Olusegun Obasanjo
PER
Olusegun Obasanjo Obasanjo
When President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria visits Washington, he will probably be lauded for his crucial role as a regional African leader. During his seven years in power, Mr. Obasanjo helped end Liberia's civil war by taking in the strongman Charles Taylor and refusing to accept a Togo coup. Unfortunately, while Mr. Obasanjo deserves credit for good deeds outside of Nigeria, his own country is deteriorating fast and he is partly to blame. Fueling some of this is the perception, right or wrong, that Mr. Obasanjo's much-vaunted anti-corruption campaign concentrates only on critics of his government. In his two terms, Mr. Obasanjo has helped bring stability to a volatile region.