TODAY IN HISTORY, ON THIS DAY OCTOBER 23, 2005: STELLA OBASANJO, NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY, D1€D FOLLOWING COSMETIC SURGERY IN SPAIN.
TODAY IN HISTORY, ON THIS DAY OCTOBER 23, 2005: STELLA OBASANJO, NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY, D1€D FOLLOWING COSMETIC SURGERY IN SPAIN. 💔
On October 23, 2005, Nigeria l0st its First Lady, Stella Obasanjo, under tr@gic circumstances that sh0¢ked the nation and made international headlines.
She was only 59 years old.
What was supposed to be a cosmetic procedure ended in a heartbre@king tr@gedy, leaving behind her husband, President Olusegun Obasanjo, their only son, and a grieving nation.
But who was Stella Obasanjo, the woman behind the title of First Lady?
HER BIRTH AND FAMILY BACKGROUND
Stella Abebe Obasanjo was born on November 14, 1945. Although some historical accounts place her birthplace in Warri, Delta State, she was originally from Iruekpen, in Esan West Local Government Area of present-day Edo State.
She was the eldest of seven children born to Dr. Christopher Abebe, a distinguished Nigerian industrialist who became the first indigenous chairman of the United Africa Company (UAC) in Nigeria, and his wife, Theresa Abebe.
Stella grew up in a family that valued education and achievement.
HER EDUCATION
She began her education at Our Lady of the Apostles Primary School in Yaba, Lagos, before proceeding to St. Theresa’s College in Ibadan.
She obtained her West African School Certificate in 1964 and completed her Higher School Certificate in 1966.
In 1967, she gained admission to the University of Ife, now known as Obafemi Awolowo University, where she studied English until 1969.
She subsequently travelled to the United Kingdom to study insurance in London and Edinburgh between 1970 and 1974. In 1976, she obtained a certificate in confidential secretarial studies from Pitman College.
HER MARRIAGE TO OLUSEGUN OBASANJO
In 1976, Stella married Olusegun Obasanjo, who had become Nigeria’s milit@ry Head of State following the ass@$sination of General Murtala Mohammed.
Their marriage produced one son, Olumuyiwa Obasanjo, born in 1977.
Years later, when Olusegun Obasanjo became Nigeria’s democratically elected president in May 1999, Stella assumed the position of First Lady.
She became a prominent figure in Nigerian public life and was involved in initiatives addressing the welfare of children, women’s rights and female genital mutilation.
One of her notable initiatives was the Child Care Trust, established to support disadvantaged children, including children living with disabilities.
But her life would end in a tr@gedy few could have imagined.
THE JOURNEY TO SPAIN THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY
In October 2005, Stella travelled to Marbella, Spain, for cosmetic surg€ry.
Reports indicated that she underwent liposuction, a procedure designed to remove unwanted body fat. The surgery was reportedly intended to improve her abdominal appearance ahead of her 60th birthday, which was approaching on November 14, 2005.
However, what should have been a routine cosmetic procedure turned into a medical d1s@ster.
During the operation at the Molding Clinic in Marbella, the surgeon, Antonio Mena Molina, mist@kenly inserted the tube used to remove fat into her abdominal cavity.
According to the co’urt findings, the mistake punctured her colon and 1njured her liver, resulting in serious internal injuries and blood loss.
Stella’s condition deter!orated after the procedure.
When medical assistance was urgently needed, the surgeon was reportedly difficult to reach because he was not answering his mobile phone.
The co’urt also heard that her transfer to a hospital with intensive care facilities was delayed for several hours. Instead of calling an @mbulance, the surgeon eventually transported her in his own car.
By the time she reached the hospit@l, her condition was critic@l.
ON OCTOBER 23, 2005, STELLA OBASANJO DIED.
She was 59 years old, just weeks away from celebrating her 60th birthday.
The woman who had accompanied her husband through the struggles of political life, including the campaign for his release from pr1son during the Abacha era, would never return home from Spain.
Her de@th sent shockwaves through Nigeria and beyond.
It also raised serious questions about the safety of cosmetic sur gery and the responsibilities of medical professionals.
FOUR YEARS LATER, JUSTICE CAME IN SPAIN.
On September 22, 2009, a court in Málaga, Spain, convicted Antonio Mena Molina of negligent hom!icide in connection with Stella Obasanjo’s de@th.
The Co’urt sentenced him to one year in pr1son, disqu@lified him from practising medicine for three years, and ordered compensation of €120,000 to be paid to her son, Olumuyiwa Obasanjo, with the surgeon’s insurer also involved in the payment.
Reports at the time stated that because the doctor had no previous crimin@l record, he was not required to serve the pr!son sentence.
The judgment found serious f@ilures in the care provided to Stella, including the surgical 1njuries and delays in obtaining appropriate emergency tre@tment.
Her de@th had occurred in 2005. The co urt’s judgment came in 2009, nearly four years after the tragedy.
A FIRST LADY WHO NEVER MADE IT TO HER 60TH BIRTHDAY. 💔
Stella Obasanjo was more than the wife of a Nigerian president. She was a mother, a public figure and a woman who occupied a prominent place in Nigeria’s political history.
Her story remains a painful reminder that even a procedure intended to change someone’s appearance can carry serious risks.
She travelled to Spain for cosmetic surgery, reportedly ahead of a milestone birthday.
Instead of returning to celebrate her 60th birthday with her family, she died thousands of kilometres away from home.
She would have turned 60 on November 14, 2005.
She di€d on October 23, 2005.
May her soul continue to rest in peace. 💔🕊️
KEEP RESTING, MA.
