By S.J. Timothy-Asobele

Dear OBJ. As you celebrate your 80th birthday on Sunday,  I join thousands of your well-wishers all over the globe to say thank God for you have reached the age of God’s own people – the Ebora of Owu. Looking back, there is a lot to thank God. As Wole Soyinka stated, one of your achievements as Head of State was the speed with which you acquiesced to their request to form a Union of Writers of African Peoples. He added that you supported the creation of the scientific arm of the Union called, Union of Black and African Researchers. The President of the Association was late Prof. C heck Anta Diop. Soyinka opined that OBJ responded positively and even allocated money through Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) to enable the Union to try and coopt the researchers, scientists not just of the African continent, but of the black world. Soyinka visited Columbia to seek some of the black world scientists and some went to the West Indies.

Through that Institute, we were able to commence the beginning of the gathering of black minds all over the world and try to direct their attention and their intellectual energies towards the productive scientific direction which the African continent could take. While at the University of Paris in late 1970s, Obasanjo even proposed the creation of the Black bomb. Soyinka lambasted the Sergeant Doe, Bokassa, Idi Amin and Sani Abacha of Africa. He ended his treatise on free OBJ by writing: Any situation which permits a former Head of State, somebody who very nearly became an international Civil Servant – he was considered for the post of Secretary – General of the United Nations, somebody who broke the Robben Island barrier to set in motion the final moves towards the dismantlement of Apartheid; any situation which makes it possible for the world to accept the continuing incarceration of such a man, after a secret trial on trumped up charges; any situation which permits the world to rest with an easy conscience – is the most anomalous and very parlous condition of the world.

The greatest contribution Obasanjo made to the intellectual development and growth of his fatherland was his suggestion at the inception of his second coming that History must be re-introduced to the curriculum of Nigerian educational system at all levels: Primary; Secondary and Tertiary Levels.  We are happy that Civic Education has also been made part of our children’s lifelong training. This is train up a child in the way he should go for in old age he will not depart from it. This is the main reason why I have catalogued below the achievements of General Olusegun Obasanjo during his military career as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1976-1979.

The 1975-79 military regimes of the triumvirate, Murtala Muhammed, Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma had a very patriotic vision for Nigeria. But Nigerians were jolted to the realization that these three patriotic young military men wanted to re-structure the Nigerian society, by laying the foundation for a stable political system. They also wanted to provide a sense of direction to the moribund, tottering polity.

We shall tabulate and itemize the glorious golden age of positive change during military stint in the affairs of Nigeria from 1975-79. These include freedom of the press, war against corruption, buy made in Nigeria dresses, low profile, use of inexpensive locally assemble cars, end to hoarding, profiteering, war against indiscipline, confiscating of illegally-acquired wealth, prosecution and sack of corrupt public officers and creation of Bureau of Public complaints,   The nation’s road network was increased from 4,800 kilometres in 1975 to 14,500 kilometres in 1979.  The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos was built. New airports were established in Sokoto, Kaduna, Ibadan and Yola while new terminal buildings were built in Jos and Port Harcourt airports. Radar facilities were installed in Kano, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Kaduna airports. Nigeria Airports Authority was set up and also the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company.

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The Universal free Primary Education Scheme (UPE) came on board and 156 Teachers’ Training Colleges were taken over by the Federal Government and 74 Colleges were built. New classrooms were built and by 1979 tuition fees were abolished in all Nigerian Secondary Schools.  Similarly, the Federal Court of Appeal was created with divisions in Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, Ibadan, Benin and Jos.  The government also introduced the Legal Aid Scheme. Under them, Africa became the centre-piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy.  Obasanjo returned in 1999 as the second beneficiary of the Nigerian presidential system. He introduced the GSM revolution in 2001, during which time cell phones were made available to all and sundry. Even market women, fish sellers own one.  Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has continued to play significant and urgent role in Nigeria and across Africa even after his exit from political office. A believer in the emancipation of the African ideas from an unequal global structure, Obasanjo is pivotal in the definition and realization of the ‘African Dream’. The African dream is used in this presentation to capture all efforts by the African leaders to make their voices heard on how to move the continent towards global recognition, significance and partakers of world’s peace; world’s development and a world agenda. Obasanjo remains a key player in this role.   Moving from the centre to the peripheries and the peripheries back to the centre again, Obasanjo has transcended historical records of the Nigerian political history. Having occupied the most elevated office as both military and civilian head of government, Obasanjo’s local and global experience in the act of governance, no doubt, is a thing of blessing to the definition of the African reality.

Making statements of somewhat controversial inclination, Obasanjo has not given up on telling his own story of what true governance and legislation should be. Although also ‘attacked’ for some of his statements and conviction, Obasanjo would continue to be a pillar of strength in the Nigerian political structure.  His recent comment that the Igbos can contest the highest office of the land has continued to be a thing of debate among political analysts. However, he would continue to remain the mountain that stands out in the distance. He also devoted most of his leisure to writing of memoirs and articles on good governance.

As we have said earlier on, he and his 1975/79 triumvirate wanted to chart a roadmap for a grander nation, that will be the envy of Black and African peoples the world over. The era of General Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the helm of affairs in Nigeria gave him a general overview of the workings of government and governance.  This accumulated knowledge of governance saw him through benevolent military autocratic rule, with no national assembly to square up with in his first coming.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s first coming, as we have seen, collegiate as it was, opened a new stage of historical development and vast vistas for the progress and development of Nigeria.  The historical effects and significance of the institutions and infrastructures built by this intelligent military Engineer is really becoming clearer as time passes. Before the Murtala-Obasanjo era, Nigeria was, stagnant and corruptive under the feudal serfdom. But in the years of The Triumvirate, Nigeria took its leadership place in Africa. Nigeria was full of life and prosperous.

Prof. Timothy-Asobele writes from the Department of European Languages and Integration Studies,  University of Lagos