Stella Obasanjo

Stella Obasanjo (14 November 1945 – 23 October 2005) was the First Lady of Nigeria from 1999 until her death. She was the wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, although she was not the First Lady in 1976, when Obasanjo was military head of state. She was a political activist in her own right, supporting causes such as women's liberation, youth as leaders of tomorrow, and the rehabilitation of a war-torn Nigeria.

Quotes

"I'm Encouraged By The PSR Awards —Stella Obasanjo" (2001)

"I'm Encouraged By The PSR Awards —Stella Obasanjo", People & Power (July 14, 2001)

• It is a great pleasure for me to be here this evening, and to share in the joy of this celebration of womanhood. I will like to thank the publishers of People State and Resource Magazine, not only for instituting these awards in honour of women, but also for nominating me for the PSR Woman of Merit Gold Award.

• I thank you for your thoughtfulness and courage, even in the face of relentless denial of the contribution of women to national development. I am encouraged that a specialized publication like the PSR has come out to make this bold statement. The role of women in development can no longer be considered as marginal or supplementary.

• Women constitute slightly more than half of the population of our country. This automatically means that more than 50 percent of Nigeria’s potential workforce is made up of women.

• I, therefore, will like to affirm that it would amount to foolishness of a rather high degree, to ignore this enormous resource base. In a developing economy such as ours, every national development plan or programme ought to be anchored on the improvement of the productive capacity of the workforce.

• At the micro-level, it is very evident today that one-income families are faring much worse than families in which both husband and wife are engaged in productive economic activities. Indeed, the harsh realities of objective economic circumstances have forced many to reconsider that infamous cliché that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. A great many men have become sufficiently humble, enough to ask their wives to come to their rescue so that the kitchen can remain functional.

Encyclopedia.com profile

[https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/social-sciences-and-law/social-reformers/stella-obasanjo Encyclopedia.com profile

• I want to charge you with the responsibility of championing the cause of peace in your state. You must do all in your power, individually and collectively to ensure that the recent reports of violence in your State are also the very last.

• Things will continue to deteriorate in the country unless more women were allowed to participate in governance.

• Youths are the future of the nation and only the foolish will neglect giving them attention.

• Even if you cannot relocate to Nigeria immediately, visit home to see in which way you can lend us a helping hand in rebuilding the country.

• Being a First Lady, I do not see it as an avenue to be arrogant. First Lady is just another form of public office … I see this opportunity as a call to service not for personal aggrandizement at all.

Quotes about Stella

• Indeed, as you mourn her passing away, please also remember to celebrate her life. That is how she would like to be remembered.
  • Olumuyiwa Obasanjo]], as quoted in Nigerian leader's wife is buried, bbc.co.uk, 28 October 2005

• After the internment, I decided to look into the circumstances of her (Stella Obasanjo) death. I found that part of her 60th birthday anniversary, which was unknown to me, was her operation for her tummy and her shape.
  • [[Olusegun Obasanjo as quoted in I didn’t know about Stella’s tummy tuck that turned tragic – Obasanjo, Premium Times, 15 December 2005

• Before the verdict in Spain, I was unaware of what I came to hear later that I might have caused the death of my wife (Stella Obasanjo) to sacrifice her for success in my job. That is how wicked and satanic some Nigerians can be in their rumours and mischief.
  • Olusegun Obasanjo as quoted in I didn’t know about Stella’s tummy tuck that turned tragic – Obasanjo, Premium Times, 15 December 2005.