Obasanjo@85: Five Historic Moments that Defined Nigeria’s Former President 

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo celebrated his 85th birthday on Saturday in style, marking it with a novelty march and an international symposium organised in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The first Nigerian to have served as both military head of state and democratically-elected president, Obasanjo has achieved a number of remarkable feats during his illustrious career in […]

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo celebrated his 85th birthday on Saturday in style, marking it with a novelty march and an international symposium organised in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The first Nigerian to have served as both military head of state and democratically-elected president, Obasanjo has achieved a number of remarkable feats during his illustrious career in the Army and as a civilian. Here are five of his historic milestones:

Role in Biafra war

Born in Abeokuta in 1937, Obasanjo joined the army in 1958 and received training in Nigeria and abroad. His 21-year military career included serving in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the former Zaire and commanding the 3rd Marine Commando Division during Nigeria’s 30-month Biafran civil war (1967-70).

Head of state

He became the head of state in 1976, following the assassination of his boss, General Murtala Muhammed. Prior to that role, Obasanjo was appointed Works and Housing Minister in 1975 and later became Chief of Staff to the Supreme Headquarters.

First military ruler to hand over power

He presided over the 1979 presidential election won by Alhaji Sheu Shagari. This made him to be Nigeria’s first military ruler to hand over power to a civilian government. In 1988, Obasanjo founded Africa Leadership Forum at his Ota Farm. In 1991 he jostled for the position of the UN Secretary General but lost out.

First former head of state to become President 

Obasanjo was jailed following a failed coup against for head of state, General Sani Abacha. Fortunately, he was released in 1998 after Abacha’s death and joined partisan politics. He won presidential election in 1999 to emerge the first ex-military ruler to lead a democratic government.

He won the election with 62 per cent of the valid votes cast and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won about the same majority in the two houses of the National Assembly, state houses and the state legislature. Obasanjo’s rival, Olu Falae of the combined Alliance for Democracy/All People’s Party (AD/APP), challenged the result in court claiming that the PDP had bought votes, but lost.

He was elected president for a second term in 2003 and handed over to the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua after completing his tenure in 2007. On February 16, 2015, Obasanjo quit PDP and directed a PDP ward chairman to tear his membership card during a press conference.

PhD Holder, author

In December 2017, Obasanjo defended his PhD thesis at the National Open University of Nigeria and earned a doctorate in theology. That was two years after he bagged a master’s in the same course. He has also written books, including his famous My Watch.