Olusegun and Oluremi Obasanjo at Nigeria’s Historic Civilian Handover, 1979

Olusegun and Oluremi Obasanjo at Nigeria’s Historic Civilian Handover, 1979

Olusegun and Oluremi Obasanjo at Nigeria’s Historic Civilian Handover, 1979

The photograph captures General Olusegun Obasanjo, his wife Chief (Mrs) Oluremi Obasanjo, and three of their children — Busola, Gbenga, and Enitan — on a defining day in Nigeria’s political history: the handover of power to Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1979.

A Defining Moment in Nigerian History

The year 1979 marked the end of 13 years of uninterrupted military rule in Nigeria and the beginning of the Second Republic. As the country’s military Head of State from 1976, Olusegun Obasanjo oversaw a carefully planned transition programme that culminated in the peaceful transfer of power to a democratically elected civilian president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, on 1 October 1979.
This handover remains one of the most significant moments in Nigeria’s post-independence history. It established a precedent for constitutional governance and demonstrated that military authority could willingly relinquish power to civilian rule — a rare occurrence on the African continent at the time.

Family at the Centre of History

The presence of Oluremi Obasanjo and their children in the photograph adds a deeply human dimension to the historic occasion. It reflects the personal cost, sacrifice, and shared journey of families who lived at the centre of national power during turbulent political times. For the Obasanjo family, the moment symbolised not only a national transition but the close of an intense chapter in their own lives.

Obasanjo’s Enduring Legacy

Olusegun Obasanjo’s role in the 1979 transition significantly shaped his legacy. Though he would later return as a civilian president in 1999, his decision to hand over power in 1979 is often cited as one of his most consequential contributions to Nigeria’s democratic evolution. It reinforced Nigeria’s constitutional framework and influenced future debates on civil-military relations.
This photograph therefore stands not just as a family portrait, but as a visual reminder of a rare and pivotal moment when leadership, restraint, and national interest converged in Nigeria’s political journey.