By Eric Elezuo

Immediate Past President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has celebrated former President Olusegun Obasanjo,  on his 89th birthday.

In the statement the former Minister of Agriculture signed on behalf of himself and his wife, he noted that Obasanjo is a man of wisdom, foresight, courage and boldness among other qualities.

The statement titled, Happy Birthday: President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, at 89, is presented as follows, in full:

Today, we celebrate a man who walks across generations like a bridge between time and destiny – a leader whose credibility is unquestioned and whose respect knows no borders.

A man of wisdom, rich with insight. A man of courage, who steps boldly into the battlefields of ideas and argument, unafraid to speak, unafraid to stand, unafraid to be counted.

In the public square he cannot be silenced. He does not merely ruffle feathers – he pulls them out, speaking truths that are sometimes uncomfortable, yet always necessary, driven by an unwavering devotion to truth, equity, and justice.

Disciplined in thought. Disciplined in action. Disciplined in judgment.

When conflict rises and storms gather over nations, the world turns to voices of wisdom— and among those voices uniquely stands President Obasanjo.

A leader who dares to walk where others hesitate. A man who speaks to the mighty without fear and lifts the weary without condescension— challenging the powerful to do what is right, while urging the humble never to lose hope.

An indefatigable spirit, whose optimism refuses to drown in the tides of despair, rising ever higher with a familiar refrain echoing across years: “We will get it right.”

A defender of the weak. A reconciler of enemies.

A soldier who walked through the fires of war and emerged a builder of peace, a bridge for peace, a reconciler of differences, and a defender of the weak.

The Yoruba adage reminds us: “An elder cannot stand in the marketplace and watch the head of a baby slump on the back of its mother.”

Baba Obasanjo is an elder among elders. He will not only warn the mother to secure the child— he will help her do it. And if the knot still loosens, he will do what only the truly responsible elder does: lift the child himself and carry the infant upon his own back.

A man whose memory is sharp as history itself— remembering dates, details, and moments with the precision of a living archive.

And yet, beyond titles and offices, beyond uniforms and presidential seals, he remains something greater:

A father not only to his own, but to many. To a nation. To a continent.

The Baba of Africa. The Baba of the world.

Today, as you turn 89, we celebrate not only the years you have lived but the lives you have touched, the conflicts you have calmed, and the courage you have inspired.

May God continue to grant you strength, health, and vitality.

May your voice remain strong, your wisdom undimmed, your presence a guiding light for generations yet unborn.

For in the long march of time, you stand as one of its wisest elders.

The timeless Baba.
Happy 89th Birthday.
Hearty congratulations!

Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, CON, C.G.H. (‘Akin 45’) and Grace Oluyemisi Adesina (“Yemisi 55”)

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that at 89 years, he won’t die anytime soon.

He condemned those circulating a fake letter in which he was purportedly speaking about his death, saying they were only wasting their time because “I dey Kampe.”

The former president disclosed this on Wednesday while delivering a colloquium titled “Burden and Blessing of Leadership: Reflections from Global Africa to the World” held as part of the ceremonies lined up to mark his 89th birthday in Abeokuta.

Obasanjo was born on March 6, 1937.

He slammed those wishing him dead, saying he would remain on the earth surface agile and healthy for as long as his Creator wanted.

“For my final note in this address, I want to point your attention to the work of some never-do-well.

“That is their wish and surely not God’s wish for me. God has assured me that He has more for me to do on earth, and He has given me the wherewithal to do it.

“And those who wish otherwise are going to be dealt with by God Himself. I dey kampe as usual,” the former President said.

Earlier, the former President had lamented the leadership crisis that he said had, for decades, stifled Africa’s development, growth, and economic prosperity.

“Africa is not a problem to be managed but a promise to be fulfilled through honest, courageous, selfless, incorruptible and transformational leadership,” he said.

He explained that genuine leadership carried immense burdens, citing his own incarceration and near execution under the military junta of the late Gen Sani Abacha as part of that burden.

Highlighting Africa’s unrealised potential, he said, “By every measure of natural endowment, Africa should be a continent of prosperity, stability, peace, security and global influence.

“Instead, a major part of the continent remains a theatre of preventable disease and suffering, starvation, conflict, insecurity and poverty.”

Obasanjo identified leadership failure, not geography or history, as the primary cause.

“The primary cause is the failure of those entrusted with power to lead for the people and serve them rather than against them; to build institutions rather than subvert them; to welcome accountability rather than flee from it, to ensure equity and justice rather than enthrone injustice, inequality and inequity.”

He warned that many leaders arrive with promises but soon govern for personal or familial gain, undermine democracy, and erode institutions.

“The same young reformer who promised accountability begins to silence the press, harass the judiciary, and intimidate civil society.

President Bola Tinubu has approved a five-person delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of Rev. Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights leader, activist and former presidential candidate who died at age 84 on February 17, 2026, in Chicago.

Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, is the leader of the delegation, according to a press statement from the Presidency on Wednesday.

Other members are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; the Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs, Brian Browne; and the Senior Special Assistant, Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye.

The delegation will deliver President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family.

In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a great friend of Nigeria and Africa.

“He was a moral voice and a formidable resistance to apartheid in South Africa. He played a leading role in the campaign for the release from prison of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders. He won critical support for sanctions against the then apartheid government,” President Tinubu wrote.