Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday made a rare public appearance with President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of the Gateway International Cargo Airport, Iperu, Ogun State.
This is about the fourth time both political leaders have met in and outside Nigeria after the 2023 presidential election.
Obasanjo and Tinubu are known political rivals, which dates back to their days as President and Lagos State Governor, respectively.
In the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu brushed the political rivalry aside and consulted Obasanjo at his Abeokuta residence over his presidential ambition.
However, Obasanjo failed to back Tinubu. Instead, he declared support for Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), who came third in the election.
The former President has been critical of Tinubu’s government since its emergence, as he described it as “competing with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari administration in terms of inefficiency.”
Obasanjo stated this in one of his latest books titled “Nigeria: Past and Future.”
Daily Trust reports that the book was part of the two publications he launched to mark his 88th birthday in March 2025.
In chapter one, ‘From the Beginning till Now: The Missing Key’, Obasanjo touched on Nigeria’s leaders since independence and concluded that Buhari’s administration is the worst civil administration regime so far in the country’s history.
He said, “Only Bola Tinubu’s administration seems to be competing with Buhari’s for now.”
In November 2024, Obasanjo said Nigeria’s failing status under the reign of President Tinubu is “confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see.”
He labelled Tinubu as “Baba-go-slow and Emilokan.”
A statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, quoted Obasanjo as having said this while delivering his keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
In his address titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” Obasanjo said, “Nigeria’s situation: As we can see and understand, Nigeria’s situation is bad. The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, discord, division, disunity, depression, youth restiveness, confusion, violence, and underdevelopment.
“That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan. The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see through the consequences of the level of our pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, perversion, injustice, incompetence, and all other forms of iniquity. But yes, there is hope.”
Obasanjo, Tinubu’s Public Appearance
Both leaders have hardly met at public events since 2023, when Tinubu became president.
In January 2024, Tinubu met with Obasanjo at the inauguration of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, for his second term in office.
The ceremony took place at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, the state capital.
Tinubu and Obasanjo were invited to the ceremony by Uzodinma.
During the ceremony, the duo exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.
That was the first time Tinubu and Obasanjo met after the 2023 elections.
Outside Nigeria, Tinubu and Obasanjo met at the venue of the swearing-in of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa following his re-election in June 2024.
The video shared on social media had captured the moment Tinubu walked into the swearing-in venue after Obasanjo, in Pretoria, South Africa.
Also in January 2025, Tinubu met with Obasanjo alongside another former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan during the inauguration of Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, at Black Star Square in Accra.
In his keynote address, Tinubu lauded Ghana’s democratic achievements and urged critics to cease questioning Africa’s capacity for democratic success.
Tinubu bows in respect to Obasanjo in Ogun
On Saturday, both Obasanjo and Tinubu met at the Gateway International Cargo Airport, Iperu, Ogun State.
One of the clips being circulated showed Tinubu bowing in respect to Obasanjo and former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, as the two elder statesmen joined other Ogun leaders in welcoming him on arrival at the airport.
In a video, Tinubu greeted Obasanjo and Osoba, bowing as he exchanged pleasantries with the duo.
At the event, Obasanjo wore Tinubu-themed attire made of Adire fabrics, a development that sent tongues wagging on social media platforms.
While making his speech, Tinubu praised Obasanjo for his “commitment to good governance.”
He said, “Baba Obasanjo, thank you for this freedom and democracy, and your commitment to good governance.”
Obasanjo thanks Tinubu for honouring Ogun indigenes
Earlier, in his goodwill message, Obasanjo thanked the president for honouring the invitation to inaugurate the airport.
“When the Governor (referring to Dapo Abiodun) gave me the time of your coming, it was free for me. But then the Governor added and said, ‘you will make a speech.’ And I asked him: ‘in what capacity?’ He said in the capacity that ‘you are a citizen of Ogun State.’ Well, I couldn’t dispute that,” Obasanjo said.
“So, Mr President, I am here to welcome you on behalf of all the citizens of Ogun State and to thank you for doing all the honour. Not only doing all the honour but making the sacrifice. This is in the Christian calendar, which is Holy Weekend.
“Others will eat normally celebrating Easter, and you gave us that day to join you and, in fact, celebrate this occasion with us, which is a very important occasion in the history of Ogun State.”