Beg My Husband To Convince Me: Oby Ezekwesili Recalls Obasanjo’s Unusual Request

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has recounted how former President Olusegun Obasanjo insisted that she travel to Norway to represent him at a major international event, despite her initial refusal.

Ezekwesili shared the experience during an interview with Founders Connect, explaining that Obasanjo had been scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a global meeting of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Norway but later became unavailable to attend.

According to her account, the former president contacted her on the eve of his planned trip and informed her that she would have to represent him at the event.

However, Ezekwesili said she strongly objected to the assignment because she was deeply involved in government reforms and was working to complete key initiatives before the administration’s tenure expired.

She explained that Obasanjo frequently assigned her new responsibilities because of her efficiency, sometimes disrupting the schedules she had carefully developed to complete existing projects.

Ezekwesili recalled that she protested the Norway trip and insisted that she would not go. According to her, Obasanjo subsequently contacted her husband and asked him to persuade her to accept the assignment.

The former minister said she returned home frustrated, believing her husband would support her decision to decline the trip. However, she was surprised when he also urged her to travel, arguing that she needed a break from the demanding work she had been doing.

She explained that she had deliberately reduced her official travels while serving as education minister to concentrate on reforms she considered urgent, particularly because the government had only a few months remaining in office.

Despite her objections, Ezekwesili eventually agreed to travel to Norway after her husband encouraged her to reconsider the request.

She added that the event turned out to be significant, noting that the person scheduled to deliver the next keynote address was the then-president of the World Bank.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Ezekwesili’s account offers a glimpse into her experience serving in the Obasanjo administration, highlighting the demands of public office and the challenges of balancing major reform programmes with additional government assignments.