Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday disclosed that during his tenure as Nigeria’s Head of State, the late United States President, Jimmy Carter, would not take any action in Africa without informing him.
Trump, in a series of posts on 𝕏 between October 31 and November 1, condemned what he described as continued killings in Nigeria and warned that the US military could intervene if the Federal Government failed to halt attacks by jihadist groups.
Naijaonpoint reports that his comments have triggered mixed reactions from religious bodies, political leaders, and the Federal Government, which has repeatedly insisted that insecurity affects citizens “across all religious groups.”
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the Presidential Youth Mentorship Retreat (6.0) organised by the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Obasanjo refrained from mentioning Trump directly.
However, he strategically highlighted the respect Nigeria once commanded on the global stage, especially during his interactions with Carter.
Obasanjo and Carter, who died in December 2024 at age 100, were widely regarded as close allies. In January, Obasanjo hosted a memorial service in Abeokuta where he delivered glowing tributes to the late US leader.
Obasanjo said that from independence, the international community, particularly the United States, recognised Nigeria as the leader of Africa.
He noted that this global confidence waned at a point but was restored during the Murtala-Obasanjo military government.
“From independence, the world saw us as Africa’s leader. At some point we lost that confidence, but the Muritala-Obasanjo regime brought it back,” he recalled.
Sharing a personal memory to illustrate Nigeria’s once-strong diplomatic influence, Obasanjo said as the US President, Jimmy Carter would not do anything on African soil without informing the Nigerian government when he was Head of State.
He said, “They were not taking permission from us but they will tell us that ‘they are doing this.
“When I was president and Head of State, three American presidents came to Nigeria. They have not lost anything that they were looking for in Nigeria. What did they see? At Independence, the world saw Nigeria as a giant coming up. Soon after independence, we lost that. When Muritala and I came into government, we brought it back.
“The Americas saw that there was a possibility of Nigeria being Africa’s leader and we were on the way. When I was military head of state, President Jimmy Carter was the president of America, he would not do anything in Africa without informing us. They are not taking permission from us but they will tell us that ‘they are doing this.”
He also recalled that a couple of the then under 40 military leaders including himself were always driven by the belief that Africa and Nigeria must be liberated.
“We were young. We were idealistic and we knew what we wanted for Nigeria. It was not about money. We were young, we were all under 40, all of us. We were probably a bit naïve too. But our ambition is not money,” Obasanjo said.
Naijaonpoint reports that the retreat with the theme “Africa and the Conflicts in Europe and the Middle East”, attracted participating youths from across Nigeria and parts of other African nations.
During the mentorship session, Obasanjo challenged African youths to be positively disruptive in order to take their rightful positions in leadership across the continent.
Citing examples of sit-tight syndrome in Africa, Obasanjo told the youths to see themselves as leaders of today and not leaders of tomorrow.
He said, “You are leaders of today because if you leave tomorrow in the hands of leaders who are there today, they will destroy it, you won’t have your tomorrow. You can see that happening almost everywhere.
“Cameroon just had an election. My brother, Paul Biya is 92. So, what are you going to do with the youths, or are there no youths in Cameroon?
“Here (referring to Nigeria), we have NotTooYoungToRun and they even made it into law. Those who made it into law are 80 years old and they are still running. When will you have the opportunity to run? Like I said to you yesterday, you have to be positively disruptive and I mean that.
“Look, if three people are sitting and two of them start to press the one in the middle, when it becomes uncomfortable for him, it is either he yields the space or allows them to share. You have to be positively disruptive; otherwise, you will have no role to play.”
He further asked youths to leverage their population to take over leadership positions.
“You have the number, but the number will only matter when you use the number to your advantage,” Obasanjo said.
The elder statesman, however, expressed concern that some youths in the government have “not proven that youths can be absolutely trusted.”
Since Obasanjo left power, no US President has stepped his feet on Nigerian soil.
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