Quotes from Olusegun Obasanjo

Pope John Paul II not only visited Nigeria twice but stood by the country in its fight against dictatorship and injustice.

If I am not above the law, nobody in this country can then claim to be above the law.

My gut feelings and my faith tell me that until God shuts a door, no human can shut it.

I believe God knew what he was doing when he put oil under our ground. It should be a means to an end.

What the oil producer gets paid is about 16 percent. The majority of it is tax, which in fairness to the government of this country they have accepted and admitted.

Let me make a solemn pledge before all of you, before the whole world and before God, that I will devote all my energy and all I possess in my power to serve the people of Nigeria and humanity.

My joy knows no bounds... I will devote all my energy and all the powers available to me to the service of Nigeria and humanity.

We will as soon as possible reexamine our laws and policies and eliminate all obstacles to genuine investment.

There is no part of the world where corruption is absolutely eliminated.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that our foreign friends are welcome to join in our endeavor to develop the resources of our country.

Yet there comes a time in the life of a patriot when abdication would amount to a betrayal if not outright treachery.

When I left office in 1979, I was about the only one who had really left public office on my own.

Corruption, the greatest single bane of our society today.

At the same time, African aims to intensify cooperation with China in the fields of trade, investment and agriculture.

We regard America and Europe as old friends. We keep old friends, but we make new friends in Japan, India, and China.

Unfortunately, the true force which propels our endless political disputes, our constant struggles for political advantage, is often not our burning concern for democracy, it is often of our dedication to the principle of the rule of law.

Fighting corruption is not a one-night affair.

We will work to bring an element of stability to the price of oil.

Nigeria has no business with poverty. With our human and material resources, we shall strive to eradicate poverty from our country.

I am a black man inside and outside and you are white men on the outside, but inside, you are Africans like me.

Femi Fani Kayode is my boy. Provide him food, he will eat and then sing for you. He's a smart boy

My gut feelings and my faith tell me that until God shuts a door, no human can shut it.