Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Africa’s biggest challenge is not a shortage of resources but a serious deficit in leadership.
Obasanjo made the remark on Thursday during his 89th birthday celebration in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Reflecting on more than five decades in public service, the former president said Africa’s development problems stem largely from poor leadership rather than a lack 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 state’s current governor Dapo Abiodun, among others.
Obasanjo warned that poorly prepared leaders often leave their 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 added.
However, the former military leader stressed that strong and principled leadership can transform societies.
“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 from 1976 to 1979 and later as civilian president from 1999 to 2007, has repeatedly criticised the quality of leadership across Africa.
Speaking earlier in June 2025 at the Afreximbank annual meetings in Abuja, he faulted Africa’s political elite for lacking basic economic knowledge, warning that the gap contributes to corruption, wasteful borrowing, and 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.
He also condemned the misuse of public funds, stating that “Waste and corruption… are strange bedfellows of development.”
Obasanjo further argued that Western-style democracy has not always worked effectively in Africa, calling for governance systems that better reflect African traditions built on consensus, communal responsibility, and dialogue.
The elder statesman also lamented Africa’s reliance on foreign aid, urging countries on the continent to strengthen leadership and build 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.
He also recently expressed concerns about governance in Nigeria. Speaking in November 2024 at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the United States, Obasanjo criticised the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warning that the country risks becoming a “failing state”.
“The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated for all to see,” he said.
He attributed the situation to corruption, weak governance, and insecurity, warning that worsening insecurity and food shortages could further destabilise the country.