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Obasanjo Said Insults Was Nothing To Him – See Why

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfJ6bLVyBRT1w5FWbIuvYjCjfYyh2o3yY35wAW-gEewp1oGJdxGle3k7yfBfIltMXyOqS0tBX4sn6Vez_3JXcZr1IytqpT4ndMukv9SQn0MOFmpKncm4AIdf-23Csku-IIuDOiSFV-ONM/s1600/obasanjor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfJ6bLVyBRT1w5FWbIuvYjCjfYyh2o3yY35wAW-gEewp1oGJdxGle3k7yfBfIltMXyOqS0tBX4sn6Vez_3JXcZr1IytqpT4ndMukv9SQn0MOFmpKncm4AIdf-23Csku-IIuDOiSFV-ONM/s320/obasanjor.jpg" width="320" /></a><b> </b>To show that he enjoyed the ‘fun’, he said all those published insults were kept in the archives at his presidential library.Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday that it was a form of 
pleasure to him when he was being insulted as a sitting president by his
 critics or perceived political opponents. No individual or group of people was ever queried or jailed or 
repressed for expressing this freedom. Rather, I encouraged them because
 I derived fun and pleasure from the humour as I know who I am and 
nobody needs to tell me who and what I am not “.He said, “If you visit the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in 
Abeokuta, you will find thousands of archived newspaper comics and 
columns meant to spite and insult my person even as a sitting President.He said this while presenting his keynote address at the  first 
international conference of the African Studies Association of Africa, 
ASAA,  entitled, “African Studies in the Twenty-First Century, Past, 
Present and Future” which held at the International Conference Centre of
 the University of Ibadan.The elder statesman, who described himself as incurable optimist on a 
brighter future of Africa, reiterated that the continent will soon 
wriggle out of bad governance and corruption which seemed to be a 
syndrome in the continent.
He recalled the ugly past when Africans were used as slaves by  colonialists.
Chief Obasanjo added that the inhumanity meted to the continent then 
formed the basis for the seeming backwardness being experienced at 
present saying, “the stain and stench of slave trade, the cold war, poor
 governance made some Africans to laud the good old days of colonialism,
 corruption and problem of human rights violations.
“In all these, I am delighted that the so-called great European 
historians who professed that Africa has no history lived to realise 
that African history and culture had impacts and ramifications on other 
parts of the world including theirs”, he said.
Professor Akin Mabogunje who was the chairman of the event and other 
speakers aligned with Chief Obasanjo on the need to use our intellect to
 develop the continent.
However, he was happy that  all factors that militate against growth and development were no longer in vogue in the continent.
“The right to free speech, the right to express a different view point, 
the right to draw personal conclusions based on self-instituted research
 and to querry certain cultural practices and beliefs are part of the 
huge liberty that the continent of Africa now boasts of,” Obasanjo said.
Other notable people at the occasion included Professor Toyin Falola, a 
keynote speaker, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, 
Professor Isaac Adewole was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor 
(Administration) , Professor EmilOlorun Aiyelari, the Deputy Vice 
Chancellor (Academic) Professor Mrs Gbemisola Oke, the Director of the 
African Studies of the University of Ibadan, Professor Dele Layiwola, 
Professor Femi Osofisan, Dr. Sola Olorunfemi, Dr. Olaoluwa Shenayon and 
many others.