Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed how, in 1995, he was imprisoned by the military government of the late Head of State, Gen. Sanni Abacha, as a result of his vocal opinions on both domestic and foreign issues.
At his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo revealed this during a conversation with fifteen young men and women who would go on to become future African leaders.
Together with the 10 winners of the prestigious and life-challenging Future Africa Leaders Awards, the young leaders, who were selected from across the continent, participated in the mentorship program run by the Future Africa Leaders Foundation.
The former president recalled his time in prison, which he ascribed to his reluctance to remain silence on important topics, according to a statement made by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi.
“I joined the Army and ended my career as a military officer at the age of 42, but what could I do?” said Obasanjo. I was still youthful, active, and full of life. I then turned to agriculture, which is not what I truly wanted, and I ended up going to prison during that period.
It’s incredibly difficult to go to prison because I wouldn’t keep quiet. The fact that I ended myself in prison is a difficulty because, if there is anything I can say, I did say it. Additionally, when I was released from prison, the nation was in such dire straits that some people felt compelled to be saved, and pressure began to mount.”
Speaking about his motivation for running for president in 1999, Obasanjo emphasized his wish to save Nigeria from falling apart.
In response to the question of African debt, Obasanjo bemoaned the careless debt accumulation of many African nations, seeing it as the consequence of corruption. The majority of the debts are inexplicable, he said. Some result from blatant corruption.
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