If not for the little delay caused by General Olu Bajowa, now 80, former President Olusegun Obasanjo would have ended up eaten by the worms! In other words, he escaped the bullets of Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka by the skin of his teeth on 13 February 1976. Obasanjo revealed this in Igbotako, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State during the birthday party in honour of Bajowa, a former Nigerian Army’s Adjutant- General, Quarter master-General, Commandant, Command and Staff College, Jaji, and Aviation Minister. He was born on 27 December 1940.
Bajowa whose wife had just been delivered of a baby boy in 1976 wanted to seek the permission of Obasanjo to allow the bundle of joy bear his name. Obasanjo felt honoured; he waited at home for Bajowa. It was because Obasanjo did not set out early to the office as planned that saved his life when the assassins/coup planners struck on the road. They mistook somebody else, Reinumuje, for him and pumped a hail of bullets into the poor man.
In Obasanjo’s own words: “I want to say something about Olu either he knew it or he didn’t know. When Dimka coup came, if Olu had not been what and what he is, I would have gone with the coup.
“Let me tell you the story. Olu is very respectful. He is very conscious of our culture. He had a child, a boy, and wanted to name the child after me. He had to call me early in the morning, that morning that Dimka struck.
“And because Olu said he was coming, I had to wait a little bit. I waited beyond the time I would have gone out. Olu then came, he made the request and I granted the request.
“So, I was a little bit late in going on the route that I normally take to work. And Reinumuje went ahead of me and they thought it was me and they shot his car. They shot his car, Murtala was shot. Indirectly, that is how Olu Bajowa saved my life.”
Today, Awawa Radio 94.1fm, owned by Bajowa, was inaugurated by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
