It has become a yearly sacramental that during this season, friends and
\nassociates of Nigeria\u2019s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
\nconverge in the hilly town of Abeokuta, Ogun State, to mark his
\nbirthday. On this occasion, Friday, 5th March 2021, the gathering
\ncelebrates this most outstanding African and global citizen as he is
\nsupposed to turn 84 years, or admittedly, something slightly higher.<\/p>\n
Beyond mere fete and jollity, these yearly gatherings have become a
\nfestering ground for cross fertilization of ideas among some of the
\nworld\u2019s best minds on no few contemporary problematics. This year, the
\nassemblage, also virtually, by world leaders will focus on “Governmental
\nModels in a Post COVID-19 Era in Africa”. However, there will likely be
\na turning of minds inwards to focus on the man whose other names are
\nMatthew, Aremu, Okikiola. More than the past, guests both from
\nin-country and out, will again ask from where comes the rather restless
\nand ebullient deportment\u00a0 of this statesman whose life remains an open
\nbook of great achievements and no few raised eye brows.<\/p>\n
It has been the tradition in most countries that political leaders such
\nas former presidents, who would have completed their statutory limit in
\noffice, seldom continue to maintain an activist lifestyle of involvement
\nin national politics. At best, they preoccupy themselves with some
\ncharitable causes and remain on them. Even in some rare cases as in the
\nUnited States where the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill
\nClinton and Barrack Obama had to depart from what has come to appear as
\na normal of silence, the interventions were relatively measured and
\nbrief.<\/p>\n
This is a far departure from the mien of few former presidents,
\nincluding the birthday celebrant at Abeokuta whose visibility in
\nnational discourse, in social relations and even on the global scene
\nremain unquenched but, rather, continuously re-energized. Chief
\nObasanjo\u2019s active life is legion and cross cutting. He is no longer a
\nknown member of any political party in Nigeria, but his voice is active
\non most national political issues and he is a back channel brickman on
\nnational dialogue, consensus building and state building. At other
\ntimes, he adopted the rather unorthodox channel of publicly circulated
\nletters in order to be heard more audibly; a style which some disagree
\nagonizingly.<\/p>\n
Relatedly, his schedule has not been less inundated with participation
\nin the perennial stream of discussions by all and sundry on themes
\npertaining to the Nigerian economy and social development. At the
\npersonal level is his endless shuttles across the country on account of
\nhis stuffed calendar of social engagements, explainable from over 60
\nyears in level public service. No less, his global schedule appears an
\nextension of his crowded domestic activism. He maintains a record of
\nbeing counted as one of the most sought after and travelling former
\nnational leaders and is also quite vocal on the Global Agenda.
\nUndoubtedly, there is no other former Head of State of any country known
\nto belong to the number of common concerts of the world’s most venerated
\nseniors.<\/p>\n
The question therefore is why has it been impossible to fetter Chief
\nObasanjo down including muting his thoughts especially at national
\nlevel. Added to this is the curiosity as to what efforts both private
\nindividuals and institutions have deployed to keep him, as it were,
\npolitically sedated and less mobile. Not so! All manner of measures, ie,
\nfraternal, persuasive and otherwise have been resorted to. But OBJ has
\nhad an unusual capacity to wriggle out from the fetters of restrains
\nwhether by family, friends and by others who are at times less
\nfraternal.<\/p>\n
The best explanation for this old man\u2019s agitated mental and physical
\ndisposition would have best been left to psychoanalysts, the religious
\nand close family to make scientific, spiritual and emotional
\nexplanations. But since his life has been in the public domain, it could
\nbe possible to hazard a guess on some pertinent aspects, which are in no
\nway exhaustive. This is especially for some of us who had the good
\nfortune of working closely with him for years.<\/p>\n
In this delicate excursion, it would appear fitting to place the primary
