Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted his encounter with the then Head of State, the late Gen. Murtala Mohammed,saying there was exchange of words over whether Abeokuta or Sagamu should serve as Capital of Ogun State .
Obasanjo was second in-command to the late General Murtala Muhammed in 1976.
Ogun State was part of the states created in 1976 and Abeokuta was made its capital of Ogun State by the military government.
Obasanjo while speaking on the state creation and the behind-the -scene politics, revealed how Ijebu leaders lobbied the then Head of State, to designate Sagamu as the capital of Ogun State when it was created in February 1976
Obasanjo said there was a serious opposition against Abeokuta as capital of Ogun State, adding that the Ijebu leaders cited land constraints against Abeokuta as the capital .
He however said his boss has agreed with them and had settled for Sagamu as capital,but, changed his stance following the exchange of words between him and his boss.
He said his boss lashed out at him when he made an attempt to convince him on the need to make Abeokuta the state capital .
According to Obasanjo, when we wanted to establish Ogun State, our brothers from Ijebu did their exercise very well.
“ They said we don’t have land, and they campaigned against making Abeokuta the state capital. When we got to the discussion table, they proposed Sagamu instead.
“This place we call Ogun State, before 1932, it was named Abeokuta Province, including Ijebu. When Ijebu Province was to be established, it was DO that was in Ijebu.
“They said we don’t have land, that was why it is called Abeokuta. My boss, Murtala Mohammed, had been briefed and agreed that Sagamu should be the state capital.
He said,We are going that way.’ But I told him, ‘Since we are going to have Kano State, then Rago should be the capital of Kano.’”
“He attacked me, saying, ‘How dare you?’ And I said, ‘How dare you too?’ That was how we ended the discussion.”
Obasanjo said this at a public function held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.
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