Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo recently shared a story about a bold decision he made while serving as Commissioner for Works and Housing under General Yakubu Gowon. Speaking directly to Gowon, Obasanjo revealed how he dealt with a situation involving the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a live coverage by NTA from 28:06, Obasanjo said USAID’s office was located in a building facing Nigeria’s cabinet office. He said the government had asked them to move to another location, but they refused. As a result, he took matters into his own hands. He disclosed that one morning, he sent soldiers to surround the USAID office and forced them to leave.
Obasanjo mentioned that after the incident, Gowon told him that what he had done was equivalent to declaring war on the U.S. office in Nigeria. Obasanjo admitted he didn’t realize the seriousness of his actions at the time. He said Gowon was furious with him”
In Obasanjo’s words: “We had USAID’s office overlooking the cabinet office and we had asked them to pull out so that we can give them another place but they refused. So as commissioner for Works and Housing, one morning I got soldiers to surround the office and then I got them out. Then the report came to you.
“You called me and told me do I know what I had done (to USAID) amounted to waging war on the United States’ office. I didn’t know it was war. You were furious against me. But to me as far as I was concerned we had achieved what we wanted to achieve. I got away with it”.