Stella Obasanjo was
the first lady of Nigeria, married to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, she was born on 14 November 1945 in Iruekpen, Esan West, Edo State to the family of Dr. Christopher and Mrs. Theresa Abebe.
She began her education at Our Lady of the Apostles Primary School. She enrolled at St. Theresa's College, where she obtained her West African School Certificate in 1964 with grade one. Two years later she obtained the higher school certificate.
She was admitted to the University of Ife
now (Obafemi Awolwo University), Ile-Ife, for a bachelor's degree in
English, attending from 1967 to 1969. In 1969 she transferred to the UK
to complete her studies, this time round, in insurance, in London and Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1970 to 1974. She completed her education with a certificate as confidential
secretary from the Pitman College in 1976.
She returned to Nigeria in 1976 and soon after married General Obasanjo, who had become Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.
She became Nigeria's First Lady in 1999, following the election of her husband as president.
As first Lady of Nigeria, she joined the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation and on 6 February 2003, she declared the day the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
She died a few weeks before her 60th birthday from complications of cosmetic surgery at a private health clinic in Puerto Banús, Marbella, Spain, on 23 October 2005. The surgeon, identified only as "AM" in court, was sentenced to one year of imprisonment in September 2009 on a charge of "causing homicide through negligence", disqualified from medicine for a period of three years and ordered to pay €120,000 (approximately US$176,000) in compensation to Stella Obasanjo's son.
She began her education at Our Lady of the Apostles Primary School. She enrolled at St. Theresa's College, where she obtained her West African School Certificate in 1964 with grade one. Two years later she obtained the higher school certificate.
She was admitted to the University of Ife
now (Obafemi Awolwo University), Ile-Ife, for a bachelor's degree in
English, attending from 1967 to 1969. In 1969 she transferred to the UK
to complete her studies, this time round, in insurance, in London and Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1970 to 1974. She completed her education with a certificate as confidential
secretary from the Pitman College in 1976.She returned to Nigeria in 1976 and soon after married General Obasanjo, who had become Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.
She became Nigeria's First Lady in 1999, following the election of her husband as president.
As first Lady of Nigeria, she joined the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation and on 6 February 2003, she declared the day the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
She died a few weeks before her 60th birthday from complications of cosmetic surgery at a private health clinic in Puerto Banús, Marbella, Spain, on 23 October 2005. The surgeon, identified only as "AM" in court, was sentenced to one year of imprisonment in September 2009 on a charge of "causing homicide through negligence", disqualified from medicine for a period of three years and ordered to pay €120,000 (approximately US$176,000) in compensation to Stella Obasanjo's son.
