Which Nigerian leader advocated for the New Partnership for Africa's Development(NEPAD)?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which Nigerian leader championed NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

Step 2: Explain the concept NEPAD is an economic development programme of the African Union (AU). It was adopted in 2001, when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was transitioning into the AU. Its main aims are:

• Eradicating poverty in Africa
• Promoting sustainable growth and development
• Integrating Africa into the world economy
• Promoting good governance, peace and security
• Encouraging the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)

Step 3: Identify who was behind it NEPAD came from the merger of earlier plans: the Millennium Africa Recovery Plan (led by Thabo Mbeki of South Africa) and the OMEGA Plan (led by Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal). President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, together with Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was one of the founding architects and strongest advocates. Obasanjo served as the first Chairman of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC).

Step 4: Eliminate the other options

• B. Yakubu Gowon (1966-1975): He was a military head of state during the Civil War era, and his government helped found ECOWAS in 1975, not NEPAD.
• C. Muhammadu Buhari: He ruled as military head of state (1983-85) and later as civilian president (2015-2023), long after NEPAD began.
• D. Shehu Shagari (1979-1983): His Second Republic predated NEPAD by nearly 20 years.

Step 5: Answer The correct answer is A. Olusegun Obasanjo.

Exam tip: Link the people with the organizations:

• Gowon → ECOWAS (1975)
• Obasanjo → NEPAD (2001) and the AU era
• Murtala/Obasanjo → anti-apartheid stance in Southern Africa

Remember "Obasanjo = One of NEPAD's Originators."