Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that the ex-Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, is like a daughter to him.
The erstwhile Nigerian leader said he treats Ezekwesili like his biological daughter because she is intelligent, dynamic, reliable, and enterprising.
Obasanjo made the remark while felicitating with Ezekwesili on her 60th birthday.
In a statement signed and made available to OsunDaily News, the elder statesman recounted how the former Minister worked with him while he was president.
He thanked God for Ezekwesili life while wishing her more fruitful years.
The statement read in part, “Obiageli Ezekwesili is like a daughter to me. Even when she was a minister, I treated her the same way I treated my biological daughters.
“She was a dynamic young woman who is competent, reliable and very enterprising. As she, therefore, clocks 60 today, I cannot but thank God for her life, as I wish her more fulfilling and glorious years and decades ahead.
“Oby and I met through Transparency International, an initiative started by Peter Eigen, who had worked at the World Bank and saw the need for more integrity in the public arena.”
Obasanjo said it was “easy to warm up” with Ezekwesili due to her hard work and dedication to duty.
