KEY POINTS
- Late U.S. President Jimmy Carter was a subject of Obasanjo’s memorial service.
- Both had humble rural backgrounds and war records.
- Carter saved Obasanjo’s life while he was in imprisonment, Obasanjo gave credit to him for it.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday drew parallels between him and the late 39th President of United States, Jimmy Carter.
These words were said by Obasanjo in a funeral service he arranged in memory of Carter in the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King in Abeokuta.
Carter who died at the age of 100 on 29th December 2024 was the President of United States from 1977 to 1981. Former President yesterday offered all-round supporter of Carter describing him as an international figure of righteous man and humane spirit, person and a leader, with his family members and other associates also eulogizing Carter.
A common path of humbleness and servanthood
Obasanjo’s tribute, titled Jimmy Carter: The same contrasts the childhoods in The Departure of a Titan. Both leaders come from farm backgrounds with Carter from Plains, Georgia, and Obasanjo from Ibogun-Olaogun, Ogun State, Nigeria.
“He was raised in front of disciplinarian parents who gave him discipline, morally, to work hard, be an honest person, to be kind and humble, to learn how to be compassionate to the poor, and to always have faith in God.” In learning similar attributes, my parents also taught me,” Obasanjo said.
The ex-Nigerian president added, for instance, at that time Carter’s rural settlement had at least a road, but the same could not be said of his village. “We walked everywhere and hardly travelled in jeeps, or at most we were ferried on bicycles,” he noted.
They were also both military men and first encountered each other when Buhari was a military General and Obasanjo was the Nigeria’s military Head of State. He gave Carter some credit for the insistence, he helped to free him from the detention of General Sani Abacha by saying, “Carter stuck out his neck to seek my release”.
Honoring Carter’s legacy
Speaking about Carter, Obasanjo said that Carter was his friend, a man of God and leader of the world whose righteousness and mercy affected the lives of so many people in the world. “He was a lover of humanity, a great and true friend of mine, and a man of God,” after him.
Rev. Israel Akanji, President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention in his sermon said Carter was humble and compassionate. Leaders should follow the philosophy of Carter sharing resources and taking care of others, he said.
Obasanjo ends with hope to meet Carter in paradise, saying how Carter served the world with so much kindness and how his existence will not be forgotten.
