Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Africa’s greatest challenge is not a lack of resources but a deficit in leadership
Obasanjo made the statement on Thursday during his 89th birthday celebration in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Speaking at the event, the former president reflected on his decades of public service, stating that Africa’s development problems are largely caused by poor leadership rather than a shortage of natural or human resources.
“I have seen across more than five decades of public life that Africa’s greatest deficit is not money, not land, not intellect. It is leadership. The bane of our development is leadership,” he said.
The event was attended by several prominent figures, including Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Ogun State governor Ibikunle Amosun, and the current governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun.
Obasanjo warned that poorly prepared leaders often leave countries weakened and divided.
“I’ve seen what happens when leaders are poorly formed. Nations fracture. Resources are stolen. Children without education go to bed hungry. And young people with brilliant futures abandon hope and take great and dangerous risks in search of greener pastures,” he said.
He also noted that capable and principled leaders can transform societies and institutions.
“I’ve also seen the opposite. I’ve seen what one well-formed leader can do. One leader with vision, with discipline, with integrity, with better service and incorruptibility, and with courage to serve rather than take.
“I’ve seen such a leader transform a community, rescue an institution, and redirect a nation. We have had them in Africa and outside Africa. OOLI (The Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute) exists because Africa needs more of those leaders. Many more.
“They must be trained deliberately, rigorously, and unapologetically. They must be formed by internalising and being imbued with the necessary attributes and values,” he said.
Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s military head of state between 1976 and 1979 and later as civilian president from 1999 to 2007, has consistently criticised the quality of leadership across Africa.
In June 2025, while speaking at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, he criticised Africa’s political elite for lacking basic economic knowledge, warning that the gap contributes to corruption, wasteful borrowing, and continued dependence on foreign aid.
“How many of our leaders even understand basic economics to be able to run the affairs of their country?” he asked.
The former president also condemned the misuse of public funds.
“Waste and corruption… are strange bedfellows of development,” he said.
Obasanjo also argued that Western-style democracy has not always worked effectively in Africa, suggesting that governance systems that reflect African political traditions should be considered.
According to him, Africa’s traditional governance structures, built on consensus, communal responsibility, and dialogue, often provided more inclusive approaches to leadership.
He also criticised Africa’s continued reliance on foreign aid and urged the continent to strengthen leadership and domestic economic capacity.
“We have lived too long on aid. Is that how Africa should be expecting to survive? I don’t believe so.
“We run to Japan; we run to China. But for how much? China will give $20 billion, which a single African country can generate if it is well governed,” he said.
Obasanjo has also recently expressed concerns about governance in Nigeria. In November 2024, while speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the United States, he criticised the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warning that Nigeria risks becoming a “failing state.”
“The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated for all to see,” he said.
The former president attributed the situation to corruption, weak governance, and insecurity, adding that “state capture” by powerful interests has undermined public institutions.
He also warned that worsening insecurity and food shortages could heighten instability, accusing some politicians of exploiting poverty by distributing food and gifts during elections rather than addressing structural challenges facing the country.
