Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has caused fresh public interest after revealing that he does not know his exact age.
The remark was made during the latest edition of the Toyin Falola Interviews held on Sunday, December 7.
His statement shocked many viewers, as the conversation covered memory, leadership, and the preservation of records.
However, Obasanjo explained that he often estimates his age by looking at his classmates who are still alive.
He noted that six of them remain, and none of them is below 90 years.
The former president spoke during the interview session anchored by Professor Toyin Falola.
Bishop Matthew Kukah and former presidential candidate Professor Kingsley Moghalu were also panelists.
The discussion, therefore, shifted from governance to personal history in a natural and engaging way.
Obasanjo said, “I don’t know my exact age but I could judge from those who were in school with me… I believe there are six of my classmates in secondary school that I know are still alive and none of them is less than 90 years of age. So I leave it to you to guess what my age could be.”
He added that his early school documents are still intact due to the effort he made to keep them.
Moreover, he noted that these records are now stored in his presidential library, which was created to preserve national memory.
According to him, “My school record card in primary school, I have been able to keep them and when I became President and I wanted to establish the library, they were available to be exhibited.”
Obasanjo further explained the purpose of the library.
He said it helps preserve history, capture the present, and inspire future generations.
“We have digitalised over 3m materials. We still have about the same number, 3m to digitalise,” he said, stressing the importance of documentation.
In addition, he revealed that the library holds personal items such as letters written in prison, manuscripts of his books, and even crops he planted during his incarceration.
Meanwhile, his personal story reinforced the need for better record-keeping practices in Nigeria.
The discussion became a reference point for the ongoing debate about Obasanjo real age, especially since he urged viewers to make their own conclusions.
Furthermore, he stated that the lack of strong documentation culture has affected how history is understood in the country.
“Why the Presidential Library? I believe one of the things we don’t do too well in our society is that we don’t keep records too well, institutional memory is not what we do very well,” he said.
