Fire could have killed me –Obasanjo

Culled from the Punch Newspaper of 03/01/012

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said providence saved him from the fire which recently burnt a part of his Hilltop Mansion in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

If the fire which consumed his secretary’s office had occurred during the night, the former President said he would have been suffocated by fumes from the inferno.

He spoke when the executive members of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party visited him in Abeokuta.

According to him, the smoke from the fire, which enveloped his bedroom, was enough to kill any living being.

He said, “The fire, which occurred in the office of my private secretary, resulted in thick smoke which pervaded my bedroom. If it had happened at night, I would have been a dead person.”

Obasanjo, who thanked God for sparing his life to witness the New Year, said since the incident, he had continued to receive calls from within and outside the country.

He said, “I want to thank you all who called me on the telephone, both within and outside the country. Let us appreciate the mercy and kindness of God. There were many of us who started last year, but are no more today. We are not mocking them but extolling God.

“In fact, that I am able to stand erect is God’s blessings. Many in my age group cannot stand well anymore. I am not mocking them, but I am thanking God. My hope and prayer are that this year  will be a glorious year.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the Lagos State PDP, Tunji Shelle, told Obasanjo that the visit was to sympathise with him over the incident, and to celebrate the New Year with him.

He said  it was also to receive his blessings ahead of  the 2015 general elections.

Shelle added, “Our Baba, our leader and our former President, we are here for three reasons: to symphatise with you over the incident; to celebrate new year with you and to get your blessings for the 2015 elections.

“Thank God, the fire was curtailed. Whether small or big, we don’t pray for such incident to happen again. In everything, we have to give thanks to God.”