Former Nigeria President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, disclosed that his attitude of not keeping quiet on national and international issues led him to jail under the military junta of the late Head of State, Gen. Sanni Abacha, in 1995.
Obasanjo went on to say that his desire to prevent Nigeria from collapsing was what motivated him to run for president in 1999.
He acknowledged that, before the quest, he had transitioned into agriculture at the age of 42 following his military career.
Speaking to 15 young men and women who were selected from across the continent to participate in an interactive session at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, over the weekend, Obasanjo urged the youth to assume constructive leadership positions for the continent.
Obasanjo ìn a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, spoke when the budding youth under the aegis of Future Africa Leaders Foundation came with the 10 winners of the Prestigious and Life Challenging Future Africa Leaders Awards.
He said his prison experience was part of the challenges of life he had, and the journey to it started with his inability not to always keep mute.
According to him: “I joined the Army, and at the age of 42, I finished my career as a military officer, but what could I do? I was still young, 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 refuse to keep quiet. For me, if there is 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 so bad in the country that some people felt the need to be saved, and pressure started coming.”
Obasanjo also responded to a question on the African debts, lamenting that some of the debts by some countries in the continent were reckless and outright corruption.
“Most of the debts can not be explained. Some outright corruption”, he disclosed, citing a particular state in Nigeria where the site for a carpet industry was never cleared and the entire loan was repaid.