NEWS : How I was saved from being killed during 1976 coup – Obasanjo

 

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he was saved from being killed by whiskers during the February 13, 1976 military coup.

Obasanjo, on Sunday disclosed that General Olu Bajowa (Rtd) was the one who saved him from the bullets of Lieutenant Colonel Buka Dimka.

According to Obasanjo, who stated this at Igbotako in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State during the celebration of the 80th birthday of Gen. Bajowa, the former president, stated that “When Dimka coup came, if Olu had not been what and what he is, I would have gone with the coup.

Narrating how he was saved, Obasanjo said “I want to say something about Olu. Either he knew it or he didn’t not know. He had a child, a boy, and wanted to name the child after me. He had to call me early in the morning, that morning that Dimka struck.

“And because Olu said he was coming, I had to wait a little bit. I waited beyond the time I would have gone out. Olu then came, he made the request and I granted the request.

“So, I was a little bit late in going on the route that I normally took to work. And Reinumuje went ahead of me and they thought it was me and they shot his car. They shot his car, Murtala was shot.”

Obasanjo emphasized that Bajowa being a performing soldier made him draft him to lead the 11 Battalion during the nation’s civil war.

Meanwhile, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu also lauded the exploits of Gen Bajowa while in the military as he described him as one of the illustrious sons of the state who has brought pride to the sunshine state.

Governor Akeredolu, who spoke at the commissioning of a community radio station, Awawa 94.1 FM as part of the activities marking the 80th Birthday of the retired Army General noted that having become a General in the Nigeria Army at the young age of 38 years, Bajowa’s exploit in the Nigerian Army was a thing of pride not only to the state but the country at large.