Olusegun Obasanjo then retired to Ota, Ogun, where he became a farmer, published four books, and took part in international initiatives to end various African conflicts.
214 Facts About Olusegun Obasanjo
2.
Openly critical of Abacha's administration, in 1995 Olusegun Obasanjo was arrested and convicted of being part of a planned coup, despite protesting his innocence.
3.
Olusegun Obasanjo withdrew Nigeria's military from Sierra Leone and privatised various public enterprises to limit his country's spiralling debt.
4.
Olusegun Obasanjo has been described as one of the great figures of the second generation of post-colonial African leaders.
5.
Olusegun Obasanjo received praise both for overseeing Nigeria's transition to representative democracy in the 1970s and for his Pan-African efforts to encourage cooperation across the continent.
6.
Matthew Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo was born in Ibogun-Olaogun, a village in southwest Nigeria.
7.
Olusegun Obasanjo's later passport gave his date of birth as 5 March 1937, although this was a later estimate, with no contemporary records surviving.
8.
Olusegun Obasanjo's father was Amos Adigun Obaluayesanjo "Obasanjo" Bankole and his mother was Bernice Ashabi Bankole.
9.
Olusegun Obasanjo was born to the Owu branch of the Yoruba people.
10.
The village church was part of a mission set up by the US Southern Baptist Church and Olusegun Obasanjo was raised Baptist.
11.
Olusegun Obasanjo's village contained Muslims and his sister later converted to Islam to marry a Muslim man.
12.
Olusegun Obasanjo's father was a farmer and until he was eleven years old, the boy was involved in agricultural labour.
13.
Olusegun Obasanjo did well academically, and at school became a keen Boy Scout.
14.
Meanwhile, Olusegun Obasanjo's father had abandoned his wife and two children.
15.
In 1956, Olusegun Obasanjo took his secondary school exams, having borrowed money to pay for the entry fees.
16.
Olusegun Obasanjo then decided to pursue a career as a civil engineer, and to access this profession, in 1958 answered an advert for officer cadet training in the Nigerian Army.
17.
Olusegun Obasanjo saw it as an opportunity to continue his education while earning a salary; he did not immediately inform his family, fearing that his parents would object.
18.
Olusegun Obasanjo was then sent to a Regular Officers' Training School at Teshie in Ghana.
19.
Olusegun Obasanjo disliked it there, believing that it was a classist and racist institution, and found it difficult adjusting to the colder, wetter English weather.
20.
In February 1961, Olusegun Obasanjo was captured by the mutineers while he was evacuating Roman Catholic missionaries from a station near Bukavu.
21.
Olusegun Obasanjo later noted that the time spent in the Congo strengthened the "Pan-African fervour" of his battalion.
22.
On his return, Olusegun Obasanjo bought his first car, and was hospitalised for a time with a stomach ulcer.
23.
That year, Olusegun Obasanjo was ordered back to Nigeria, although his wife remained in London for three more years to finish her course.
24.
Once in Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo took command of the Field Engineering Squadron based at Kaduna.
25.
Olusegun Obasanjo used his earning to purchase land, in the early 1960s obtaining property in Ibadan, Kaduna, and Lagos.
26.
Olusegun Obasanjo was appalled at the starvation that he witnessed in India although took an interest in the country's culture, something that encouraged him to read books on comparative religion.
27.
Olusegun Obasanjo flew back to Nigeria in January 1966 to find the country in the midst of a military coup led by Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna.
28.
Olusegun Obasanjo was among those warning that the situation could descend into civil war.
29.
Olusegun Obasanjo offered to serve as an intermediary between the coup plotters and the civilian government, which had transferred power to the military Commander-in-Chief Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi.
30.
The Governor of Northern Nigeria, Hassan Katsina, recognised that although Olusegun Obasanjo was not Igbo, as a southerner he was still in danger from the mutinous troops.
31.
In January 1967, Olusegun Obasanjo was posted to Lagos as the Chief Army Engineer.
32.
Olusegun Obasanjo sought to block the roads leading to the city.
33.
