PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has described the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as a profound wise man of sound judgment whose legacies and ideals will continue to serve as the benchmark in Nigeria’s history.
Tinubu stated this on Friday at the 2026 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture held to commemorate the 117th posthumous birthday of the late premier of the old Western Region.
The lecture was organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation and held at Efunyela Hall, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako, said the event was not just a gathering to remember the ideals that the late Premier of the defunct Western Region stood for, but also another opportunity to reflect on and practice the virtues that made him stand out among leaders of his generation.
He stated that the legacies built by Awolowo, who founded the 76-year-old Nigerian Tribune, the only surviving private newspaper in Nigeria, remain benchmarks for governments to leverage for sustainable development.
The President noted that no other Nigerian has been as widely acknowledged as the sage as Obafemi Awolowo, owing to his exceptional integrity, intellectual depth, and implementation of welfare-oriented and human capital development policies.
He likened the late Awolowo to historic and contemporary figures such as Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, Laozi, Nelson Mandela, Jane Goodall, and Warren Buffett (the “Sage of Omaha”), in recognition of his immeasurable leadership contributions.
“Pa Obafemi Awolowo is remembered for his exceptional integrity, intellectualism, and implementation of welfare-oriented and human capital development policies which leapfrogged the Western Region to the front row of our country’s socio-economic development and which, up till today, continue to shape the trajectory of the South-West region.
“There are many great Nigerians, living and dead, who have been described in various complimentary ways.
“To my knowledge, nobody else has been so widely referred to as a sage like Pa Awolowo, qualifying him as a profoundly wise man with deep experience and sound judgment. He is — the present tense deliberately used — in the class of old legends like Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, Laozi, and modern ones like Nelson Mandela, Jane Goodall, and Warren Buffett (the Sage of Omaha),” the President said.
He acknowledged the solid foundation laid by Papa Awolowo for the South West in the area of human capital development, saying that every South-Westerner remains grateful for it.
President Tinubu said, “As Premier, Chief Obafemi Awolowo also prioritised infrastructural development, especially the building of road networks. Records have it that he revolutionised road infrastructure by constructing over 2,000 kilometres of roads, including significant bitumen-surfaced roads, which was nearly 10 times the mileage inherited from the British colonial administration.
“Chief Obafemi Awolowo demonstrated that to go beyond cosmetic impact and profoundly change the trajectory of our development, we need leaders who are courageous, focused, and visionary; leaders who think not just of the immediate but of the future; leaders who act, not just talk.”
He commended the resilience and dedication to service of the late elder statesman, whom he said has continued to be a reference point almost four decades after his transition in the nation’s political history.
President Tinubu applauded the Foundation, under the chairmanship of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; the Patron, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; and the Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, for providing a platform for discourse capable of bringing about change in Nigeria’s political, social, and economic life.
“Bodies like the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation should continue to objectively analyse government policies and dispassionately inform the people of the progress being made towards the common good of all citizens.
“I congratulate the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation for today’s event and for sustaining the legacy of intellectualism and robust discourse for which the late sage was known.
“Let us continue to work together with the government for the peace, stability, and progress of our country,” Tinubu added.