I’m uncertain about my exact age – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has once again stated that he does not know his exact age, noting that he can only estimate it based on the ages of his surviving primary and secondary school mates.

Obasanjo made the remark on Sunday during the Toyin Falola Interviews series titled “A Conversation with His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.”

The session was anchored by historian Prof. Toyin Falola, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Dr. Matthew Kukah, and former presidential candidate Prof. Kingsley Moghalu.

The former president said six of his classmates are still alive and none is younger than 90, suggesting he is likely in the same age range.

“I don’t know my exact age, but looking at those I went to school with, none of them is less than 90 years.

“So you can guess my age,” he said.

Obasanjo also explained why he established the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, describing it as a repository for preserving Nigeria’s institutional memory and providing public access to historical documents.

According to him, the library has digitalised more than three million materials, with another three million still undergoing digitisation.

These include his primary and secondary school records, personal letters, manuscripts written during his imprisonment, and even crops he planted while in prison.

“We preserve the past, take note of the present, and hope these materials inspire the future,” he said, stressing that record-keeping is one of the areas Nigeria has historically neglected.