Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that he is forever indebted to former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, for the support he enjoyed from him before and when he was jailed by the dictatorial government of General Sani Abacha.
Obasanjo made the remark in a message of condolence he sent to the family of Carrington.
The former ambassador died last week at the age of 90.
According to his spokesman, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo described Carrington as one of those who saved Nigeria from military dictatorship.
Stressing that he would be forever grateful to the former ambassador, Obasanjo said Carrington offered him asylum in his country to save him from being arrested and detained by the dictatorial Abacha government at the time.
Obasanjo said even when he turned down the offer and was detained, he visited his family regularly and asked how he fared.
His words: “Indeed, I recall, sometime in 1995, that on one of my trips to Copenhagen to attend World Social Summit as Human Development Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme, I received the most touching of the warnings, pieces of advice and offers from Amb. Carrington.
“He called me in Copenhagen and told me categorically that I was going to be arrested on returning home and, therefore, advised me not to return home. But he did not stop it there, he offered me political asylum by his government in the US. That was both touching and assuring, but I decided that, tempting and assuring as the offer was, I would not take it. I came back and was arrested and imprisoned by Abacha. No doubt, his generous assistance to my family while I was a political prisoner makes me forever indebted to him.
“When I was in prison, he was one of the few foreign Ambassadors who regularly visited my wife to encourage her and to find out how I was doing in prison. I can proudly say he was a true friend and brother.”
Obasanjo described Carrington as a man who was fair, kind, optimistic and intelligent.
Obasanjo said further: “He came to Nigeria with love, ate and drank Nigerian delicacies and drinks, showed a significant demonstration of oneness by walking the aisle to tie the nuptial knot outside nationality bounds with one of our illustrious daughters and that is you, and he was loved and appreciated by the people through giving him a Yoruba name “Omowale” and naming a street after him in Victoria Island, Lagos.
“We celebrate his life well spent in the service of humanity and we will continue to project his principles and values in contributing to governance, security and sustainable development of the African continent. His legacies will live on and continue to touch many lives and generations to come. Indeed, it gladdens my heart to know not only Nigeria and Africa, but many nations around the world had a friend in him.
“Life is not about how long you spend but how well you live to serve humanity, Amb. Carrington lived well and successfully by making unique contributions to make the world a better place than he met it.”
