It was a moment of recollection for Chief Olusegun Obasanjo , Nigeria’s former President and military head of state, as he recounted how how he survived the February 1976 military coup d’etat, involving Lieutenant Colonel Buka Suka Musa Dimka.
Obasanjo said on Sunday that it was General Olu Bajowa (retd.), who indirectly saved him from being one of the casualties of that the coup, in which former military leader, Murtala Mohammed, was killed.
Obasanjo mead the revelation during the celebration of the 80th birthday of General Bajowa, which held in Igbotako, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Bajowa, a former Commandant, Command and Staff College, Jaji, is a respectful and cultured man, Obasanjo said.
“When Dimka coup came, if Olu had not been what and who he is, I would have gone with the coup,” Obasanjo said.
“Olu is very respectful; he is very conscious of our culture. 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 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. Indirectly, that is how Olu Bajowa saved my life.”
According to Obasanjo, Bajowa performed very well when he (Obasanjo) drafted him to go and lead Nigeria’s 11 Battalion during the nation’s civil war.
