MILITARY AND POLITICAL CAREER OF OBASANJO

n 1958, after High School, General Obasanjo enlisted into the Nigerian Army and got trained at the Mons Officers Cadet School, Aldershot, England. He also underwent military training in the following institutions: Royal College of Defence Studies, London; Indian Army School of Engineering; Indian Defence Staff College; School of Survey, Newbury, England; Royal College of Engineering; Regular Officers Special Training School, Teshie, Ghana. fie was Commissioned into the Nigerian Army, 1959; Ile served with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Force in the Congo, 1960-1961; Commander, Engineering Corps, 1963;General Officer Commanding, Third Marine Commando Division during the Nigerian Civil War; led the Division to end the war and accepted surrender of Biafran forces in January 1970; Commander, Nigerian Army Engineering Corps, 1.970-1975; Federal Commissioner for Works Commissioned into Nigerian Army in 1959; service with the United Nations Peacekeeping and Housing, 1975; Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, 1975-1976; Member, Supreme Military Council, 1975-179; Lieutenant-General, 1976 and General, 1979; Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, 1976-1979; he presided over the voluntary transition to civil democratic rule in 1979

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Member, Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues (Palme Commission), 1983-1989;
• Member, UNESCO Commission for Peace in the Minds of Men, 1981-1987;
• Member, WHO Commission of Experts on the Effects of Nuclear Weapons, 1993;
• Co-Chairman, Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on South Africa, 1985-1986;
• Member, United Nations Panel of Eminent Persons on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, 1986;
• Chairman, I learing on Namibia of the World Council of Churches, Washington, DC, May, 1988;
• Member of the Inter Action Council of Former Heads of Government, 1983-present; in that context: Chairman of High Level Expert Group on Military Expenditures by Developing Countries, 1985;
• Director, Better World Society, Washington, DC, 1987-1993;
• Member, Board of Directors, University for Peace, Costa Rica;
• Member, Board of Trustees, Ford Foundation, 1988- 1999; Founder and Chairman of Africa Leadership Forum and Chairman, Board of Directors, Africa Leadership Foundation, Inc., New York till 1999;
• Publisher, Africa Forum (quarterly), 1991-1993; Member, Independent Group on Financial Development Countries (SchmidtCommission
• Member, Independent Group on Financial Development Countries (SchmidtCommission
• Publisher, Africa Forum (quarterly), 1991-1993;
• Member, Independent Group on Financial Development Countries (SchmidtCommission
• Special Advisor to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, lbadan