…Leadership not about physical age but age of ideas – Akume
Leadership took centre stage on Thursday as former presidents, diplomats and policy leaders examined Africa’s governance challenges at the Murtala Muhammed International Lecture and Leadership Conference in Abuja.
The lecture, themed “Has Africa Come of Age?”, attracted former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Ghanaian President John Kufuor; former Malawian President Joyce Banda; and former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma.
Also in attendance were the Special Envoy of the President of Angola, Dr Dionisio Manuel da Fonseca; National President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria, Ambassador Joe Keshi; the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II; and Mrs Ajoke Muhammed, widow of the late Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in his opening remarks, attributed Nigeria’s developmental setbacks to the failure of leaders to groom credible successors.
He said one of Murtala Muhammed’s enduring legacies was the emergence of capable successors who sustained his vision, noting that subsequent administrations, including his, had not replicated that standard.
“We cannot make progress if we take two steps forward, one step sideways and three steps back,” Obasanjo said. “The failure of leaders after Murtala, including myself, is that we have not been able to create successors who could continue after us.”
He cited the lifting of the rice import ban after the 1979 transition to civilian rule as a policy reversal that undermined long-term planning.
“By July 1979, we were on course to be self-sufficient in rice production and banned rice importation. By October, the ban was lifted. Since then, we have not recovered. That is why we are still importing rice today,” he said.
Obasanjo called for structural reforms and capacity building to boost local production and exports, stressing that Africa must grow its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at between nine and 10 per cent annually to attain true development.
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan said while Murtala symbolised decisive leadership, Africa’s democratic future rests on strong institutions.
He listed credible electoral bodies, an independent judiciary, professional security agencies and accountable governance systems as pillars of sustainable democracy.
“Democracy requires vision rather than decree and persuasion instead of command. It depends on institutions, not individuals,” Jonathan said.
He identified the absence of a durable democratic culture anchored on credible and transparent elections as a major challenge for Africa.
Jonathan also advocated greater youth participation in governance, noting that Murtala assumed office at 38 and delivered impactful reforms within 200 days.
“If we are looking for people who can run nations in Africa, we should look within the 30 to 40 age bracket. That is when you find vibrancy and stamina,” he said, urging governments to lower age barriers and strengthen youth inclusion frameworks.
However, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who represented President Bola Tinubu, argued that leadership is defined by ideas rather than age.
He described Murtala as a patriot who fought corruption, championed Africa’s liberation and initiated a transition to civil rule before his assassination. He urged Nigerians not to despair, assuring that the current administration remains focused on its reform agenda.
In her welcome address, Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Dr Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, said Africa’s political independence has yet to translate into full economic sovereignty.
“We are politically independent, yet still negotiating economic dependence. We are rich in talent and resources, yet confronting inequality and fragility,” she said.
Delivering the keynote address, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said Murtala captured national imagination through bold reforms, including a civil service purge, probes of military governors and recovery of illicit assets.
He noted that the late leader’s declaration that “Africa has come of age,” made weeks before his assassination, underscored a call for dignity, integrity and self-determination.
Former Ghanaian President John Kufuor said the real test of Africa’s maturity lies in whether the continent stands with a settled sense of identity, responsibility and purpose in global affairs.
He described Murtala’s 1975 declaration as an assertion of dignity, insisting that Africa must no longer be treated as an object of history to be exploited or directed by external powers.
Kufuor maintained that the continent’s coming of age must reflect its capacity to shape its destiny and uphold the worth of its people.
