“A well-formed leader can redirect a nation” – Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria has said that a well-formed leader is all a nation needs to be redirected towards the path of development.

Obasanjo, who celebrated his 89th birthday, said that African nations lack the required attributes for the continent to thrive.

Speaking in Ogun State while addressing graduates of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI), the former president said that most individuals who take up leadership positions across the continent are poorly prepared, while nations are deeply fractured, leading to disaster.

The ceremony took place during Obasanjo’s 89th birthday lecture, themed “The Global Africa Enlightenment: From Chains to Renaissance.”

According to Obasanjo, the leadership and governance process adopted by African nations has left resources depleted, children hungry without education while the future of the younger generation has been abandoned.

He also warned that many youths in Africa have been forced to give up on hopes and take “dangerous risks” in search of better opportunities.

He said, “I’ve seen what one well-formed leader can do.”

“One leader with vision, with discipline, with integrity, with better service and incorruptibility, with courage to serve rather than take can transform a community, rescue an institution, redirect a nation,” Obasanjo said.