Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that during his tenure as military Head of State (1976–1979) and later as a democratically elected president (1999–2007), the United States always informed his government before taking any actions on the African continent.
Obasanjo specifically recalled that late US President Jimmy Carter would not act in Africa without notifying Nigeria.
His remarks appeared to reference recent statements by former US President Donald Trump, who threatened military intervention in Nigeria over attacks on Christians by armed groups.
Trump had claimed that “Christianity is facing an existential extermination” in Nigeria, prompting divergent reactions from Nigerian leaders.
The federal government rejected the assertion, insisting that insecurity affects all religious groups.
Carter and Nigeria: A Historic Relationship
Speaking on Monday in Abeokuta at the Presidential Youth Mentorship Retreat organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Obasanjo reflected on Nigeria’s standing in Africa.
“At Independence, the world saw Nigeria as a giant coming up. Soon after independence, we lost that. When Murtala and I came into government, we brought it back,” he said.
He added: “When I was the military head of state, President Jimmy Carter was the president of America; he would not do anything in Africa without informing us. They were not taking permission from us, but they would tell us that ‘they are doing this.’”
Obasanjo noted that as a young leader, he and his peers were idealistic and committed to Africa’s liberation.
“We were young. We were idealistic, and we knew what we wanted for Nigeria. It was not about money…Our ambition is not money.”
Youth Leadership and Africa’s Future
At the mentorship session themed “Africa and the Conflicts in Europe and the Middle East”, Obasanjo urged youths to be “positively disruptive” and take their rightful leadership roles. He challenged them to act decisively today rather than wait for tomorrow.
“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,” he said, citing examples of ageing leaders holding onto power in Africa, such as Cameroon’s Paul Biya, aged 92.
Obasanjo also reminded Nigerian youth to leverage their population size for political influence. “You have the number, but the number will only matter when you use the number to your advantage.”
He expressed concern that some youths in government “have not proven that youths can be absolutely trusted.”
Since Obasanjo left power, no US President has visited Nigeria, highlighting a change from past decades.
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