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

Increased revenues permitted government spending for infrastructure and improvements on a large scale; critics thought it was poorly planned and concentrated too much in urban areas. Obasanjo won more Northern states than Buhari but the latter did well in his region of NW winning Kano and retaining other ANPP states. Obasanjo is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP) a group of ten distinguiOlusegun Obasanjod individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.

A Nigerian of Yoruba descent Obasanjo was a career soldier before serving twice as his nation's head of state as a military ruler between 13 February 1976 to 1 October 1979; and as elected President from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Oluṣẹgun Mathew Okikiọla Arẹmu Ọbasanjọ GCFR (/oʊˈbɑːsəndʒoʊ/; Yoruba: Ọlúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ [olúʃɛ̙́ɡũ ɒ̙básandʒɒ̙́]; born circa 5 March 1937) is a former Nigerian Army general and former President of Nigeria.