Obasanjo To Attend M7's Swearing-In

By Hamis Kaheru Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is expected to attend President Yoweri Museveni's swearing-in on May 12. Nigerian High Commissioner to Uganda Sam Edem said that Obasanjo, 63, was scheduled to fly in on May 11 on the invitation of the Government. "We are yet to give that confirmation to the Government of Uganda. When we give it then we can talk to you and give details," Edem said. Head of Chancery Chris Moneke said it was too early to know the composition of Obasanjo's entourage. "It is still a proposal, only that we are planning ahead. As of now we don't know who is coming with him," Moneke said. This will be the first time for Uganda to host Obasanjo, who has been Nigerian head of state twice. He was inaugurated for his current term on May 29, 1999, ending 15 years of military rule in Africa's most populous country. As a military ruler himself, Obasanjo relinquished power to elected civilians in 1979 and lived a quiet life until October 1995 when he was arrested by the late dictator Sani Abacha's regime for an alleged coup plot. Obasanjo was tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to 15 years in prison. A month after he was arrested, writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight members of his Movement for Survival of Ogoni Peoples were hanged for the murder of four Ogoni chiefs. Ken Saro-Wiwa's execution made many people doubt whether Obasanjo would live to serve his sentence. But he was transformed from prisoner to president following the sudden death of Sani Abacha in June 1998. Ends