Tinubu: Awolowo among history’s greatest thinkers, symbol of visionary leadership
President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to implementing wide ranging reforms and pursuing long term national development.
Tinubu made the remarks on Friday in Ikenne, Ogun State, during the 2026 memorial lecture organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation in honour of late nationalist Obafemi Awolowo.
Represented by the minister of state for health and social welfare, Iziaq Salako, the president said the government’s reform agenda reflects the visionary leadership style associated with Awolowo.
According to him, Nigeria currently has a leader in Awolowo’s mould who is guiding the country through a crucial period of reforms.
Tinubu described Awolowo as an exceptional statesman whose courage, intellectual depth and people centred policies transformed the old western region.
He said Awolowo’s tenure as premier between 1954 and 1959 positioned the region as a model for development through strong investments in education, healthcare and infrastructure.
“Pa Awolowo was a profoundly wise leader whose ideas and actions placed him among the great thinkers and reformers in history,” the president said.
He noted that the introduction of free universal primary education in 1955 remains one of the most significant policy decisions in Nigeria’s history, adding that the initiative helped build the strong human capital base that continues to drive development in the south west.
Tinubu also highlighted Awolowo’s infrastructural achievements, stating that more than 2,000 kilometres of roads were constructed across the western region during his administration, a figure that far exceeded what was inherited from the colonial government.
The president added that the current administration’s economic and structural reforms have started yielding positive results, including improved economic indicators.
He said Nigeria recorded a gross domestic product growth rate of 4.23 percent in the second quarter of 2025, alongside improved foreign reserves and a significant reduction in the debt service to revenue ratio.
Tinubu urged Nigerians to support the ongoing reform agenda to sustain economic recovery and long term growth.
Also speaking at the event, former Commonwealth secretary general Emeka Anyaoku described Awolowo as one of the three founding fathers of modern Nigeria, noting that his legacy continues to shape national political thought.
Anyaoku cautioned political actors against focusing excessively on the 2027 elections at the expense of governance.
Delivering a lecture titled Politics as future making: Awolowo and leadership as theory of action, Wale Adebanwi, professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, said Awolowo approached politics as a long term project aimed at shaping society through visionary policies and scientific governance.
Adebanwi added that Awolowo’s intellectual works provide a practical blueprint for building a prosperous and egalitarian federation, grounded in federalism, social justice and human capital development.
In her remarks, Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, executive director of the foundation, said the annual lecture is designed to encourage reflection on leadership and Awolowo’s enduring values.
She also announced the establishment of the Obafemi Awolowo Future Leaders Fellowship, an initiative aimed at nurturing ethical and visionary young leaders across Africa and the diaspora.
Awolowo-Dosunmu added that the foundation is also considering sector based awards to recognise individuals who demonstrate excellence and integrity in their respective fields.
