Coup now history in Nigeria -- Obasanjo
Stories from KABIRU YUSUF,Abuja

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday assured the international community and Nigerians as well that the country will never experiance military coup again as he said his administration will use both political and military solutions to ensure peace in Niger Delta region.
The president stated this when he received delegations of foreign edtors from United States of America on fact-finding mission to Nigeria while reacting to a question on whether he had fears on the possibility of a military intervention after elections.
The president emphatically said: “No. I believe that the military had ceased to be part of our political life. I cannot in the slightest incidence think of this and I can say that with all elements of certainty, because that used to be my constituency.
He added: “We have given them what they need, professionally, confidence, training, etc.“ “I am very much looking forward to retirement”.
Commenting on the situation in the Niger Delta region and the need for oil companies operating in the area to live up to their social responsibility he said: “We cannot continue this way; government would use all measures to ensure peace in the region and it will not condone any criminality”.
On the forthcoming general elections, he said: “My administration sees a very successful election”, assuring that government would go down in history as the one that conducts and even hands over power from one civilian government to another.
While welcoming the editors, he said that their trip was coming at a very exciting period in the political history of the nation, adding: “In the over 46 years of our independece, this is the first time there will be transition from one democratic government to another and changing of baton from leader of government to another.
Already, this administration, he explained has good records to its credit. “It is the longest civilian administration since independence and we have the record of not only that but being the freest in terms of fundamental rights. The best”.
The president, had during the interaction that had the national chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Alli, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu and the minister of information and communication, Frank Nweke, in attendance, said that the lives of Nigerians have drastically improved during his administration’s seven years and eight months.
This is, he said was “because the poverty index of the country that was put at 76th was 18 months ago 54th. Now it is 40 and this is something. Take HIV/AIDS prevalence. From 5.8 per cent, it came down to 4.4 in 2005 and in Dcember 2006 it was around 3 per cent.
“When we came in as government, foreign reserve $3.7 billion but now it is $45 billion. There was a debt of $35 billion but now all debts have been paid the Paris Club and by March we will exit the London Club, while we owe the World Bank $2.5 billion.
“Education has improved in all the states of the federation. Agricultural production has been growing by 7 and 8 per cent,”he stated.
President Obasanjo had, while reacting to whether he has regrets, said that “when I was out there, my understanding of the problems of Nigeria was inadequate. For example, I thought that once I came in, the problem of power outages will be over.