\ndriving force at Chief Obasanjo\u2019s very nature as a person. Those who
\nhave known him from the earliest days (the number is fast thinning out)
\nadduce that he is simply being himself. He is believed to have been
\ntwitchy and always lively from cradle, lending credence to the debated
\nclich\u00e9 that \u201cyou can\u2019t change human nature\u201d. Although medical and
\npsychological studies suggest that individual nature may change with
\nproper guidance, but early in life only. OBJ\u2019s case is one of those that
\nis already late as such conscious reformatting did not seem to have
\nhappened timely.<\/p>\n
Another very pertinent aspect of the ‘Baba’ Obasanjo\u2019s story is his
\nrigorous lifestyle from infancy. He is stated to have started life in
\nthe village of Ibogun-Olaogu in a modest family of peasant farmers. So
\nhis life began under very strict, Spartan and austere circumstances in
\nthe family\u2019s smallholdings of cocoa and kolanut farms. This made him
\nextremely serious minded and focused on making a difference. Even more
\nthan that, his Owu sub-group of the Yoruba nationality are known as
\nancient warriors. Indeed his own direct forebears were known as fearless
\nfighters and played gallant roles especially during the days of the
\nso-called \u201cYoruba Wars\u201d (1789-1880). So, someplace in his genomics, is a
\ntruculent spirit especially against what seems normatively wrong.<\/p>\n
An added answer to Obasanjo\u2019s avid politicking is his dual-headed
\nupbringing; both into an atmosphere of Yoruba activist predilection and
\nwestern religious orthodoxy. On one side is his deep Yoruba root, which
\nsaw him rise in his folkloric and cultural valorisation. As a Yoruba
\npatriot where the ethos of character and self-assurance are engrained,
\nhe just grew through life with many other fearless and radical people
\naround. It will be safe to hazard a guess, that if not for his early
\nmilitary service and all total public life, he would have been like one
\nof many line-up of activists, especially from the Abeokuta axis. A
\nsimply flagging of such would include pioneer nationalist, Oba Samuel
\nAkinsanya, Madam Fumilayo Ransom-Kuti and her sons, (Dr Beko Ransom-Kuti
\nand Fela Anikulapo), as well as Tai Solarin, Prof Ayodele Awojobi, Chief
\nGani Fawehimi, and of course Prof Wole Soyinka, who is still much
\naround. It is not that other parts of Nigeria did not produce public
\ncampaigners, however, Obasanjo\u2019s cultural environment of the southwest
\nhad its fair share, and he is, unacceptinly one.<\/p>\n
The other aspect of Baba:s social upbringing is his strict Christian
\nfaith. His father, Amos Bankole and his mother Bernice Bankole were
\namong the first set of Christian adherents raised by the American
\nSouthern Baptist Church. As he grew up in life, the need to continuously
\ntow the path of truth and the propagation of the injuction \u201cthou shall
\nknow the truth and the truth will set you free\u201d defined his inward
\ndrive. Despite his public life, OBJ still teaches the Scriptures every
\nSunday and lately obtained a PhD in Christian Theology at the National
\nOpen University of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Last and perhaps most important is Chief Obasanjo\u2019s deep understanding
\nof a never-ending patriotic call to duty. That is to keep doing what he
\nhas been doing throughout his adult life. His lifecycle, unlike most
\nother Nigerians, has been in the burning furnace. From when he joined
\nthe army as a young cadet in 1958, there has been no breathing space for
\nhim. After his initial military training at the Regular Officers
\nTraining School, Teshie, Ghana, with no holiday in-between, he proceeded
\nto Mons Officers Cadet School in Aldershot, England. Returning to
\nNigeria in 1959, few months later, he found himself posted to the
\nwarfront in Congo on United Nations Peace Keeping duties in 1961. From
\navailable accounts, in Congo, he had a close shave with death as he was,
\nat a time, captured by mutineering soldiers against the government of
\nthen President Patrice Lumumba.<\/p>\n
Although he stole time while in further military training in the United
\nKingdom to get married in June 1963, he was interruptedly returned back
\nto Nigeria, sent back to Kaduna to be in charge of Field Engineering and
