At 87, Obasanjo represents something increasingly rare in global leadership: the long view. He has seen independence movements succeed and fail, democracies emerge and struggle, economies rise and stumble. His perspective spans generations, and perhaps that’s why his words carry such weight.
The Africa he envisions isn’t one that retreats from the global economy but one that engages with it from a position of strength—strength built through internal integration, good governance, and the hard-won wisdom that comes from understanding both your own capabilities and the true nature of the game being played around you.
In a world of quick fixes and soundbite solutions, Obasanjo’s reflections remind us that meaningful change—the kind that lasts—requires patience, pragmatism, and the courage to speak uncomfortable truths. Most importantly, it requires remembering that unity isn’t just a destination but a practice, renewed daily through the choice to see possibility where others see only problems.
The young men playing football at the University of Africa in 1967 understood something their elders are still learning: that belonging isn’t automatic, it’s chosen. And that choice, made repeatedly and with conviction, might just be Africa’s greatest strength.
