THE BIOGRAPHY OF PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

MILITARY AND POLITICAL CAREER IN NIGERIA

In 1958, after High School, General Obasanjo enlisted into the Nigerian Army and got trained at the Mons Officers Cadet School, Aldershot, England. He also underwent military training in the following institutions: Royal College of Defence Studies, London; Indian Army School of Engineering; Indian Defence Staff College; School of Survey, Newbury, England; Royal College of Engineering; Regular Officers Special Training School, Teshie, Ghana. fie was Commissioned into the Nigerian Army, 1959; Ile served with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Force in the Congo, 1960-1961; Commander, Engineering Corps, 1963;General Officer Commanding, Third Marine Commando Division during the Nigerian Civil War; led the Division to end the war and accepted surrender of Biafran forces in January 1970; Commander, Nigerian Army Engineering Corps, 1.970-1975; Federal Commissioner for Works Commissioned into Nigerian Army in 1959; service with the United Nations Peacekeeping and Housing, 1975; Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, 1975-1976; Member, Supreme Military Council, 1975-179; Lieutenant-General, 1976 and General, 1979; Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, 1976-1979; he presided over the voluntary transition to civil democratic rule in 1979

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Member, Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues (Palme Commission), 1983-1989;
• Member, UNESCO Commission for Peace in the Minds of Men, 1981-1987;
• Member, WHO Commission of Experts on the Effects of Nuclear Weapons, 1993;
• Co-Chairman, Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on South Africa, 1985-1986;
• Member, United Nations Panel of Eminent Persons on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, 1986;
• Chairman, I learing on Namibia of the World Council of Churches, Washington, DC, May, 1988;
• Member of the Inter Action Council of Former Heads of Government, 1983-present; in that context: Chairman of High Level Expert Group on Military Expenditures by Developing Countries, 1985;
• Director, Better World Society, Washington, DC, 1987-1993;
• Member, Board of Directors, University for Peace, Costa Rica;
• Member, Board of Trustees, Ford Foundation, 1988- 1999; Founder and Chairman of Africa Leadership Forum and Chairman, Board of Directors, Africa Leadership Foundation, Inc., New York till 1999;
• Publisher, Africa Forum (quarterly), 1991-1993; Member, Independent Group on Financial Development Countries (SchmidtCommission
• Member, Independent Group on Financial Development Countries (SchmidtCommission
• Publisher, Africa Forum (quarterly), 1991-1993;
• Member, Independent Group on Financial Development Countries (SchmidtCommission
• Special Advisor to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, lbadan