Former President Attributes Survival to Divine Grace, Honors 104-Year-Old Matriarch
OGBOR UVURU, IMO STATE — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed chilling details of a plot by former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, to eliminate him alongside General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election. Speaking during the dedication of a state-of-the-art church in Imo State, Obasanjo said he survived the plot only by the special grace of God.
The former President spoke at Ogbor Uvuru in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area, where he commissioned “The Noah’s Ark,” a magnificent new church building donated by philanthropist and real estate mogul, Engr. Obioma Success Akagburuonye. The edifice, built for the Assemblies of God Church, is modeled after the Biblical Ark and has become a beacon for faith and tourism in the region.
Reflecting on his 1995 arrest under Abacha’s regime, Obasanjo recounted how the military ruler vowed that neither he, Abiola, nor Yar’Adua would leave prison alive.
“When I was arrested, I initially thought it was a mistake,” Obasanjo said. “But I later realised it was deliberate. Abacha had decided that for him to remain in power perpetually, we had to be liquidated. He boasted that MKO Abiola, Shehu Yar’Adua, and I would not come out alive. Two of them didn’t make it. I did — not by my strength but by the special grace of God.”
He continued, “I prayed like Stephen in the Bible, only I amended the prayer: whether they knew what they were doing or not, I asked God to forgive them. I resigned myself into God’s hands.”
Obasanjo, who described himself as a clear beneficiary of God’s amazing grace, shared another testament to his survival, recalling a course he attended in Ghana in 1959. “Out of the nine Nigerians who completed the course, only two of us are still alive today. It’s not because we were better, but because of grace.”
The former President praised Engr. Akagburuonye for his generosity and commitment to God’s work, likening his life’s story to one marked by divine favour. He also paid tribute to Akagburuonye’s 104-year-old mother, kneeling before her to “tap into the grace of long life.”
The dedication of the church, which took place on Saturday, May 24, 2025, attracted a large crowd of worshippers, tourists, and dignitaries. In attendance were religious leaders including Rev. Dr. Sarah Seoh of Los Angeles, USA, and Rev. Abel Ukachi Amadi, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Nigeria, as well as traditional rulers, captains of industry, and political figures.
The “Noah’s Ark” stands as a symbol of faith and resilience in the heart of Imo State — and now, also a site where a former Nigerian leader shared one of the most personal stories of survival from Nigeria’s dark military era.
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