The Yoruba commander Victor Banjo, who was leading the Biafran attack force, tried to convince Olusegun Obasanjo to let them through, but he declined.
34.
Olusegun Obasanjo was then appointed the rear commander of Murtala Muhammed's Second Division, which was operating in the Mid-West.
35.
When Olusegun Obasanjo returned he ordered a court of inquiry into the events.
36.
Olusegun Obasanjo chose Obasanjo, despite the latter's lack of combat experience.
37.
Olusegun Obasanjo arrived at Port Harcourt to take up the new position on 16 May 1969; he was now in charge of between 35,000 and 40,000 troops.
38.
Olusegun Obasanjo spent his first six weeks repelling a Biafran attack on Aba.
39.
Olusegun Obasanjo toured every part of the front, and was wounded while doing so.
40.
Olusegun Obasanjo insisted that Biafran troops surrender their arms and that a selection of the breakaway state's leaders go to Lagos and formally surrender to Gowon.
41.
The next day, Olusegun Obasanjo spoke on regional radio, urging citizens to stay in their homes and guaranteeing their safety.
42.
Many Biafrans and foreign media sources feared that the Nigerian Army would commit widespread atrocities against the defeated population, although Olusegun Obasanjo was keen to prevent this.
43.
Olusegun Obasanjo ordered his troops in the region to remain within their barracks, maintain that the local police should take responsibility for law and order.
44.
In June 1970, Olusegun Obasanjo returned to Abeokuta, where crowds welcomed him as a returning hero.
45.
Olusegun Obasanjo was then posted to Lagos as the Brigadier commanding the Corps of Engineers.
46.
Under the military government, Olusegun Obasanjo sat on the decommissioning committee which recommended dramatic reductions of troop numbers in the Nigerian Army over the course of the 1970s.
47.
In 1974 Olusegun Obasanjo went to the UK for a course at the Royal College of Defence Studies.
48.
In 1970, Olusegun Obasanjo bought a former Lebanese company in Ibadan, employing an agent to manage it.
49.
Olusegun Obasanjo continued to invest in property; by 1974 he owned two houses in Lagos and one each in Ibadan and Abeokuta.
50.
Rumours arose that Olusegun Obasanjo engaged in the corruption that was becoming increasingly widespread in Nigeria, although no hard evidence of this ever emerged.
51.
Iliffe noted that of the triumvirate, Olusegun Obasanjo was "the work-horse and the brains" and was the most eager for a return to civilian rule.
52.
Olusegun Obasanjo did not attend Murtala's funeral in Kano, but declared that the government would finance construction of a mosque on the burial site.
53.
Olusegun Obasanjo expressed his desire to resign from government, but the Council successfully urged him to replace Murtala as head of state.
54.
Concerned about further attempts on his life, Olusegun Obasanjo moved into the Dodan Barracks, while 39 people accused of being part of Dimka's coup were executed, generating accusations that Olusegun Obasanjo's response was excessive.
55.
Aware of the danger of alienating northern Nigerians, Olusegun Obasanjo brought General Shehu Yar'Adua as his replacement and second-in-command as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters completing the military triumvirate, with Olusegun Obasanjo as head of state and General Theophilus Danjuma as Chief of Army Staff, the three went on to re-establish control over the military regime.
56.
Olusegun Obasanjo encouraged debate and consensus among the Supreme Military Council.
57.
Olusegun Obasanjo emphasised national concerns over those of the regions; he encouraged both children and adults to recite the new national pledge and the national anthem.
58.
Olusegun Obasanjo later noted that he was unaware of this at the time, with his government having no policy on population control.
59.
Olusegun Obasanjo continued with three major irrigation schemes in northern Nigeria that were first announced under Murtala: the Kano River Project, the Bakalori Scheme, and the South Chad Irrigation Project.
60.
Olusegun Obasanjo's government continued the Agricultural Development Projects launched in Funtua, Gusau, and Gombe.
61.
Olusegun Obasanjo continued the planning of the Ajaokuta integrated steel mill, an inherited project that many critics in the civil service argued was unviable.
