Obasanjo Reveals Event Behind Bagging Jail Term Under Abacha Regime

• My inability to keep mum led to my imprisonment – Obasanjo
• I contested as president in 1999 to prevent Nigeria from disintegrating – Obasanjo
• I joined the army at age 42

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently revealed that his vocal nature on both national and international issues led to his imprisonment during the late General Sanni Abacha’s military regime in 1995.

Eko Hot Blog reports that he shared that his decision to run for presidency in 1999 was motivated by a desire to prevent Nigeria’s potential disintegration.

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At an interactive session with 15 young African leaders at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Obasanjo discussed his life experiences and encouraged the youth to take on positive leadership roles for the betterment of the continent.

In a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo framed his prison experience as one of many personal challenges he has faced, attributing it in part to his outspokenness.

He also emphasized that he had transitioned into agriculture after completing his military service at the age of 42, before ultimately entering the political arena.

According to him: “I joined the Army and at the age of 42, I finished my career as a military officer, but, what could I do? I was still young, energetic, and dynamic, but I was still young.

So, I took to agriculture and during that time, I went into prison and that is not what I really wanted.

“Going into prison is really a challenge because I refuse to keep quiet. For me, if there is anything to comment on, I did comment on them, and so, I landed in prison, and that is a challenge.

And, when I came out from prison the situation was bad in the country that some people felt the need to be saved and pressure started started coming.”

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Obasanjo also responded to a question on the African debts, lamenting that some of the debts by some countries in the continent were reckless and outright corruption.

“Most of the debts cannot be explained. Some outright corruption”, he disclosed, citing a particular state in Nigeria where the site for a carpet industry was never cleared and the entire loan was repaid.

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