More about the 1976 Coup- Obasanjo speaks

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday,
reflected on the 1976 coup, saying many Nigerians
feared the country would be destroyed.
Obasanjo, who spoke when he played host to the
cast and crew of a yet-to-be-released film, titled
1976, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library
(OOPL), Abeokuta, said there were misconceptions
about the historic event.

He explained that the misunderstandings arose
because most of those involved in the coup were
Christians and that “killing the Head of State, who
was a Muslim, on a Friday, by a gang thought to be
Christians, was a bad signal.”

There were questions like, “What will the coup
amount to and where will it lead us?” the former
President recalled. After watching some scenes
from the film, Obasanjo described it as “a mixture
of sweetness and sorrow.”

He commended the team for the production,
stressing, “The film will remind us that we should
not go back to the dark days that put us in
dilemma.”

He said, “We can have more of this, as there are
more national issues that can also be portrayed. We
are capable of the best and that is what this film
has shown.”

The executive producer, Tonye Princewill, said the
cast and crew were on tour of the country to seek
support and endorsement for the film billed to
premiere in November.

He stressed, “The youth of today need to have a
sense of the past, hence the resolve to have the
film 1976, which is simply called 76.
Princewill said the visit to Obasanjo was important,
“considering his position at that time in the country.

We deem it fit to come and show him the film and
curry his endorsement, which as you can see we
have got it.”