62.
In May 1976, Olusegun Obasanjo launched Operation Feed the Nation, a project to revitalise small-scale farming and which involved students being paid to farm during the holidays.
63.
In March 1978 Olusegun Obasanjo issued the Land Use Decree which gave the state propriety rights over all land.
64.
Olusegun Obasanjo saw it as one of his government's main achievements.
65.
Olusegun Obasanjo continued the push for universal primary education in Nigeria, a policy inherited from Gowon.
66.
Olusegun Obasanjo was frustrated at the protesting student's behaviour, arguing that it reflected a turn away from traditional values such as respect for elders.
67.
Olusegun Obasanjo was eager to establish Nigeria as a prominent leader in Africa and under his tenure its influence in the continent increased.
68.
Olusegun Obasanjo revived Gowon's plan to hold the second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture in Nigeria; it took place in Lagos in February 1977, although domestic critics argued that it was too expensive.
69.
Olusegun Obasanjo gave low priority to the Economic Community of West African States and angered many of its Francophone members after insisting that, as the largest financial contributor to the organisation, Nigeria should host the organisation's headquarters in Lagos.
70.
Under Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria loosened its longstanding ties with the United Kingdom and aligned more closely with the United States.
71.
Olusegun Obasanjo was favourable to the US government of Jimmy Carter, who was elected in 1976, because of Carter's commitment to ensuring majority rule across southern Africa.
72.
Olusegun Obasanjo's government was angry that the UK refused to extradite Gowon and suspected that the British government might have been involved in the coup against Murtala.
73.
Olusegun Obasanjo nevertheless refused to visit the UK and discouraged his officials from doing so.
74.
Olusegun Obasanjo was eager to hasten the end of white minority rule in southern Africa; according to Iliffe, this became "the centrepiece of his foreign policy".
75.
In 1977, Olusegun Obasanjo barred any contractors with South African links from operating in Nigeria; the main companies that were hit were British Petroleum and Barclays Bank.
76.
Opposition to white minority rule in Rhodesia had sparked the Rhodesian Bush War and Olusegun Obasanjo's government maintained that armed struggle was the only option for overthrowing Rhodesia's government.
77.
Olusegun Obasanjo encouraged unity among the various anti-government factions there, urging Robert Mugabe, the head of ZANU, to accept the leadership of his rival, Joshua Nkomo of ZAPU.
78.
Olusegun Obasanjo backed the plan, and visited Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to urge their governments to do the same.
79.
Olusegun Obasanjo attempted to mediate a quarrel among several East African states and thus prevent the collapse of the East African Community, but failed in this attempt.
80.
Olusegun Obasanjo failed to mend the breach that had emerged between Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
81.
On behalf of the OAU, Olusegun Obasanjo held a conference at Kano to mediate the Chadian Civil War.
82.
Olusegun Obasanjo called the assembly together and warned them of the social impact of their decision, urging them to take a more conciliatory attitude.
83.
Olusegun Obasanjo was angered that many of the politicians were making promises that they could not keep.
84.
Shagari took office in October 1979; at his inauguration ceremony, Olusegun Obasanjo presented Shagari with a copy of the new constitution.
85.
Awolowo accused Olusegun Obasanjo of orchestrating Shagari's victory, something Olusegun Obasanjo strenuously denied.
86.
Olusegun Obasanjo obtained at least 230 hectares of land in Ota on which to establish his farm, there moving in to a brick farmhouse.
87.
Olusegun Obasanjo devoted particular attention to poultry farming; by the mid-1980s, his farm was hatching 140,000 chicks a week.
88.
Olusegun Obasanjo developed farms elsewhere in Yorubaland, and by 1987 he employed over 400 workers at eight locations.
89.
Olusegun Obasanjo grew critical of Shagari's civilian government, deeming the president weak and ill-prepared.
90.
In May 1983, senior military figures asked Olusegun Obasanjo to take over control in the country again, but he declined.
91.
