Olusegun Obasanjo

@Former President of Nigeria, Facts and Facts

Olusegun Obasanjo is a former President of Nigeria who held the position from 1999 to 2007

Mar 5, 1937

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Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: March 5, 1937
  • Nationality: Nigerian
  • Famous: Former President of Nigeria, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents, Military Leaders
  • Spouses: deceased), Esther Oluremi (ex-wife), Lynda (ex-wife), Mojisola Adekunle (deceased), Stella Abebe (deceased)
  • Known as: Oluṣẹgun Mathew Okikiọla Arẹmu Ọbasanjọ, Baba Africa, OBJ
  • Universities:
    • Mons Officer Cadet School DSSC
    • India
  • Birth Place: Abeokuta, British Nigeria

Olusegun Obasanjo born at

Abeokuta, British Nigeria

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Birth Place

His first wife was Esther Oluremi who remained the ‘First Lady of Nigeria’ from February 13, 1976 to October 1, 1979. One of her son with Obasanjo, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello was a Senator of Ogun State.

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Personal Life

His second wife Lynda was killed by armed men in 1987.

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Personal Life

Mojisola Adekunle, a retired Major of the Nigerian Army remained his wife from 1991 to 1998. She also ran for Presidency in 2003 and 2007.

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Personal Life

He was born on March 5, 1937 in Ogun State and was brought up in Abeokuta in southwest Nigeria. The meaning of his first name is “The Lord is victorious”.

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Childhood & Early Life

He studied in Abeokuta at the ‘Baptist Boys’ High School’ and thereafter worked for a while as a teacher.

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Childhood & Early Life

As he could not bear college expenses, in 1958 he joined the Nigerian Army and went to Aldershot, England, to attend a six month training of the ‘Service Commission’ held at the ‘Mons Officer Cadet School’. After completion of training he was delegated in the rank of an officer in the Nigerian Army.

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Childhood & Early Life

Olusegun Obasanjo was also sent to India where he took training at the ‘Indian Army School of Engineering’ and at the ‘Defence Services Staff College, Wellington’.

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Childhood & Early Life

He remained in Kaduna to serve the ‘1 Area Command’. In July 1967 he became the commander of ‘2 Area Command’ after being promoted as Chief Army Engineer.

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Career

Thereafter he served as commander of ‘3 Marine Commando Division’ of the army and captured Owerri that efficaciously brought the end of the thirty month (during 1967 to 1970) Biafran civil war.

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Career

He supported the military coup headed by Brigadier General Murtala Ramat Mohammed on July 29, 1975, though he was not a part of it. Murtala Ramat Mohammed expelled the then head of state Yakubu Gowon and named Ọbasanjọ as his deputy in the new government.

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Career

Army Col. Dimka led a coup attempt on February 13, 1976, to assassinate Murtala, Ọbasanjọ and few other senior army men. While Murtala was killed, Obasanjo and General Theophilus Danjuma survived, thus leadership passed to Obasanjo.

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Career

Theophilus Danjuma, the chief of army staff and Ọbasanjọ set up a line of command and reset the security arrangements in Lagos.

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Career