Nigeria - Ladies and Gentlemen, the President-Olusegun Obasanjo

Yeah, you heard that right, folks. Nigeria's finally got a president. An elected one, at that. And the whole darn election was monitored and pronounced legitimate, unsullied and free of ballot-box stuffing by guys like former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and ex-South African president Nelson Mandela. If a fellow like Carter, who is currently enjoying the strong credentials of having been weak in office, can say there was no vote rigging, then, believe me, there was no vote rigging. Obasanjo became the first elected president in Nigeria in 15 years on May 29, 1999, succeeding military ruler General Abdulsalami Abubakar who, himself, seized power after the sudden death of Nigerian tyrant Sani Abacha in June 1998. Obasanjo is a sixty-something pig farmer who also lists on his CV military dictator, innumerable offspring from innumerable marriages, accomplishments in snooker, squash and table tennis as well as an explosive temper. Obasanjo was Nigeria's military ruler who relinquished power to the country's last elected civilians in 1979. He was trained as a soldier in Britain and India and led a Nigerian army commando unit in the 1967-1970 Biafran civil war that almost single-handedly defeated the rebels in that conflict. Later, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for plotting a coup against Abacha. Now Obasanjo inherits Nigeria's worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in October 1960.

Olusegun Obasanjo

President

State House

Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Fax: [234] (9) 523-2138

http://www.lagos-online.com/head_of_state.htm

The First Ladies

In the U.S., there was Lady Bird and then Pat; there was Betty and her Palm Springs dope rehab clinic. Rosalynn's husband "felt lust in his heart." Nancy said no to drugs. Though Barbara looked Bushed-like she could have been George's mother-she didn't have any competition. Only Hillary Rodham wasn't quite sure if she was America's only First Lady. Meanwhile, Olusegun Obasanjo makes Bill Clinton look like a Franciscan friar. When Stella Abebe married Obasanjo in 1977, she wasn't entirely sure how many other women were married to Obasanjo as well. Even if there is the opportunity to grab Hillary-like headlines alongside her husband these days, Mrs. Obasanjo will undoubtedly face stiff competition. Obasanjo's obsession with women, his harem and a string of concubines are legendary. As one local reporter observed: "Gen. Obasanjo repeatedly has a giant appetite for women. Inevitably, Stella's entry into Obasanjo's life meant that she walked straight into a crowded field of Obasanjo's women." But Stella is the gal most often seen at Obasanjo's side in public. Nevertheless, if Obasanjo ever decides to host a bilateral summit, the visiting first lady should best prepare herself for a photo op that'll look like a group shot of Miss Africa preliminary contestants. Let's all hope that it's not Tipper Gore.

http://www.lagos-online.com/1999_constitution_of_the_federal.htm