As I headed back to London on board my Virgin Atlantic flight on Sunday 30 January, I finally got a chance to do a write-up of my visit to Abeokuta to be part of the strategic session on leadership, economy, and the polity with President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR.
The truth is that Saturday, January 22, 2022, was a special day for me because I met an absolute legend, a Nigerian statesman and an Africanist, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. It was a momentous day for a diverse group of professionals from different parts of the country. As for me, I have always considered OBJ to be a visionary leader. One of the initiatives that I remember clearly as a primary school pupil was the “Operation Feed the Nation” which commenced in 1976, which his administration launched. Years later, it dawned on me that this was a mission-oriented approach to solving an urgent and “wicked” problem of insufficient food supplies because the agriculture sector was unable to meet the food demands of the country. This major agricultural policy action taken by the government of the day remained planted in my mind as a child.
However, before I talk about the key highlights from the session for me, I would like to dial back to the very beginning to share how my encounter with Mr President came about.
Pre-Retreat: How it all started and the Covid-Restriction Drama
I consider Joseph Edgar a friend, but I must admit that I mostly respond to his direct messages and hardly read or respond to the numerous broadcast messages he churns out to avoid being distracted from my research and studies. However, for some reason, at 16:01 on November 29, I noticed a message from Joseph stating that a member of the Board of Trustees Nigeria in Diaspora Luxemburg/Belgium, is a financial supporter of the OBJ retreat. OBJ retreat: What is an OBJ retreat? I then glanced back at the preceding message that read, “The super luxurious Green Legacy Hotel on the Obasanjo Presidential Library lot just confirmed its readiness to host the 50 emerging leaders who would be welcomed with fresh palm wine and a pack of five books personally autographed by Chief Obasanjo. Are you coming?”
I promptly responded to Joseph at 16:02 saying “When is this retreat? I am so interested.” He proceeded to tell me the date and asked that I pay at least 50% to secure my place, which I did the next day 30 November. Soon after I got a letter confirming my attendance and Joseph asked me to moderate the session. Just like that- that’s the Duke of Shomolu way! The fact is if you know Joseph, you will know that he is a free-spirited, non-conformist genius that essentially formulates and executes plans on the fly. Interestingly, these plans always seem to turn out great with remarkable outcomes! So, I decided to take a leap of faith, knowing that Joseph will deliver because he always does. I then contacted my travel agent and booked my flight. I was excited because I was going to meet and interact with one of the most respected African leaders, a true statesman and a remarkable man. I was also looking forward to meeting and engaging in nation-building ideas with a group of people- I only knew two people (Joseph Edgar and Chioma Okigbo) but had no idea who the other participants were! I was looking forward to the adventure and the chance to meet, engage and interact with people.!
However, four days later, on the evening of December 4, I watched a video of the British Health Minister, Sajid Javid, announcing that Nigeria had been added to the red list category as the UK tightened travel restrictions in an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 variant, Omicron, effective at 04:00 on Monday, December 6. The news did not say how long this restriction would last, so I became saddened because the implication of this restriction was that upon my return to the UK, I would have to stay in a crummy hotel for ten days! I decided I wasn’t going to cancel my flight, so I got on with other matters, believing that things would be clearer nearer the time! Then, on the 14th of December, news came in that Nigeria was considering placing travel restrictions on the UK. I remember thinking this cannot be happening-what is going to happen to my January trip? Fortunately, by the next day, the UK reversed the restrictions on Nigeria and other countries. This meant that I was going on my trip if I passed the next hurdle-a negative COVID test before boarding a flight to Lagos. I really do miss the good old days when travelling was hassle-free and there was no need to have someone stick long Q-tips into your throat and nostrils, then keep you in suspense for nearly 12 hours before letting you know if you could board a flight or not.
Anyway, I subsequently made full payment for the retreat to secure my spot. And so Joseph set up a WhatsApp chat group, organised a couple of Zoom meetings, connected with Ore Sofekun and Tope Fasua via WhatsApp calls, and we were all in preparation mode for the retreat. I started packing, although I didn’t get final confirmation of my trip until just after 9 pm on the eve of my planned departure with the email that read “NEGATIVE” in bold letters. I arrived in Lagos on the morning of Wednesday, September 19, and met with Tope on the 20th to brainstorm over drinks. Thankfully, I was not required to self-isolate because I had received my booster vaccination, but I had to do a day 2 test in Lagos, which I did early on Friday, September 21 before heading to the train station.
