Obasanjo our pride in Africa — Guinea Bissau President

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

President of Guinea Bissau, Jose Mario Vas has described Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as one of the greatest African leaders that the continent should be proud of having in this century.

He stated this Thursday when he exchanged pleasantries with Obasanjo at the Presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, shortly after the end of the ECOWAS session in Abuja.

President Vas, who arrived aboard Nigerian Airforce Aircraft with number 5N FGN at 5.35p.m. disclosed that he was in Lagos to see Obasanjo and thanked him for his mediation in the crisis in Guinea Bissau.

The President went into a private session with Obasanjo for about one hour.

Vas, who spoke through an interpreter after the meeting with the former President said, “we have come to visit Baba to appreciate him for coming to Guinea Bissau.

“You know President Buhari appointed him special envoy to come and mediate in our crisis and he was able to put everybody on the same level.

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“He really played an important role in finding political solution to the situation we faced in Guinea Bissau and I told President Buhari that I needed to come and say thank you and wish him a merry Christmas”, Vas said.

Vas added that “Obasanjo went a step further to demonstrate his fatherly role in Africa when I told him about the situation in Burkina Faso. I asked Baba to look into Burkina Faso as he did for Guinea Bissau. I should be frank to say that Baba is one of the greatest leaders in Africa. We must all be proud to have him in this continent.”

The former President later saw his visitor off at about 6:25pm.

In his reaction, Obasanjo said he was appointed by the President, Muhammadu Buhari as the special envoy, and he was able to contribute his little effort to bring peace and stability to Guinea Bissau.

“It was just that the President (Vas) seems not to get all that he wanted and the political party leadership seems not to get what they wanted too.

“But we were able to resolve all this. I think he is just a man that appreciates such good deeds and that was why he came. I also asked him how far they are now doing and he said everything is going fine.

“He even wanted to go to my village from here, but I said not now, may be another time,” Obasanjo said.

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