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Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has revealed that he does not know his exact age — a confession that sparked curiosity during a live session of the Toyin Falola Interviews on Sunday.
Obasanjo explained that he estimates his age by comparing himself with his surviving secondary school classmates. According to him, six of them are still alive, and none is younger than 90.
“I don’t know my exact age, but I could judge from those who were in school with me… So I leave it to you to guess what my age could be,” he said with a smile. Despite this uncertainty, the former leader celebrated his 88th birthday in March.
Speaking
further, Obasanjo shed light on the purpose behind the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), describing it as a massive project designed to safeguard Nigeria’s institutional memory and historical records.He revealed that over three million materials have already been digitised, with an additional three million awaiting digital preservation. The archive includes his primary and secondary school records, letters he wrote in prison — including personal messages to his wife — a letter to the late General Sani Abacha after his son’s death, as well as manuscripts of his books and even farming records from his incarceration period.
Obasanjo lamented that record-keeping remains weak across African institutions, stressing that the library’s mission is to document the past, capture the present and inspire the future.
