In New York, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, a special evening brought together several prominent African figures around one man: Olusegun Obasanjo. The former Nigerian president, now 89, was honored for his political career, his commitment to development, and above all, his role in seeking solutions to Africa’s crises. This recognition comes nearly twenty years after he left office as president of Nigeria.
In New York, the evening is centered on the theme of passing the torch. Around Obasanjo, former political leaders, private-sector executives, and figures from African financial institutions reflect on the key moments of his career. Among the issues discussed, Nigeria’s debt holds an important place. During his presidency, Nigeria reached a historic agreement with the Paris Club in 2005, securing a debt reduction of approximately USD 18 billion after paying around USD 12 billion.
“But the point that was important to me at that time was that I was headhunting, looking for people. Nigerians that I can use to achieve the purpose for which I was in government. And I’ve gone around the world in my first term of four years, trying to get debt relief, which I believe strongly that I could get.”
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria – Nigeria
“The background for this event was a conversation I was having with Baba, and I told him that I thought that the pension reform was arguably his most important reform on the continent, starting in Nigeria, and it’s cascaded all through. And he was furious. He said, you’re right, of all the things I’ve done, you want to put me under the pension reform? If you’re going to celebrate me, then you better bring out everything I’ve done.”
Chinelo Anohu, Director General, African Development Bank’s Africa Investment Forum (AIF) – Nigeria
But the tribute goes beyond economic issues alone. The testimonies highlight a career marked by institution-building, African integration, and the pursuit of peace. In 1979, Olusegun Obasanjo became the first Nigerian military leader to voluntarily hand over power to an elected civilian administration. Later, as head of the African Union, he championed the principle of African solutions to the continent’s crises, particularly in Darfur. He also worked to strengthen relations between African states and promote the development of the private sector. Businessman Aliko Dangote recalls, in particular, Obasanjo’s direct involvement in the transformation of Nigeria’s cement industry.
“When we started, we were doing the simple of our cement business, which was just to import cement, bulk cement, bag it, and now sell it to the market. And President Obasanjo, under his leadership, said that, no, that’s not going to happen. And he took charge. Charge in the sense that he drove every single process to make sure that thing happened.
Aliko Dangote, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group – Nigeria
“And so he stayed awake to face all those challenges wherever they came from, whatever source he had to deal with them. It does happen that you see him essentially, perhaps, as a Nigerian. He’s not. I think his very first struggles, his very first sacrifices were in the Congo. He was then a young military officer and was sent to Congo to do peace.”
George Elombi , President of Afreximbank – Cameroon
From the democratic transition to institution-building, as well as African integration and the pursuit of peace, the evening highlighted the major commitments that have defined Olusegun Obasanjo’s career. Commitments that, beyond Nigeria, have helped shape his role in the broader dynamics of the African continent.
