News, Society

Obasanjo’s Shocking Confession

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria made a shocking confession recently: “‎I do not know the date of my birth, then, I used to ask my mum that ‘mama they said we should come to school with our date of birth and my mum will say you are very stupid, you are born on Ifo market day. And whoever wants to know the date of your birth, tell them you are born on Ifo market day. She explained that all she could remember was Ifo market day. She was ready to go to Ifo market that day before she went into labour, before those that went to market comes back ‎I have already been bone.”

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“That then led me into the trouble of trying to find out when I was born, I was not as lucky as some of my colleagues that have their date of birth. In fact, I went to an astronomer in India, I told him to look at my palm and tell me my real age, but, all he told me was that I will have longevity of life, but, that was not what I went to do. So, I concluded on the date that I have chosen.”

“One area of our lives where we have to do a lot of work is in the area of values. When I was growing up, if people don’t know your source of sudden wealth, such a person was isolated and ostracised.”

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“If your father went out at nights, it was likely that your father was a thief. And we other children were asked to keep away from children of such character. How do we bring back these values? When I was in prison in Yola, I interviewed some young men in that prison, I was shocked with what I found out. Given the level of criminality and delinquencies in the society, you have to blame the teachers, schools, churches, mosques, community leaders among others.”

“But where do we begin to make correction? One of the ways are the story books I have written. I started writing the ‘Tortoise stories’ while I was in Yola Prison. Now the Volume 1 is being presented today. Meanwhile, former President Obasanjo has disclosed that his desire to know the exact day he was born made him to travel to India where he met with astronomer, but, could not achieve is aim.”