The Retreat
I arrived at an impressive-looking train terminus at Mobolaji Johnson Ebute Metta just after 10:30 am and was informed that I had to wait for tickets from one of Joseph’s team members. As I stood waiting, I introduced myself to Vanessa (Thisday) and Nike (LIRS). Vanessa mentioned that her cousin had worked with me on the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP), and we exchanged more pleasantries. Then a voice from behind a face mask said, “Your sons went to the same primary school as my daughter…”. I thought, no introduction, but it’s all good (I discovered later on the train that the mysterious man’s name was Ohimai Unuigboje-and his wife is an old friend). Then I met Hakeem Condotti and we got talking about general concerns about how divided Nigeria had become. This conversation continued on the train as we ended up sitting next to each other and discovered that his father is good friends with my late father’s younger brother—another connection. We then moved into the station waiting room, where I met Ore, Chioma Okigbo’s radiant smile, and Joseph’s red right eye! Ore and I then assisted Chioma in administering drops into Joseph’s eye whilst admonishing him for having several unlabelled tablets and eye drops.
We all collected our name tags, and eventually boarded our “private” coach which Joseph had announced several times on the WhatsApp group. The journey was smooth and animated with participants engaging in serious discussions, anecdotes and sharing of snacks- as Joseph didn’t provide us with packed lunches! Anyway, he managed to engage everyone by stopping over to banter and take pictures, in his usual playful manner. We arrived at Abeokuta and the gentle giant, Theo Philips, offered to assist me with one of my luggage (I had two pieces) and the ladies boarded the first coaster bus to the hotel after viewing and turning down three rooms, I settled for the fourth on the third floor. It was clear that the hotel was quite different from the one in the picture that Joseph had posted on the group! I dare say that the one in the picture had left Abeokuta! We had a warm welcome by the wonderful Emem, who handed each of us a heavy bag with books authored by OBJ. Afterwards, a few of us met to go for amala but once we arrived at the location, I quickly changed my mind-actually it was my sensitive stomach that warned me that it was unwilling to partake in any adventure this weekend, so I decided to step down the amala-quest and quietly went back to the hotel. Later on, before dinner, I went for a walk with Ayodeji Toboun, and we marvelled at the potential of the location if only there was better management and awareness. After dinner, a few of us trouped into Femi Tejuosho’s car to go into Mayfair (actually, I meant Mayfair club in Abeokuta). We sat, drank, discussed and, disagreed before returning to the hotel.
I woke up Saturday morning after a good seven-hour sleep, completed my workout with my exercise resistance bands, and was set for the day. I was excited. I was looking forward to the tours and meeting Mr President. We met in the lobby of the hotel, took our group pictures, and were led by Vitalis Ortese, the General Manager of the Olusegun Obasanjo Library, to commence the museum and library tours.
The Museum and Library Tours
We were met at the entrance of the museum by a mounted replica bicycle used by OBJ on his farms, stationed next to an old picture of him with his own bicycle. The museum was just très magnifique! It has a collection of actual and replicas of OBJ’s cars used over the years at critical junctures of history- including ones used for his political campaign, his swearing-in and his arrest. There is also a military helicopter and an armoured tanker. Vitalis did an amazing job narrating the significance of every memorabilia- great history lesson. As, we toured members of the group asked questions, made comments, and gave feedback such as the need to date the labels and the criticality of having the appropriate fire extinguishing system to ensure the safeguarding of the precious memorabilia. After the museum, we crossed the bridge built with the actual parts from the late sixties and a large pond that housed a school of catfish. We then proceeded to the grand presidential library commissioned in 2017. Again, we viewed more items, from different periods of Obasanjo’s life (his school report cards confirmed he was incredibly brilliant even as a child. We listened to a recording of OBJ where he outlined the importance of history and the importance of Nigeria as a beacon of light for the rest of the human community. He also mentioned that the values for every nation to succeed are industry, respect, love, humility, compassion, and fear for God! I also noted an inscribed message quoting OBJ titled- the five major pillars of Africa’s progress- politics, population, prosperity, protection, and partnership! We pressed on sat and took photographs on a mock-presidential chair and desk as we all enjoyed 10 seconds as presidents of Nigeria- each dreaming the prospects as presidents. At the end of one wing of the library was the corner dedicated to his beautiful late wife and first lady, Stella Obasanjo- I loved her because she shared the same name as my mother! The tour was memorable and thankfully, there was an official photographer to take our pictures as we were not allowed to take pictures. We were done just before 14:30 and then I dashed to my room to prepare for our date with history at 15:30.
The Session with Mr. President
We all arrived at the auditorium in the Presidential Library ahead of 15:30, sharply dressed and ready to meet our esteemed Baba! However, we were informed that some delegates from the People’s Democratic Party had arrived to hold closed-door discussions with him, which meant that our session started later. We were all fine with the development and used the time to fine-tune arrangements at the venue. Suddenly, at around 16:00 I noticed a trim elderly man take the stairs like an Olympic high jumper and there he was. I quickly got up, composed myself, and curtsied to Mr President and both the National and the Egba anthems were sung by the songstress, Queen Yinka. I was on the stage with President Olusegun Obasanjo- it was real! Ore kicked off the session as the MC, invited Joseph to speak and Tope to introduce Baba.
