Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former president and a pan-Africanist extraordinaire, turned 85 on March 5. Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military head of state between 1976 and 1979, and two-time democratically elected president, from 1999 to 2007.
“OBJ”, as he is widely called, is probably the most globally known and celebrated Nigerian leader. One probable reason is his political credentials as military and civilian head of state. He also led Africa’s biggest country longer than any other person.
His initiatives and policies as a Nigerian leader are another reason. In 1976, he introduced Operation Feed the Nation, a social revolution aimed at changing the fortunes of the people through farming. To increase production and exports, his administration also created the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in 1977. This initially recorded some successes but is currently unable to make refined fuel available for local consumption and export.
Obasanjo returned Nigeria to democratic rule in 1979, the country’s first successful transition from military to civilian rule. After 19 years of social and political upheavals, including bloody coups, a civil war, an economic crisis, and a corruption epidemic occasioned by an oil boom, Obasanjo handed over power to civilian successors.
He also set up a constitutional conference culminating in the 1979 constitution. Thus, he helped create a path toward multiparty democracy.
Becoming president in 1999, Obasanjo introduced an anti-corruption regime with three agencies: the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligent Unit.
The agencies’ dragnets caught some big fish, projecting the administration as the first of its kind in Nigerian politics.
Obasanjo’s vision for Africa brought back memories of the radical pan-Africanism of the 1960s. For example, British Petroleum was nationalised in 1979 as a sanction against the UK for supporting apartheid. His administration granted asylum to leaders and financed the anti-apartheid movement. It also supported liberation movements in Angola and other countries.
In 1988, Obasanjo established the African Leadership Forum. This brought thought leaders to Nigeria from across the world to discuss issues relating to black people and the African continent. He also travelled widely to meet world leaders and chart new paths for the continent. These meetings became the thinking hub for African regeneration. Some of the outcomes included some continental bodies and initiatives.
Obasanjo joined others to form the New Partnership for Africa’s Development in 2001. The partnership introduced the African Peer Review Mechanism, an initiative intended to commit leaders to good governance. He was also there when the African Union succeeded the Organisation of African Unity in 2002.
Obasanjo was appointed the AU’s high representative for the Horn of Africa last year. His task is to work towards achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.
His experience in peacemaking, his personality, and his leadership qualities make him the right person for the job.
Obasanjo’s legacies are better appreciated when viewed against his humble background. He was born into a poor family in Ibogun-Olaogun, a farming settlement in Owu-Egba, south-west Nigeria. In 1958 he joined the Nigerian Army, where he specialised in engineering. He had military training in the Congo, UK, and India.
Some see Obasanjo as a great Nigerian; others as an African hero like Nelson Mandela, or an influential thinker. Some believe he is just a self-serving tyrant.
No matter how others see him, Obasanjo may just pass for another local but influential village farmer who was fortunate to lead his country and Africa in many diverse ways.
- Folarin is a professor of international relations and visiting scholar, at Texas State University. This article first appeared on The Conversation.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter@sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
