How Obasanjo Lost Chance To Become UN Secretary-General, Buhari’s Ex-Chief Of Staff Reveals
- Prof. Ibrahim Gambari said Olusegun Obasanjo's military background disqualified him from becoming UN Secretary-General
- The former Chief of Staff to ex-president Muhammadu Buhari said countries with veto powers said they were not looking for a general
- Obasanjo lost the battle to become the UN Secretary-General in 1991 to the late Boutros Boutros-Ghali
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Former Chief of Staff to ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has revealed how ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo lost the chance to become the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1991.
Gambari explained that the countries with veto power were not comfortable with a former army general becoming a UN Secretary-General, The Punch reported.
Source: UGC
Obasanjo’s military background disqualified him
He said Obasanjo was disqualified because he was a general in the army.
He made this known at the public presentation of the biography of the first African UN Secretary-General, the late Boutros Boutros-Ghali, on Wednesday, October 18.
Boutros-Ghali, an Egyptian served only for one term between 1991 to 1996.
Narrating how Obasanjo’s military background disqualified him, Gambari said some envoy told him Obasanjo had no chance of becoming the UN secretary
The Diplomat said:
“I asked: ‘What do you mean? He is the most qualified former head of state, handed over power voluntarily to civilians, and was head of the group that led to the process of the end of apartheid.’
“He said ‘No. Listen carefully, when we, the big ones, are looking for a Sec Gen, the emphasis is on the secretary and not on the general.’ A very profound statement.
“The thing was that the veto ruling power wanted somebody they could dictate to, not a general, who would be giving them orders. Sometimes they think they are getting a secretary but they end up getting a general.
He said the late Ghani, who Obasanjo lost out to turned out not to be the secretary they wanted and denied him a second term.
“Ghali, who they thought would be a secretary turned out to be a general and Koffi Annan, who they thought was a secretary turned out to be a general.
“When you turn out to be different from what the big powers want, they do something about it. Boutros-Ghali was not given a second term, and Koffi Annan was nearly forced to retire over frivolous charges.”
"Why Obasanjo beat me in his house": Labour Party spokesperson reveals
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Abayomi Arabambi, the factional spokesperson of the Labour Party, has accused Obasanjo of beating him in his house over the forgery allegation against the party's leadership.
In an interview on AIT, the Labour Party chieftain alleged that he had informed Obasanjo and Pa Ayo Adebanjo that Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party, forged the seal of the Court 24 of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Obasanjo speaks, reveals how to stop military coups in Africa
Obasanjo disclosed that he joined politics by accident.
He stated this while addressing a group of youths under the umbrella of Africa for Africa Youth Initiative (A4A) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta.
Source: Legit.ng
