In an emotional tribute to ex-United States President Jimmy Carter, who died recently at the age of 100, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday, recalled how the late American leader and other respected world leaders met with former military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, to try to secure his release from detention.
Obasanjo said in spite of the interventions, Abacha remained unbending and reneged on some of the understanding he had with them.
Carter, the longest-lived president of the United States and the first to reach the age of 100, died on December 29 last year.
Abacha, who died on June 8, 1998, had tried and convicted Obasanjo on what turned out to be trumped-up charges of planning a coup. But Obasanjo’s initial death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Due to Obasanjo’s global rating and recognition, he had many world leaders intervening on his behalf.
Highlighting the efforts to secure his freedom, Obasanjo said he could never forget Carter. He said apart from being one of his foreign friends, who stuck their necks out to save his life and seek his release from prison, Carter’s activities as US president and after he left office, for humanity and Africa, in particular, were unprecedented.
Obasanjo read the tribute, titled, “Jimmy Carter: The Departure of a Titan,” at a memorial service held in honour of the late American president at the Chapel of Christ The Glorious King, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
Obasanjo described Carter as a humble and selfless man.
The former Nigerian president stated, “But why should I decide to have a service in memory of an American president who lived and died almost 5,000 miles away?
“It is because he was a great world leader, he was a righteous man whose righteousness spread over the whole world. He was a lover of humanity, a man of God, and a great and true friend of mine.
“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 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
“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.”
Obasanjo highlighted the former American president’s role in the attempt to get him out of prison.
He said, “President Carter was one of my foreign friends, who stuck their necks 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, that 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. Abacha ensured that I would not be released.
“Within a week of his death though, I was released by his successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who also facilitated my going round Africa and the rest of the world to thank all those who worked for my release.
“In the US, I called on President Jimmy Carter who told me all the efforts he made with other leaders and Abacha remaining unyielding for my release.
“But the most surprising thing Carter said to me was, ‘Please, see Ted Turner and thank him for his generosity. He came to me and asked me to get his friend, Obasanjo, released from prison. I will take care of him and his family here or wherever he chooses to live.’
“I was touched and moved to tears. I immediately went to Ted, who expressed to me the same sentiment that President Carter expressed. 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.”
In his sermon at the memorial service, President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji, who underlined some of the tributes of world leaders to Carter, said the late president did not allow his humble background to leave him till death.
Making reference to the story of the Good Samaritan in the Holy Bible, in Luke 10, Akanji described Carter as a compassionate person, who believed in the philosophy of, “What is mine is yours if you need.”
He called on leaders to be compassionate and not fold their arms and feel unconcerned about the welfare of people.