General Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President of Nigeria

Olusegun Obasanjo was President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1999 until 2007. Upon leaving office, he oversaw the first civilian handover of power in Nigeria from one democratically elected leader to another.

Obasanjo has played a pivotal role in the regeneration and repositioning of the African Union – with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) designed to engender and promote the ideals of democracy and good governance, and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). He has consistently supported the deepening and widening of regional cooperation through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Co-prosperity Alliance Zone incorporating Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. He has at different times served as Chairman of the Group of 77, Chairman of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Chairman of the African Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee on NEPAD.

He was also involved in international mediation efforts in Namibia, Angola, South Africa, Mozambique and Burundi. In 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Obasanjo (GCFR) as his Special Envoy on the Great Lakes region, and is integral in the ongoing  mediation efforts in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Obasanjo was born on March 5, 1937 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, South Western Nigeria. He attended Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta after which he worked as a teacher for a while before enlisting in the Nigerian Army in 1958.