Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, on Saturday, said that Olusegun Obasanjo, his former president, should be included on the new naira note to serve as an inspiration to Nigerians in the future.
In a series of tweets, Atiku also praised the African Union’s 85-year-old mediator for orchestrating peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels following a two-year conflict that claimed thousands of lives and left millions in need of aid in the continent’s second-most populous nation.
The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government had been engaged in a civil war for two years that left most of northern Ethiopia in ruins.
Following a week of peace discussions coordinated by the African Union and mediated by Obasanjo, the two sides recently agreed to a cease-fire.
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Atiku responded to the news via his Twitter account, saying he was not shocked because Obasanjo had carried out similar actions when in office in Liberia and So Tomé.
Atiku was Nigeria’s Vice-President between May 1999 and May 2007 when Obasanjo was a democratically elected President. Obasanjo and Atiku’s second term in office was not smooth but the two would later resolve their differences.
The PDP candidate said;
I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office.
I celebrate the extraordinary prowess of His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in bringing peace to Ethiopia. I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office. If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations.
Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo – a man whose image ought to be in the redesigned Naira note to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent.
On behalf of my family, I congratulate you, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, for successfully ending the Ethiopia-Tigray conflict. And I thank God for the gift of wisdom and foresight He gave you, which you have used creditably to steer Nigeria and Africa on the right path.
