The biography of former president olusegun obasanjo

The biography of president olusegun obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo was born on March 5, 1937, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. His father, Oluwole Obasanjo, was a farmer and his mother, Olufunmilayo, was a homemaker. Obasanjo's childhood was spent in the village of his birth, where he attended a local elementary school. In 1950, he was sent to live with his uncle, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in Ikenne. Awolowo was a well-known politician who later served as the first Premier of the Western Region of Nigeria. Obasanjo attended Ikenne Methodist High School, where he excelled in his studies. After graduating in 1956, he was admitted to the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) in Kaduna.

After completing his training at the NMTC, Obasanjo was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Nigerian Army. He served in the Nigerian Army for the next 29 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant general. During his time in the military, he fought in the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) and served as the military governor of the Midwest Region (1975-1976) and Lagos State (1976-1978). He also served as the Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army (1979-1981) and as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1981-1983).

In January 1984, Obasanjo retired from the Nigerian Army. In February of that same year, he was appointed as the Executive Chairman of the National Security Organization (NSO) by President Shehu Shagari. The NSO was a newly created intelligence agency tasked with combating internal security threats. Obasanjo served in this position for less than a year, as he was dismissed from office in December 1984 by the military government of General Muhammadu Buhari.

In August 1985, Obasanjo was arrested and imprisoned on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the Buhari government. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in June 1998 after serving more than 13 years.

In 1999, Obasanjo was elected as the President of Nigeria. He was re-elected to a second term in 2003. During his time as president, he worked to combat corruption