Nigeria's first lady dies
2005-10-23 15:49
Abuja - The wife of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo died on Sunday after undergoing surgery in Spain, and an autopsy will be performed on her body, officials said.
Stella Obasanjo, described as Obasanjo's "beloved wife," was 60, said the one-sentence statement signed by presidential spokesperson Remi Oyo. No further details were given.
The Spanish foreign ministry said Obasanjo's wife died on Sunday morning at a hospital in the southern resort city of Marbella, where she had been on a private visit.
The ministry said it had no information on the cause of death and did not know if she had undergone surgery, as asserted by Nigerian officials in Abuja.
The body was taken to a coroner's office in nearby Malaga for an autopsy, the ministry said.
Obasanjo is president of Sub-Saharan Africa's most-populous nation of 130m people and has played a key role as peace mediator in West Africa.
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki sent a message of condolence to Obasanjo and described the leader's wife as a motherly figure who inspired women in Nigeria and across Africa.
"On behalf of the government and the people of Kenya, and on my own behalf, I extend our heartfelt condolences to your presidency personally and through you to all Nigerians," Kibaki said in a statement.
- AP