Today, Chief Obasanjo celebrates his 79th birthday and President Buhari was one of his well wishers who wished him well. In his congratulatory message, President Buhari said that generations of Africans would be grateful to Chief Obasanjo for his contributions to the continent on economic, social and political issues.
He said that Chief Obasanjo’s willingness to embark on elections monitoring has brought about peaceful transitions in a lot of African countries. Femi Adesina, President Buhari's spokesman, who referred to Chief Obasanjo as an elder statesman, prayed that God grant him long life and strength to continue in the service of humanity.
Mr Adesina said: “President Muhammadu Buhari heartily congratulates the former president of Nigeria and elder statesman, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as he turns 79 years old on March 5, 2016. The President affirms that the former president, who is approaching the octogenarian cycle, has contributed immensely to the institutionalization of democracy in Nigeria and Africa through his personal sacrifice, extensive local and international networks, and God-given wisdom.
“President Buhari believes that Chief Obasanjo’s place in global history is assured for successfully handing over power to a civilian government in 1979 after serving as a military head of state and returning to power in 1999 through elections to stabilise the polity, during which he most remarkably negotiated a debt relief for Nigeria."
Chief Obasanjo is Nigeria's longest serving leader have served as a military head of state between 1976 and 1979 and then as a civilian president between 1999 and 2007. He is the only person to have presided over a military-to-civilian and a civilian-to-civilian transition.
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