So as I pondered the meaning of what I had just done or said above, I began to question myself as to the real essence of Obasanjo's current corruption crusade. Did I, as I said to the Ambassadors, really believe that Obasanjo has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, seen the light and become truly born again? In other words, it meant that the much perpetually ballyhooed born-again he was constantly referred to when he originally came into office in 1999 was all smokes and mirrors. I questioned myself as to whether I had been wrong about this man all along, but I answered the question in the negative - no, I don't believe I have been wrong all along until now. No, I couldn't have been wrong at all. I don't feel disappointed that I have this view of the past, because Obasanjo himself presented the platform under which to judge him. Obasanjo had ruled Nigeria from 1976-1979 as a militaryman, and when he left, he smelled like roses to most Nigerians, except to his Yoruba ethnic group which felt he had cheated Chief Awolowo out of the Nigerian presidency, which wasn't true. He became the first ever militaryman in Africa to peacefully hand over the reigns of government to an civilian elected government. The world proclaimed him a hero and was ushered into the highest echelons of power. He was a revered former military man, helped in founding the African Leadership Council as well as Transparency International. At one time, he was supposedly seriously in contention with Kofi Annan to become the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

However, on March 13, 1995, Obasanjo's world unraveled with his arrest under the orders of the then military dictator General Sani Abacha on a trumped up charge of plotting to over-throw Abacha's government. Under a kangaroo trial, Obasanjo was sentenced to be executed but under international pressure, his sentenced was commuted to life imprisonment. He survived some assassination attempts, and after serving three years and three months in jail, he was released by General Abdulsalami Abubakar who had taken over the reigns of government after the death of Gen. Abacha. Gen. Abubakar had quickly announced that nothing would stop him from handing power back to the civilians despite sycophants who wanted him to remain in power.

As rumors swirled about his intentions after his release from prison, Obasanjo denied his interest in another presidency of Nigeria. Despite his denials, this writer was the first to see through the lies after meeting and having breakfast with Obasanjo in New York, at the guest house of the United Bank for Africa, with the African Sun Times breaking the news that Obasanjo was running for president. Obasanjo became his party's candidate and was voted overwhelmingly into office. He was sworn into office on May 29, 1999, ironically being just a day short of the date that Biafra had been declared in 1967. During his first term of office, from 1999-2003, it seemed that whatever experiences from his ordeal as both an accused and ultimately a prisoner by the sadistic Sani Abacha had been lost. During this period, Nigeria seemed to have plunged further into anarchy, with corruption reaching into the highest echelons of government. Obasanjo seemed to have been paralyzed into a state of inertia, with many of his ministers behaving like Saudi Arabian Princes. Despite professions of fighting corruption, Nigeria's image deteriorated further and its standings on the index of most corrupt nations plunged from No. 28 to No.2, just a shed lower than perennial No.1 Bangladesh.

Okay, those who have been following this writer's comments on the Obasanjo presidency will say we have flogged the old horse long enough, tell us about this new breed. Why is this new horse's romp reverbrating around the world? Why are you sort of changing your tone? What's your basis for this new sobriquet you have appended to Obasanjo's name, "truly been born again?" Okay! Obasanjo won re-election for a second term in 2003, albeit with a lot of accusations of unsavoury election malpractices during the balloting. No sooner had he started his second than it seemed the born-again bug bit him. He sacked practically most of his ministers from his first, or rather second, administration, although retaining some of them as senior advisers. He then brought in technocrats and appointed them ministers for some of the highly sensitive ministries, angering some of his political constituencies. These included Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former vice president and secretary to the Board of the World Bank in Washington, DC; Dr. Olu Adeniji, formerly a director at an UN agency; Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai; and Dr. Dora Akinyuli.

Then Obasanjo had three of his former ministers arrested, charged with 16 counts of $214 million fraud in the national identity card scheme.

But what have stunned observers of what they had come to term Obasanjo's empty corrupt campaigns, and delighted an overwhelming majority of Nigerians, have been two recent high profile cases. On January 17, this year, like a thunder and lightning, the government suddenly announced that its Police Chief was retiring, after accusing him of corruption. His "retirement" supposedly took place on March 6, 2005.

Again, on March 22, Nigerians were again stunned, when they saw their president on national television, accusing one of his ministers of corruption and firing him on the spot. The legislature also came into heavy and scalding attack, which has resulted in the accused Senate President being voted out of that post by his colleagues in the Senate. Since then a second minister has also been fired. Nigerians were even more delighted last week to see the leader of the much despised police force, Tafa Balogun, in hand-cuffs. According to some public opinion polls in Nigeria, more than 90% of the people support Obasanjo's tough action on corruption. And Nigerians outside are brimming with pride, and seem to be walking a little taller that something positive is finally coming their way. Moreover, Obasanjo's anti-corruption language crusade has more than toughened - "there aren't going to be any sacred cows." The question that is being asked is what is behind this sudden change of heart on the part of President Obasanjo? Well, let me answer that. I don't want to sit here and speculate as to his motives, but I believe anybody would want to leave a statler legacy, the President should be no exception. Some times it is hard to discern what is real and what is phony - just like the story of the shepherd who cried wolf every time, that when the real wolf came, nobody came to his rescue. But what I do know and want to do is savour this period in Nigeria's history - that for whatever reason, one man tried to make a difference.

So, I will continue to walk around with the smirk on my face, which will hopefully turn into smile. And maybe, just maybe, by 2007 it will turn into laughter when I stand next to or behind President Olusegun Obasanjo as he hands the reigns of government to a truly civilian government - finally bringing Nigeria's perpetual transition to an end. That day, President Obasanjo will have been truly born again. Dr. Chika A. Onyeani is a Fellow of the New York Times Foundation Institute for Journalists, and author of the critically acclaimed book, "Capitalist Nigger: The Road to Success." He is the publisher and editor in chief of the African Sun Times.