Subsequently, I invited Baba to speak on Nigeria, yesterday, today, and tomorrow- what hope. He spoke for at least fifteen minutes as he outlined the significance of the past in shaping future decisions. He pointed out that the beauty of Nigeria is our diversity and that if we appreciate and embrace this fact, we will have no problem managing the country. He went on to state that another key strength for Nigeria was the fact that we were the large population of black people on the earth and that it was what the same things that appear to make us complex that we should embrace as they made us who we are. In talking about yesterday, he outlined the importance of history- good or bad. According to him, history provides us with lessons on what to do better, what to stop doing and what to continue doing. In other words, Nigeria’s context will help drive its developmental trajectory. After Baba opening remarks, Tope kicked off the session with an opening question. Afterwards, before calling on different members of the audience, who had submitted their questions on the WhatsApp group to ask Baba their questions directly I asked a question of my own on China. I asked him his views on Nigeria and Africa emulating China by embarking on state-led capitalism. I elaborated that some have attributed China’s developmental success to the fact that they did their own thing and did not copy the West. Baba chuckled at the question and proceeded to answer. He outlined the fact that there were certain limiting factors that stopped us from following the same path. The first was the fact there was a gap in leadership as well as differences in the operating model used by the Chinese government and indeed Asian countries like South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia etc, which we as Africans may not be able to follow. The second is discipline and patience. He elaborated that the Chinese government are steadfast in pursuing their projects innovatively. The third is the importance of continuity. The Asian countries mostly continue and complete projects, unlike a number of African countries. He proceeded to ask one of his aides to fetch a book which he co-authored with Greg Mills, Haikemariam Desalegn, and Emily Van Der Merwe titled, The Asian Aspiration – Why and How Africa Should Emulate Asia. When the book arrived, he gave it to Joseph, who proceeded, as a typical capitalist, to auction the book on our WhatsApp platform.
Everyone was energized. I embarked on reading the various questions posted on the platform, putting them in clusters and inviting various participants to ask the questions directly. Baba, cool as a cucumber, remained unruffled, even when the difficult questions came in-he was unsurprisingly masterful! When asked the three key areas of focus for Nigeria that will give rise to the domino effect and spear development, His response was succinctly delivered: security, education, and the economy. Then, in response to a question on agriculture and the demise of Operation Feed the Nation after he left power as head of state in 1979, He succinctly pointed out that lack of continuity is a problem and that there was a name change to Green Revolution as the term “Operation” was considered to be a military term. He pointed out that it is important for subsequent governments to continue to do projects that are working and not to discard their predecessors’ projects.
Before rounding up, I chipped in to commend him on the presidential library and museum and asked him about the things that motivated him to build. He pointed out the importance of record-keeping and he reiterated the importance of people having access to the past to enable them to chart a way forward for the future. After two hours, the session ended, and we took pictures with Baba.
Afterwards, Tito Nwaigwe-Chukwu and I had an opportunity to engage Baba. I shared my PhD research area on Dynamic Public Sector Capabilities for Nigeria’s future development as well as my interest in the developmental path of the Asian countries. After granting us our pictures and selfies and learning that the book he brought on stage had been promptly traded off he nodded and promised to give me something better. He disappeared into another room and emerged with the actual manuscript, which autographed to me. I had not only got on a flight to moderate a session with OBJ, but I had also now received an autographed printer’s copy of his book. I most certainly will cherish this moment in my life!
Post-Session Activities
We all met for dinner, and afterwards, a few of us decided to go check out the on-site club, where some danced to popular Nigerian music. On Sunday morning, a few of us joined Joseph for a walk around the complex. After breakfast, we met as a group to discuss the highlights of the session and agree on tangible next steps. I opted to be part of the youth development and education causes because it aligned with my core areas of interest: the future of Nigeria and the importance of solving the youth unemployment problem in the country. Afterwards, Lolomari George, Ken Ubak, Charles Uzodinma and I decided to visit Olumo Rock. Though I have a phobia of heights, I was encouraged by the guys and the guides to proceed, and we took the staircase to the summit, 137 meters above sea level. I learnt that Abeokuta literally means “Under the rock”. I marvelled at the stone formation, and it reminded me of the mysterious Stonehenge in Salisbury and the Swineside stone circle in the Lake District (where I visited last summer with my sons). After the climb, the guys decided to drink some palm wine, so I joined them and had two sips to mark my completion of the climb. We arrived back at the hotel just in time to join the second bus to the train station. The train journey was smooth, and we all arrived safely, thankfully.
Conclusion
I would like to use this opportunity to commend Joseph Edgar for putting the retreat together. The weekend was a resounding success. I absolutely loved every moment of the weekend retreat, and I am so pleased I made the trip. I learnt so much, not only from the session with OBJ but from engaging and interacting with different people from divergent backgrounds and different I learnt from play and from serious discussions. I know for a fact that all the participants are committed to the Nigerian project and have dedicated our precious weekends away from family and responsibilities to it. One of my prayers for Nigeria is for us to be more collaborative and less combative as a people because I believe that collectively we will achieve great things. May all our efforts be rewarded as we sow seeds for the development of precious Nigeria.
