Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, says his incarceration by the late military dictator, Sani Abacha, shaped his life and made him a better leader.
He said this on Saturday, May 19, 2018, while speaking at the maiden edition of ASIS International, ASIS 206 Lagos Annual Leadership Retreat, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
The event was organised by ASIS to find ways of bringing all private security outfits in the country under an umbrella. According to the former President, his prison experience enriched him and it was one of the factors which immensely contributed to his achievements as President.
He said, “My prison experience enriched me. In fact, it contributed to my performance while I was in office. A leader must learn from every situation. “Although, nobody wants to go to prison but I was in prison when I started learning and keeping myself occupied. I wrote four books while I was in prison rather than become a moron and doing nothing.
“But I was sure that the man who kept me in prison will not bring me out and I was as well sure that I will get out of prison. Honestly, the prison experience has enriched my life.”
He restated his support for a move to review the Act setting up the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to check security threats in the country. Obasanjo’s administration in 2005 transformed the civil defence from a voluntary organisation to a para-military group. He said there was nothing wrong in seeking improvement for the NSCDC, especially in accommodating the private security professionals in the country.
However, he warned that such review should be supported by effective monitoring and control, and it would have to also go through the National Assembly.
