Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday held a memorial service in honour of his late friend and former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, paying heartfelt tributes to the American leader, whom he described as a “titan and man of peace.”
Carter, the 39th president of the United States and the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his post-presidential humanitarian work, passed away at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024, at his home in Plains, Georgia.
The memorial service, which took place at the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, was a solemn occasion. During the service, Obasanjo recalled how Carter had played a pivotal role in securing his release from prison under the late General Sani Abacha’s regime.
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Obasanjo said, “President Carter was one of my foreign friends who stuck their necks out to save my life and to seek my release from prison. When President Carter visited Nigeria, he persuaded Abacha to agree to move me from detention to house arrest on my farm. But that did not last for long.”
He continued, “Many other friends and leaders intervened, but President Carter was the only non-African leader, to my knowledge, who personally visited Abacha solely to plead for my release.”
Obasanjo expressed his deep gratitude for all those who worked towards his release, noting, “I will remain ever grateful to all who worked for my release from Abacha’s gulag. Abacha ensured that I would not be released, but within a week of his death, I was released by his successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who also facilitated my travels across Africa and the world to thank those who helped secure my freedom.”
He further shared that Carter had later informed him of the efforts of Ted Turner, an American entrepreneur and founder of CNN, and other individuals who had contributed to his release.
Obasanjo’s tribute highlighted Carter’s legacy as a steadfast friend and a champion of peace, cementing his place in history as a leader who made a significant impact both globally and in the personal life of the former Nigerian president.
