This post is a simple one about the most successful politician in Nigeria – Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Chief Olusegun Matthew Aremu Obasanjo was born on March 5, 1937 at Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria. He is the second president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is not only a politician but a shrewd businessman and an imposing public figure. OBJ is a Yoruba man who’s been married four times but presently has no wife. He is a politician many believe to be too sleek to hold as they believe his period of being the democratic president was the most corrupt but there’s no ‘black’ evidence to stake him.
Obasanjo was president of the federal republic of Nigeria first, between February 1976 to September 1979 as the Military head of state and between May 1999 to May 2007, just after Nigeria switched the government to democracy; making him the politician to have sat the longest on Nigeria’s seat of power.
Before Obasanjo’s administration, Nigeria’s GDP growth had been painfully slow since 1987, and only managed 3 per cent between 1999/2000. However, under Obasanjo the growth rate doubled to 6 per cent until he left office, helped in part by higher oil prices. Obasanjo is a member of Club de Madrid, an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Its members are over 100 former democratically elected Presidents and Prime Ministers from more than 60 countries.
Obasanjo, who most times referred to himself as “just a farmer” is rumoured to own an oil block and to be covertly involved in over 6.5% of the total major oil production, marketing, and distribution in the country. Obasanjo’s farm is responsible for the major production of a lot of crops which is distributed across the country and he is said to own the largest chicken poultry in West Africa. His total assets have never been able to be fully gathered and it makes various figures arise for his net worth. This is not very unusual for a politician, especially one who has spent around a decade as the number one citizen of the federation.
OBJ’s present Net Worth, gathered from various sources is rumoured to be around $1.5 Billion.