Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that his outspokenness on national and international issues led him to jail under the military junta of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha in 1995.
Obasanjo was accused of being involved in what was derided as phantom coup to topple the then military dictator, Abacha, tried by a military tribunal, found guilty and sentenced.
However, speaking during an interactive session with 15 young male and female future Africa leaders drawn from different parts of the continent at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) at the weekend, Obasanjo said going to prison was a challenge to him because he refused to keep quiet on issues that happened in the country at the time.
The elder statesman, who tasked the youth on positive leadership roles for the continent, said his prison experience was part of the challenges of life he personally had, and the journey to it started with his inability to always keep mute.
Obasanjo said: “I joined the army at the age of 42. I finished my career as a military officer, but what could I do? I was still 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 refused to keep quiet. For me, if there was 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 coming.”
He also hinted that the quest to save Nigeria from imminent disintegration made him to seek the Presidency in 1999, admitting that he had settled into agriculture after his military service at age 42 before the quest came.
And in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former President urged the budding youths under the aegis of Future Africa Leaders Foundation who came with the 10 winners of the Prestigious and Life Challenging Future Africa Leaders Awards, to bear the torch of light and leadership for a better Nigeria and African continent.
Fielding question on African debts, he lamented that the debt profiles of some countries were due to recklessness and outright corruption.
“Most of the debts cannot be explained. Some, outright corruption,” he said, citing a particular state in Nigeria where the site for a carpet industry was never cleared and the entire loan was repaid.
He commended the participants and organisers, particularly the founder of the Future Africa Leaders Foundation, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, for hosting the 2024 edition of the programme yet again.
The Star Prize winner of the 2024 edition, Julian new Ariori, from the Republic of Benin, on behalf of her co-winners thanked the former President for hosting the team, hinting that the tour of the Presidential Library opened a new vista to orientation and exposure of the visiting team.
Others include those from Libya, Morocco, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, South Sudan, Malawi, Egypt and Cameroon.
There were also others from Togo, Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda and Burkina Faso, with the Head, Media and Government Relations of the Foundation, Pastor Sylvester Ebhodaghe, as the Chaperon of the visiting team.
