Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday said he knew the late military ruler, Sani Abacha, would not live to witness his release from prison, just as he added that he was optimistic that he would regain his freedom.

Mr. Obasanjo spoke at the dedication service of Chapel of Christ The Glorious King, Abeokuta, which he built to thank God for sparing his life. He recalled that the bitter experiences as a prisoner turned him to a preacher in the four walls of prison.

Mr. Obasanjo and some other retired military officers and civilians were jailed in 1995 by the military government of Sani Abacha, after he was found guilty by a military tribunal of plotting to overthrow Mr. Abacha’s administration, and were released after Mr. Abacha’s death in 1998.

“Before I left prison, I said if I get out of prison, I would divide my time into four. I would buy a Landrover and trailer and use it for evangelism,” he said.

Unwilling candidate

The former president, who is the chief promoter of the church, said that was part of how he thought he would live the rest of his life outside the prisons. He, however, said this did not work out as, when he came out of jail, pressure mounted on him to join the race to be president of Nigeria.

“Initially, those calling me to contest I cursed. Primate Sunday Mbang also joined me to curse them, but, as time went on, I left the matter in the hand of God, and God eventually had His way.”

Mr. Obasanjo, who spent three years behind bars, recalled that while in Yola prison, he became an unordained pastor and converted many, including a convicted armed robber whose name was Baba Alli.

He said he assured Mr. Alli, then the leader of an armed robbery gang called Arewa Boys, that he would send him to Bible College, which he did after regaining freedom. He said as at today, the ex-convict robber is now an ordained pastor in Abuja.

Dignitaries at the dedication ceremony included Ayo Oritsejafor; Sunday Mbang; Ola Makinde; Samson Ayorinde; Tunji Olurin; Adebayo Alao-Akala; Segun Agagu; Ojo Madueke; Christopher Kolade; Ayoka Adebayo, among others.


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obj is too old to be in the press everyday. he is becoming boring to my liking.
he shld be look at great men like mandela. obj is not interested in what ppl thinks abt him.
he is always talking to the nigerian press now but before he will soon say he does not read nigerian newspapers whenever they talk abt his ills.

Of all d atrocities abacha committed,d worst was not getting rid of OBJ when he had him.His absence would saved yet unborn billions of dollars that he stole as d head thief of nigeria for 8 fuckin-g years democrazily.