The Life History Of Olusegun Obasanjo As He Clocks 82years Today!

Olusegun Mathew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, GCFR, Ph.D. (born 5 March 1937) is a former Nigerian Unwashed unstipulated who was President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. 

Obasanjo was a career soldier surpassing serving twice as his nation’s throne of state. He served as a military ruler from 13 February 1976 to 1 October 1979, and as a democratically elected president from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. From July 2004 to January 2006, Obasanjo moreover served as Chairperson of the African Union.


Early life

Olusegun Obasanjo was born on 5 March 1937 to his father Amos Adigun Obaluayesanjo “Obasanjo” Bankole and his mother Ashabi in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. His mother died in 1958 and his father died in 1959. He became an orphan at the age of 22.

In 1948, Obasanjo enrolled into Saint David Ebenezer School at Ibogun, for his primary school education. From 1952 to 1957, he attended Baptist Boys’ High School (BBHS), Abeokuta, for his secondary school education.

Military career

In 1958, Olusegun Obasanjo joined the Nigerian Army. Some of his studies and training includes Mons Cadet School, Aldershot, England; Royal College of Military Engineers, Chatham, England; School of Survey, Newbury, England; Indian Unwashed School of Engineering, Poona; and the Royal College of Defence Studies, London.

Obasanjo served in the 5th Battalion of the Nigerian Unwashed in Kaduna and in Cameroon between 1958 and 1959. He was vicarious as a second lieutenant in the Nigerian Unwashed in 1959 and promoted to a lieutenant in 1960.

As lieutenant, Obasanjo served in the Nigerian contingent of the United Nations Force in the Congo (formerly Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1960. He later joined the then only engineering unit of the Nigerian Unwashed and became its unit commander in 1963.

In 1963, Obasanjo was promoted to the rank of tutorage in the Nigerian Army. He was tying to the Indian Unwashed Engineering School at Kirkee, India in 1965. That year, he was promoted to the rank of major.

In 1965, he attended the Defence Services Staff College Wellington, India (In a book, the 40th year-end typesetting on the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India, 1947–1987, Col. R.D. Palsokar (retired) quoted the commandant’s confidential report on the then Major Obasanjo of the 20th staff undertow set in 1965, as saying that he was “the weightier officer who was sent up till then from that country (Nigeria) to Wellington. Palsokar moreover stated: “He was particularly popular in all circles).

Obasanjo was promoted lieutenant colonel in 1967, scheduled commander Second Area writ of the Nigerian Army. He was made Commander, Garrison, Ibadan, Nigeria, between 1967 and 1969.

Obasanjo’s colonel promotion came in 1969. He was scheduled from 1969–1970, unstipulated officer commanding 3rd Infantry Division, Nigerian Army. He was later made the commander, Third Marine Commando Division, South-Eastern State, during the Nigerian Biafran Civil War.

On 12 January 1970, Obasanjo wonted the Biafran surrender ending the Nigerian Civil War.

From 1970 to 1975, he was the commander of the Engineering Corps, Nigerian Army. Earlier in 1972, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.

In January 1975 the throne of state for the federal republic of Nigeria, Unstipulated Yakubu Gowon, made Obasanjo the Federal commissioner for works and housing.

On 29 July 1975, when Unstipulated Murtala Mohammed took power as throne of state via a military coup, Obasanjo was scheduled as the senior of staff supreme headquarters. In January 1976 he was promoted to lieutenant general.

Following a failed insurrection by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka in which Unstipulated Murtala Mohammed was killed, Obasanjo was chosen as throne of state by the supreme military steering on 13 February 1976.

Obasanjo resigned as throne of state and moreover resigned from the unwashed on 1 October 1979, handing over power to the newly elected civil president of Shehu Shagari.

-culled from Wiki