Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his family, aides and associates on Saturday held a memorial service in honour of his late wife and former First Lady, Mrs Stella Obasanjo, twenty years after her demise.
Mrs Obasanjo died at age 59 on October 23, 2005, following a botched tummy tuck – elective liposuction – procedure in Spain.
The ceremony was attended by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the son of the late wife, members of the Obasanjo and Abebe families, associates and other distinguished personalities.
The former president, in a short response during an interview after the service, said, “We are here to celebrate a life of service.”
In his testimony during the church service, younger brother of the late first lady, John Abebe, said she would be remembered for her infectious smile which he said always melted peoples’ hearts.
“Sister Stella was somebody you just couldn’t get angry with because she will always smile through everything, every difficulty,” he said.
“I remember when my oldest brother passed on; as soon as my sister came from Abeokuta to see my parents or to stay with my parents, everything changed in the house.
“With her smile and huge encouragement to my parents, the grief was reduced.
“So, when I saw this announcement a few days ago, that was what occupied my heart throughout, and I knew that whatever I was going to say today was going to be based on her smile,” he added.
In his autobiography, My Watch, Obasanjo had disclosed that he had no knowledge of Stella’s plan to undergo the cosmetic procedure that led to her death.
“After the internment, I decided to look into the circumstances of her death,” Obasanjo wrote on page 240 of Volume two of the book.
Her son, Muyiwa, described her as a caring mother.
“She was caring and protective as an only child, most people understand that, but [she was] also strict and would not tolerate any deviation from you.
“So, I have kept that in mind, and I have continued to try to live my life that way,” he said.