Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said his three years in prison was an experience ordained by God.
He therefore said he has no regrets nor bore any grudges against anybody over the incident.
Recall that in 1995, Sani Abacha, former head of state, had sentenced Obasanjo to 30 years in prison, but the former president was released in 1998 and subsequently contested the 1999 presidential election and won on the platform of PDP.
Obasanjo said this when he hosted winners of the Future African Leadership Awards (FALA) at the Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.
“My father neither went to school nor did my mother. I was born in a village. All these processes, including my prison experience I take as ways of learning. It hasn’t been easy but God didn’t promise a smooth ride either but He assures us (that) we will overcome the world if we follow him, which I have done.
“When I was first arrested, I thought it was a mistake but when I was taken in a military court marshal, I realised it was a premeditated effort to silent me by the ruling junta.
“When I was in prison, I was reading the Bible and I realised that the people who set me up knew what they were doing. So, I graduated from being a bitter person to accepting my fate.
“By the time the verdict was given, I had already accepted my fate. I was given 30 years, and the sentence was later reduced to 15 years. My wife said ‘but you have not done anything’, I said yes, I haven’t done anything wrong but the person who put me here wanted me to be behind bars for a reason.”
According to Obasanjo, even when late Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni came to Nigeria on behalf of the OAU to meet with Abacha over the matter, the man bluntly refused.
“He showed them an alleged video, but the delegation told him they didn’t see anything in the video. Abacha told them to watch the video again. So, you see, he was desperate to put me behind bars, and not ready to listen to anybody.”
The former president said while in prison he had wanted to study law, but the prison officials said they would need the permission of Abacha.
“When Abacha was approached, he refused, saying I was a torn in his flesh, and that giving me an opportunity to study law would be like arming me to give his administration more headaches.
“So, I started writing books, and also became a pastor in prison. The prison gave me time to pray and fast and also interact with other people.
He said on several occasions, attempt were made on his life to poison him like they did to Yar’ Adua but the grace of God kept him alive.
“When I was being taken out of Yola prison, a doctor was instructed to inject me with poison, but my personal doctor had advised me not to let any other doctor take my blood, so, I didn’t allow them to touch me.”
