In a tone both wistful and resolute, former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently conceded that time is becoming a precious commodity. “I’m getting close to my departure lounge,” he confessed, a striking metaphor that captures both his awareness of life’s finite nature and his impatience for seeing Nigeria commence a genuine ascent to greatness. This poignant reflection forms one of the emotional underpinnings of his latest literary offering, Nigeria: Past and Future, a book that casts a critical yet hopeful gaze at the country’s leadership path, past legacies, and the possibilities that lie ahead.
Obasanjo’s words reverberate with a life lived in the service of the nation. He speaks not from malice or bitterness, but from a place of urgent hope—a moral imperative to witness Nigeria’s long-promised emergence before his eyes close on public life. These are not merely rhetorical flourishes. His own account affirms a lifelong devotion to Nigeria, a desire to see the nation realize its vast potential, anchored in optimism, frank critique, and a willingness to envision reform.
At an event marking the presentations of Nigeria: Past and Future—held as part of the celebrations of his eighty-eighth birthday at the Centre for Human Security and Dialogue in Abeokuta—Obasanjo reaffirmed his faith in the country’s ultimate vindication. “I am an incurable optimist about Nigeria,” he declared. Despite acknowledging that “the situation is bad, no doubt,” he unwaveringly affirmed his belief that “in my lifetime we will have Nigeria that we shall all be proud of.” In these candid words lies the essence of his vision: a nation redeemed through duty, unity, and selfless contribution from all sectors of society .
Nigeria: Past and Future does not shy away from exposing the fractures of governance, corruption, and youth disenchantment that plague Nigeria today. Obasanjo warns that a new, assertive generation—hungry, disillusioned, and demanding accountability—stands ready to ignite transformative change, if led correctly. “If the incumbent leaders do not shape up and satisfy the yearnings and demands of their people, especially the youths…then the future is indeed very bleak, with no light at the end of the tunnel” .
This analysis is neither nostalgic nor blind in its optimism. In his celebrated address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in November 2024, Obasanjo invoked Achebe’s timeless assertion that “the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” He lamented state capture, corruption, and the erosion of democratic trust, warning that such conditions pushed Nigeria perilously close to the brink of a failing state .
Obasanjo paints a compelling portrait of possibility—one carved through honest appraisal of failure and renewed commitment to reform. At the same time, critics have not been silent. Nigeria’s current government has dismissed much of Obasanjo’s critique as hypocritical, arguing that his own tenure was marred by electoral improprieties, mismanaged debt, and unfulfilled infrastructural promises—especially roads, railways, and power  . Indeed, his legacy remains complex: lauded by some for debt relief and democratic transitions, condemned by others for allegations of corruption, state distortion, and uneven reform .
What emerges, then, is not a simple eulogy to a past statesman, nor a frontal assault on a successor. Rather, it is the voice of an elder—wearing his years with both gravitas and urgency—calling for Nigeria’s leaders, institutions, and citizens to rally together and seize the promise of the future. He writes with the knowing frustration of one who has seen both hope and stagnation; the humility to critique; and the fire to believe that Nigeria can yet rise.
In this spirit, his reflection on nearing the “departure lounge” is neither defeatist nor self-pitying. It is a challenge—an invitation to the nation to transcend its failures, before time runs out on a generation that has already given so much.
In summary, Obasanjo’s statement—and the broader message of Nigeria: Past and Future—rests on three clear anchors: an ardent, lifelong hope for Nigeria’s greatness; a fearless critique of leadership and governance failings; and an unwavering belief that reform and renewal are possible, so long as action, unity, and integrity prevail. Written not to blame or to settle scores, it stands as a last act of patriotism from a man keenly aware of both his mortality and his country’s potential.
