HOW ABACHA’S REGIME ENDED MY FARMING CAREER -OBASANJO

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how the military regime of late General Sani Abacha disrupted his farming activities, bringing an end to a career he had pursued after leaving military service.

Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria's military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, became involved in agriculture after handing over power to a civilian government. Farming remained an important part of his activities before his arrest during Abacha's military rule.

His account highlights how political developments and government actions affected his personal and professional life during one of Nigeria's most controversial periods of military leadership.

Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. His government was marked by political repression, restrictions on civil liberties and the detention of perceived opponents.

Obasanjo was arrested in 1995 over an alleged coup plot and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment, although the sentence was later reduced. He remained in detention until Abacha's death in June 1998.

Following his release, Obasanjo returned to active politics and contested the 1999 presidential election, which he won. He served two terms as Nigeria's civilian president from 1999 to 2007.

His latest recollection offers another perspective on the personal consequences of military rule, particularly how the political climate of the Abacha era affected Nigerians beyond those directly involved in government and opposition politics.

However, further details of the specific circumstances that forced him to abandon farming were not provided in the account.