Olusegun Obasanjo was initially supportive of Buhari's government, stating that representative democracy had failed in Nigeria.
92.
Olusegun Obasanjo praised Buhari's War Against Indiscipline, his halving of imports, and his restoration of a balanced budget.
93.
Olusegun Obasanjo was critical of some of the economic reforms that Babangida introduced, including the devaluation of the naira.
94.
Olusegun Obasanjo began to reject the economic indigenisation policies of the 1970s, arguing that the constitution should prohibit the confiscation of foreign investments.
95.
Olusegun Obasanjo became increasingly concerned by rapid population growth, a topic he had ignored while in power, urging Nigerians to have smaller families "in their own economic and national socio-economic interest".
96.
In 1980, Olusegun Obasanjo was a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Ibadan, where he wrote My Command, an account of his experiences during the civil war; it was published in November that year.
97.
Olusegun Obasanjo followed this with membership on similar panels for the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the Inter-Action Council of Former Heads of Government.
98.
When Javier Perez de Cuellar, the UN Secretary-General, fell ill, Olusegun Obasanjo was considered as a potential successor.
99.
Olusegun Obasanjo left his home on several visits; in 1986 he visited Japan, and in 1987 the US.
100.
At the recommendation of Nigeria's Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, Olusegun Obasanjo was nominated to co-chair the group alongside former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.
101.
Olusegun Obasanjo alone was permitted to meet with Mandela; he later commented that he was greatly impressed by him.
102.
Olusegun Obasanjo then met with senior ANC figures in exile in Lusaka.
103.
Botha, whom Olusegun Obasanjo later described as the most intolerant man he had ever met.
104.
Two months later, Olusegun Obasanjo led a Nigerian delegation to South Africa for talks with prominent political figures.
105.
Olusegun Obasanjo visited Angola twice during 1988, contributing to efforts to end the civil war there.
106.
Olusegun Obasanjo visited Sudan three times between 1987 and 1989, unsuccessfully encouraging negotiations to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.
107.
Olusegun Obasanjo then served as an observer at the 1994 Mozambican general election.
108.
Olusegun Obasanjo had begun calling for closer integration across Africa, proposing this could be achieved through the formation of six regional confederations.
109.
Olusegun Obasanjo voiced concern that, despite his professed claims to support a return to democracy, Babangida had no intention of stepping down as military head of state.
110.
Olusegun Obasanjo had telephoned Abacha prior to the coup, urging him not to take this course of action.
111.
Abacha then abolished the existing political parties and democratic institutions and called for politicians from various backgrounds to join his Federal Executive Council; Olusegun Obasanjo refused to nominate anyone for this council.
112.
Olusegun Obasanjo began warning that Nigeria was headed towards another civil war along ethnic divisions, and in May 1994 he and Yar'Adua launched the National Unity Promoters, a group dedicated to preventing this outcome.
113.
Olusegun Obasanjo then led a group of traditional leaders at a meeting in which they attempted to initiate a dialogue between Abacha and Abiola.
114.
Olusegun Obasanjo was upset by what he saw as punishment for not backing Yoruba sectarian interests.
115.
In March 1995, Olusegun Obasanjo was in Denmark for a UN Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen.
116.
Olusegun Obasanjo nevertheless argued that he had done nothing wrong and thus agreed to return.
117.
Olusegun Obasanjo was moved between various detention centres, while former US President Carter personally contacted Abacha requesting Olusegun Obasanjo's release.
118.
Olusegun Obasanjo was then returned to Ota, where he was placed under house arrest for two months, during which time he was denied access to media, the telephone, or visitors.
119.
Olusegun Obasanjo was then taken to the State Security Interrogation Centre at Ikoyi.
120.
Abacha insisted that Olusegun Obasanjo be tried before a military court, which took place on 19 June 1995.
121.
At the trial, Olusegun Obasanjo denied that Bello-Fadile had ever met with him.
122.
Olusegun Obasanjo spent the next four months at the Ikoyi Centre, where he was initially chained up in solitary confinement.
123.
