Presidents · Head-to-head
F. W. de Klerk vs Olusegun Obasanjo
Yes — based on their recorded years, F. W. de Klerk (1936–2021) and Olusegun Obasanjo (born 1937) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
F. W. de Klerk
F. W. de Klerk served as the last state president of South Africa under apartheid, initiating negotiations that dismantled the apartheid system and led to the country's first democratic elections in 1994.
Key achievements
- Became state president of South Africa in 1989, the last to serve under apartheid.
- Lifted the ban on the African National Congress and released Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.
- Negotiated the dismantling of apartheid and South Africa's transition to democratic elections.
- Shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela and served as one of two deputy presidents under Mandela's Government of National Unity from 1994 to 1996.
Fast fact
De Klerk shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela for their joint work dismantling apartheid, and after Mandela's 1994 election, de Klerk served as one of two deputy presidents in the Government of National Unity alongside Thabo Mbeki.
Full profile of F. W. de Klerk →Olusegun Obasanjo
Olusegun Obasanjo is a Nigerian statesman who served as Nigeria's military head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its democratically elected president from 1999 to 2007.
Key achievements
- Became Nigeria's military head of state in 1976, overseeing a transition to civilian rule in 1979.
- Voluntarily handed power to an elected civilian government in 1979, a rare move at the time.
- Was elected president of Nigeria in 1999, marking the end of years of military rule.
- Served two terms as president until 2007, focused on economic and anti-corruption reforms.
Fast fact
Obasanjo is one of the few African leaders to have governed his country both as a military ruler and later as a democratically elected civilian president, separated by roughly two decades.
Full profile of Olusegun Obasanjo →Who lived first, F. W. de Klerk or Olusegun Obasanjo?
F. W. de Klerk (1936–2021) lived first, before Olusegun Obasanjo (born 1937), based on their recorded years.
Were F. W. de Klerk and Olusegun Obasanjo contemporaries?
Yes — based on their recorded years, F. W. de Klerk (1936–2021) and Olusegun Obasanjo (born 1937) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
What do F. W. de Klerk and Olusegun Obasanjo have in common?
Both F. W. de Klerk and Olusegun Obasanjo are grouped among our Presidents figures and lived during the Modern Era.