Jimmy Carter and I shared a lot in common – Obasanjo

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday revealed that he had many similarities with the late Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, who passed away in December of last year at the age of 100.

Obasanjo stated this during a memorial service he organised for the late former US President, which was held at the Chapel of Christ The Glorious King, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Paying tribute to his “true and great friend”, Obasanjo said the late Carter was born into a farming family in Plains, Georgia.

Obasanjo, describing the deceased as a humble man of simplicity, added that he also had a military background.

Obasanjo said, “In terms of early life background, I shared similarity with President Jimmy Carter. He was born into a farming family in Plains, Georgia, and I was born into a farming family in the rural village of Ibogun-Olaogun in Ogun State. He grew up under a father and mother who were disciplinarians, who instilled in him the essence of discipline, morality, hard work, integrity, kindness and humility, compassion for the poor and
strong belief in God.

“My parents inculcated similar attributes in me as I was growing up in a rural area that had no piped water, no electricity just as it was in Plains, Georgia, while Jimmy Carter was growing there.

“He beat me, though, in one respect, there was the road to his settlement; there was no road to my village. We walked to every place or, at best, we were carried on bicycles. President Carter had a military background, which I had, and, in fact, we met when I was a military Head of State.

“But if not that we were both in politics, our paths may not have crossed. In the evenings of our lives, I became a victim of a militarist man, Sani Abacha, who wanted to rule Nigeria perpetually till the end of his life. President Carter was one of my foreign friends who stuck their neck out to save my life and to seek my release from prison.

“On President Carter’s visit to Nigeria, he got Abacha to agree to take me from detention to house arrest on my farm. But that did not last for too long. Many other friends and leaders intervened but President Carter was the only non-African leader, according to my information, who paid a visit to Abacha solely to
plead for my release. I would remain ever grateful to all who worked for my release
from Abacha’s gulag.

“He proved his generosity and I kept going back to President Carter anytime I could spare to express my gratitude to him. For me, I would miss a great and true friend but I know we shall meet again in Paradise.

“One great lesson I learned from President Carter was that in his leadership, he carried along an army of co-workers that shared the ideal and the burden of the work with him. He led by example and in humility and that made success to attend his way,” Obasanjo added.

Jimmy Carter and I shared a lot in common – Obasanjo

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