Olusegun Obasanjo was then transferred to Lagos' main prison, Kirikiri, where he spent time in the prison hospital for his hypertension and diabetes.
124.
Conditions in Kirikiri were overcrowded and unsanitary, with Olusegun Obasanjo stating that he "would not wish it on my worst enemy".
125.
Olusegun Obasanjo was initially given only the Bible and Quran to read, but gradually allowed a wider range of literature.
126.
In early 1996, Olusegun Obasanjo was moved from Jos to the more remote prison at Yola, Adamawa State.
127.
Olusegun Obasanjo related that in prison he deepened his Christian faith and grew closer to God, becoming a born-again Christian.
128.
Olusegun Obasanjo wrote these sermons down, allowing them to be published when he was released.
129.
Olusegun Obasanjo tried to reform some of the younger prisoners, following up on their progress once he became a free man.
130.
Olusegun Obasanjo feared that he would be poisoned, particularly amid public speculation that Yar'adua's death had been caused by deliberate poisoning.
131.
Now a free man, Olusegun Obasanjo travelled to South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where he underwent medical treatment.
132.
Olusegun Obasanjo toured the country, giving speeches and seeking audiences with influential persons; courting state governors was a significant element of his approach.
133.
Olusegun Obasanjo's campaign overshadowed that of his main rival, Alex Ekwueme, who was widely mistrusted by northerners and the military.
134.
Olusegun Obasanjo received 1,658 votes, to 521 for Ekwueme, and 260 for the other five candidates.
135.
Olusegun Obasanjo moved the Defence Ministry from Lagos to Abuja, ensuring it was brought under more direct government control.
136.
Olusegun Obasanjo was re-elected in a tumultuous 2003 election that had violent ethnic and religious overtones.
137.
In November 2003, Olusegun Obasanjo was criticized for his decision to grant asylum to the deposed Liberian president, Charles Taylor.
138.
Ongoing rural violence between Muslims and Christians in Plateau State led Olusegun Obasanjo to declare a state of emergency there in May 2004, suspending the state government and installing six months of military rule.
139.
Olusegun Obasanjo was embroiled in controversy regarding his "Third Term Agenda," a plan to modify the constitution so he could serve a third, four-year term as president.
140.
Consequently, Olusegun Obasanjo stepped down after the April 2007 general election.
141.
Olusegun Obasanjo said that it was the National Assembly that included tenure elongation amongst the other clauses of the Constitution of Nigeria that were to be amended.
142.
Olusegun Obasanjo was condemned by major political players during the Third Term Agenda saga.
143.
Senator Ken Nnamani, former President of the Nigerian Senate claimed Olusegun Obasanjo informed him about the agenda shortly after he became President of the Nigerian Senate.
144.
On page 628 or page 638, she discussed Olusegun Obasanjo's meeting with Bush, how he told the former American President that he wanted to see how he could amend the Constitution so that he could go for a third term.
145.
Olusegun Obasanjo constituted both the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
146.
Olusegun Obasanjo increased the share of oil royalties and rents to the state of origin from 3 to 13 percent.
147.
When Olusegun Obasanjo took office, Nigeria's economy was in a poor state.
148.
Poverty was widespread, with Olusegun Obasanjo's government seeking to alleviate this by paying N3,500 a month to around 200,000 people to conduct routine tasks such as sweeping and mending roads.
149.
Olusegun Obasanjo invited the International Monetary Fund to review Nigeria's economy and offer advice on how to improve it; they warned that the government was overspending.
150.
In 2001, Olusegun Obasanjo declared himself "a believer in market efficiency" and related that he had seen the damage caused by "public sector mismanagement" first hand.
151.
Olusegun Obasanjo's government benefited from high international oil prices during his first presidential term.
152.
Olusegun Obasanjo was determined to abolish the petrol subsidy, increasing prices to commercial rates.
153.
The Nigerian Labour Congress called a general strike in protest for June 2000 and Olusegun Obasanjo ultimately compromised, reducing the subsidy rather than abolishing it.
154.
