I don’t know my exact age, Obasanjo reveals

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he is uncertain of his precise age, although he approximates it based on the ages of his surviving classmates from school.

During an interview on Sunday as part of the Toyin Falola Interviews series titled "A Conversation with His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo," he mentioned that six of his secondary school peers are still living, none of whom are younger than 90 years old.

"I am not aware of my exact age, but I can estimate it based on those who attended school with me... Therefore, I leave it to you to speculate on what my age might be," Obasanjo remarked.

Regarding the purpose of the Presidential Library, which he founded to safeguard institutional memory and historical documentation, Obasanjo stated, "We have digitized over 3 million items. We still have approximately the same number, 3 million, left to digitize.

"The intention is that once these items are digitized, individuals will have access to them... In terms of document preservation, we maintain the past, acknowledge the present, and aspire for these to motivate the future."

He emphasized that the library houses his primary and secondary school records, correspondence he penned while imprisoned, including letters to his wife and a note to the late General Sani Abacha following the death of his son, manuscripts of books he has written, and even records of the crops he cultivated while in confinement.

"What is the significance of the Presidential Library? I believe one of the areas where we fall short in our society is in maintaining records effectively; we do not excel in preserving institutional memory," Obasanjo expressed.

Notwithstanding this, Obasanjo celebrated his 88th birthday in March.