unyielding and dogged in the pursuit of what they consider
altruistic. In the face of their own human imperfections, quite often,
such leaders get zealous and at certain times like tireless war horses
never give up on their ideals even when the battle appears defeaning.
Some consider this a flaw that brings such men and women face to face
with trouble, as has been the case with Baba Obasanjo.
The other weakness of such leaders, because of their unstinting drive is
the fact that they seldom appreciate some of the limitations which
others may have nor the real peculiarities which they maybe grappling
with.
But head or tail, his type gets a place on the more sunny side of
history as they end up being counted as patriots without borders and
greatest of men
So at about 84 years, none may need bother to slow-down OBJ, but just
wish him more fabulous years on-the-go!!!
Igali, a Career Diplomat and retired Federal Permanent Secretary, served
OBJ in various capacities during his tenure as President