Olusegun Obasanjo insisted that Nigeria's debts were so large as to be unpayable and that they threatened its economy and democracy.
155.
Olusegun Obasanjo blamed many of Nigeria's economic problems on endemic corruption; in 2000, Transparency International ranked it the world's most corrupt country.
156.
Compromises were reached that watered-down Olusegun Obasanjo's proposals, allowing him to sign the new law in June 2000.
157.
Olusegun Obasanjo spent over a quarter of his first term abroad, having visited 92 countries by October 2002.
158.
In October 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo launched a South African-Nigerian Bi-National Commission to discuss cooperation between the two countries, the largest powers on Sub-Saharan Africa.
159.
Olusegun Obasanjo retained Nigeria's close ties with the US, bringing in US advisers to help train the Nigerian military.
160.
Olusegun Obasanjo had close ties with US President Bill Clinton and got on with Clinton's successor George W Bush; Bush visited Abuja in 2000, and Obasanjo visited Washington DC in 2006.
161.
On taking office, Olusegun Obasanjo had vowed to withdraw Nigerian troops from Sierra Leone.
162.
Amid turmoil in Liberia, Olusegun Obasanjo ordered Nigerian troops into the country in August 2003; they passed into a UN command two months later.
163.
Olusegun Obasanjo granted Liberia's ousted leader Charles Taylor refuge in Nigeria, although subsequently returned him to Liberia to face trial for war crimes at the request of new Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
164.
Olusegun Obasanjo was eager to avoid this, not wanting the role of sharia to become a constitutional issue.
165.
Olusegun Obasanjo later stated that the issue was the biggest challenge he ever faced as president.
166.
When Olusegun Obasanjo came to power, he was appalled that Nigeria was experiencing widespread unrest and violence, resulting in thousands of deaths.
167.
For Olusegun Obasanjo, keeping the country united became a major priority.
168.
In July 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo sent the National Assembly a bill to create a Niger Delta Development Commission to formulate and implement a plan for dealing with the region, something he hoped would quell violence there.
169.
Olusegun Obasanjo described the destruction as "avoidable" and "regrettable" and visited Odi in March 2001; he refused to condemn the army, apologise for the destruction, pay compensation or rebuild the town, although the Niger Delta Development Commission did the latter.
170.
In 2000, Olusegun Obasanjo banned the Oodua Peoples Congress, a Yoruba nationalist group involved in violence against other ethnicities, and ordered the arrest of its leaders.
171.
Olusegun Obasanjo then visited to urge reconciliation but was booed by residents.
172.
Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the army in, where they rounded up and killed as many as 250 to 300 local men.
173.
Olusegun Obasanjo visited the area in 2002 and apologised for the excessive use of force.
174.
In January 2002, Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the mobile police to break-up the Bakossi Boys, a vigilante group active primarily in Abia and Anambra states which was responsible for an estimated two thousand killings.
175.
Olusegun Obasanjo had hesitated doing so before due to the popular support that the group had accrued through fighting criminal gangs, but felt able to move against them after their popularity waned.
176.
Olusegun Obasanjo became chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, with control over nominations for governmental positions and even policy and strategy.
177.
In March 2008, Olusegun Obasanjo was "supposedly" indicted by a committee of the Nigerian parliament for awarding $2.2bn-worth of energy contracts during his eight-year rule, without due process.
178.
In May 2014, Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan requesting that he should mediate on behalf of the Nigerian government for the release of the Chibok girls held by the Boko Haram militants.
179.
Olusegun Obasanjo was later to be known as the navigator of the newly formed opposition party, the APC.
180.
Olusegun Obasanjo was appointed Special Envoy by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.
181.
Olusegun Obasanjo held separate meetings with DRC President Joseph Kabila and rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.
182.
In 2022, Olusegun Obasanjo mediated peace talks between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front under the auspices of the African Union, culminating in a ceasefire of the Tigray War on November 2,2022.
183.
Olusegun Obasanjo was committed to a form of Nigerian patriotism and the belief that Nigeria should be retained as a single nation-state, rather than being broken up along ethnic lines.
184.
