Born: 14 November 1945, Nigeria
Died: 23 October 2005
Country most active: Nigeria
Also known as: Stella Abebe
As the wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Stella Obasanjo was the First Lady of Nigeria from 1999 until her death in 2005. A political activist, she advocated for women’s rights and the rehabilitation of her country following the Biafran civil war (1967-70), and founded Child Care Trust, for the care of underprivileged and/or disabled children, as First Lady. She also joined the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation and supported the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
The couple married the same year that Olusegun Obasanjo became Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces after the assassination of General Muritala Mohammed in 1976. Olusegun Obasanjo served as military head of state until 1979, and was elected president in 1999.
Her tenure was not without controversy, as newspaper publisher Omo-Ojo Orobosa was arrested and held without charge in 2005 after the newspaper ran a story about an alleged real estate scam involving the first lady and many of her relatives.