Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has once again expressed uncertainty about his age, revealing that he can only estimate it based on the ages of his surviving former classmates
Speaking on Sunday at the Toyin Falola Interview Series, titled “A Conversation with His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,” the former president said several of his primary and secondary school peers are still alive, none younger than 90 years.
The session was moderated by Professor Toyin Falola and included Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Dr. Matthew Kukah and former presidential candidate Professor Kingsley Moghalu.
Obasanjo also discussed the purpose behind establishing his presidential library, describing it as a tool for preserving national records and strengthening institutional memory. He revealed that millions of documents have already been digitized.
“We have digitalised over three million materials. We still have about the same, three million more to digitise. The idea is that once these materials are digitalised, people can have access to them. That is number one. As document preservation, we preserve the past, take note of the present, and we want all these to inspire the future,” he said.
The former president said the library contains a wide array of personal and historical records, including his academic files, private correspondence, and manuscripts of books he wrote, including works completed during his imprisonment. Among the notable documents are a letter he wrote to former military ruler General Sani Abacha after the de.ath of his son and a letter to his wife while he was incarcerated.
Despite maintaining these records, Obasanjo said he still cannot definitively state his age but pointed to his surviving classmates as a reference.
“I don’t know my exact age, but I could judge from those who were in school with me. I have given you an example of Olubara (Oba Jacob Olufemi Omolade, the Olubara of Ibara) who is still alive. I believe there are six of my classmates in secondary school that I know are still alive and none of them is less than 90 years of age. So I leave it to you to guess what my age could be,” he said.
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The only truthful elder statement
Most of them did not know their age truly