Olusegun Obasanjo argued that dismantling Nigeria along ethnic lines would result in the ethnic cleansing and violence that had been seen during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.
185.
Olusegun Obasanjo thought that political competition had a destabilising effect that was particularly dangerous for a developing country such as Nigeria, and that stability should be preserved.
186.
Frustrated with what he regarded as the failures of representative democratic rule during the early 1980s, Olusegun Obasanjo began expressing support for a one-party state in Nigeria.
187.
Olusegun Obasanjo nevertheless insisted that this one-party state must facilitate general public participation in governance, respect human rights, and protect freedom of expression.
188.
Olusegun Obasanjo instead argued that there should be no limit on the number of political parties that could be formed, although suggested that if this could not occur then Nigeria should become a one-party state.
189.
Amid the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the subsequent move towards multi-party politics across Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo again became supportive of multi-party systems.
190.
Iliffe noted that as a politician, Olusegun Obasanjo displayed an "open-minded pragmatism".
191.
Iliffe thought that although Olusegun Obasanjo had been too young to play a major role in the anti-colonialist struggle for Nigerian independence from British rule, he was "marked for ever" by the "optimism and dedication" of the independence movement.
192.
In office, Olusegun Obasanjo's task was to ensure that Nigeria functioned both politically and economically.
193.
Iliffe thought that throughout his career, Olusegun Obasanjo had always displayed an "ambivalence" about the level of state involvement in the economy.
194.
Olusegun Obasanjo was contemptuous of ideological arguments about capitalism and socialism.
195.
Derfler thought that during his first term in office, Olusegun Obasanjo was a "cautious reformer".
196.
Olusegun Obasanjo married his first wife, Oluremi Akinlawon, in London in 1963; she gave birth to his first child, Iyabo, in 1967.
197.
Oluremi was unhappy that Olusegun Obasanjo maintained relationships with other women and alleged that he beat her.
198.
That decade, Olusegun Obasanjo began a common-law relationship with NTA reporter Gold Oruh who bore him two children.
199.
Olusegun Obasanjo married his second wife, Stella Abebe, in 1976, having met her on a visit to London.
200.
Olusegun Obasanjo married Stella in 1976, and she bore him three children.
201.
Olusegun Obasanjo was largely private about his relationships with these women.
202.
One of his sons, Adeboye Olusegun Obasanjo is a brigadier general in the Nigerian army.
203.
Ethnically, Olusegun Obasanjo is Yoruba, a cultural identification he reflected in his speech and choice of clothing.
204.
Olusegun Obasanjo has been characterised as having a sense of discipline and duty, and emphasised what he saw as the importance of leadership.
205.
Olusegun Obasanjo was meticulous at planning, and Iliffe called him an "instinctively cautious man".
206.
Olusegun Obasanjo always emphasised the importance of deferring to seniority, a value he had learned in childhood.
207.
Olusegun Obasanjo had, according to Iliffe, a "remarkable capacity for work".
208.
Olusegun Obasanjo was cautious with money, living modestly and seeking financial security by investing in property.
209.
Olusegun Obasanjo called the Darwinian theory of evolution a "debasing, devaluing and dehumanising" idea.
210.
Olusegun Obasanjo rejected the prosperity gospel that was taught by some Pentecostalists in Nigeria.
211.
Olusegun Obasanjo thought that there were four major achievements of Obasanjo's presidency: that he partially contained the domestic turmoil permeating Nigeria, that he kept control of the military, that he helped to form the African Union, and that he liquidated the country's external debt.
212.
Olusegun Obasanjo was repeatedly accused of corruption throughout his career, although maintained that his dealings were honest.
213.
Olusegun Obasanjo's critics believed that after his imprisonment in the 1990s, he increasingly perceived himself as a messianic figure, having lost his humility and become increasingly committed to the belief that it was his God-commanded destiny to rule Nigeria.
214.
Olusegun Obasanjo's critics believed that he had been corrupted by power and that, particularly during his second term in office, he became driven by the idea of indefinitely retaining power for himself.