\nshortly afterwards moved to India for “Staff Course”. Many believe that
\nhis Congo experience and coming face to face with extreme poverty and
\nhunger in India while added to his global outlook which became useful
\nassets later in life.<\/p>\n
Few days after returning from India in January 1966, Obasanjo was
\nconfronted with the 15th January 1966 military coup in which his bosom
\nfriend – Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu – was one of the Chief protagonist. In
\nbetween the first coup, the second military coup and the outbreak of
\ncivil war in May\/July 1967, he found himself in the middle of many tough
\nsituations. The rest of it was his unparalleled service as the Rare
\nCommander of Second Division of the Nigerian Army and later, a Commander
\nof the \u201cThird Marine Commando\u201d during the Nigerian Civil War. Apart from
\nhis chivalry during the 30-month conflict in the Niger Delta \u2013 a major
\ntheatre of war due to the oil and gas installations. OBJ is reputed as
\nhaving received the instruments of surrender, bringing the sad
\ninternecine conflict to an end in January 1970.<\/p>\n
By 1975, OBJ found himself at the centre of leadership following his
\nappointment as Nigeria\u2019s third Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters (the
\ncocooned seat of power of its earlier military juntas). He held that
\nposition until 13th February, 1976 when his principal, General Murtala
\nMuhammad was assassinated and he became Head of State.\u00a0 It is from this
\nposition that OBJ ruled Nigeria for 4 years before peacefully handing
\nover power to a democratically elected government in 1979 and went into
\nprivate life. Twenty years later (1999), he became, himself, elected as
\nPresident under a democratic setting, a position which he held till
\n2007. The annals of his very eventful tenure as President continue to be
\nrecounted nationally and around the world. These experiences made him
\nprofoundly knowledgeable about Nigeria, more than most citizens..
\nHis entry into the army in 1958 and the 21 years of active service
\nstraightened him in the journey of typical military discipline and
\ncharacter moulding. For him and several good military officers, both old
\nand young, such virtues as integrity, patriotism and selflessness were
\nuncompromisable. Let us know, haven survived like a cat with nine lives,
\nthe intrigues, duplicity and scheming which existed in the days of coups
\nand counter coups, his inner will became toughened, and he, more daring.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, American Civil Rights activist, Dr Martin Luther King,
\nJnr once said that, “human progress is neither automatic nor
\ninevitable”. Progress is only achieved by the continuous activity in
\nvarious segments of endeavour by persons who find themselves at the
\nstage of leadership and are ready to keep the flame burning. Invariably,
\nit is tireless leaders like Dr King that helped to foster change,
\nprogress and human well-being. Quite often, such tireless leaders appear
\nto be unyielding and dogged in the pursuit of what they consider
\naltruistic. In the face of their own human imperfections, quite often,
\nsuch leaders get zealous and at certain times like tireless war horses
\nnever give up on their ideals even when the battle appears defeaning.
\nSome consider this a flaw that brings such men and women face to face
\nwith trouble, as has been the case with Baba Obasanjo.<\/p>\n
The other weakness of such leaders, because of their unstinting drive is
\nthe fact that they seldom appreciate some of the limitations which
\nothers may have nor the real peculiarities which they maybe grappling
\nwith.<\/p>\n
But head or tail, his type gets a place on the more sunny side of
\nhistory as they end up being counted as patriots without borders and
\ngreatest of men<\/p>\n
So at about 84 years, none may need bother to slow-down OBJ, but just
\nwish him more fabulous years on-the-go!!!<\/p>\n
Igali, a Career Diplomat and retired Federal Permanent Secretary, served
\nOBJ in various capacities during his tenure as President<\/p>\n
It has become a yearly sacramental that during this season, friends and associates of Nigeria\u2019s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo converge in the hilly town of Abeokuta, Ogun State, to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n