Stakeholders at the 2026 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture held on Friday have called for a radical return to the “scientific” and welfarist governance style of the late sage to navigate the country’s current socio-political headwinds.
The event, which took place at the Efunyela Hall, Ikenne, served as a rallying point for policy experts, diplomats, and government officials to examine the intersection of leadership and national survival.
Delivering the President’s greetings, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, described Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a “profoundly wise man” whose intellectual candle continues to illuminate the path for regional and national development.
Salako noted that the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is cut from the same cloth of courage as the late Premier, noting that recent reforms were necessary to pull the nation back from fiscal collapse.
”Today, the socio-economic indexes are clearly showing that Nigeria is recovering from the inevitable radical economic surgery applied by Mr. President,” Salako stated, citing a 4.23% GDP growth rate in Q2 2025.
The Minister further revealed that the administration’s health sector renewal initiative has already seen maternal mortality rates drop by up to 17% in high-burden local government areas, mirroring Awolowo’s priority for human capital.
However, the Chairman of the occasion and former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, tempered the government’s optimism with a call for vigilance regarding the nation’s security and electoral integrity.
Anyaoku specifically pointed to the “unrelenting insecurity” in states like Zamfara, Plateau, and Niger, urging the Federal Government to maintain Nigeria’s sovereignty even while seeking international collaboration to crush banditry.
”The international community will be closely watching the political party campaigns and the processes for the 2027 national elections,” Anyaoku warned, stressing the need for fairness in the results.
The Guest Lecturer, Professor Wale Adebanwi of the University of Pennsylvania, delivered a robust intellectual treatise titled “Politics as Future-Making: Awolowo and Leadership as Theory of Action.”
Adebanwi argued that Nigeria’s failure to achieve sustainable good leadership stems from a “prodigal political economy” that replaced productive agriculture with a culture of “sharing the national cake.”
He identified four “odds” against the nation: the nature of state composition, a damaged political economy, the erosion of social virtues like Omoluabi, and a “grotesque” elite composition that hijacks democratic progress.
”Any leadership that fails to adopt a scientific approach to social problems is engaging in inexcusable ignorance and pigheaded stupidity,” the Professor declared, quoting Awolowo’s own philosophical stance.
Adebanwi challenged the current crop of leaders to view politics not as a search for power, but as a proactive process of “future-making” based on long-term planning and egalitarian principles.
He noted that if Awolowo were alive today, he would likely be convening experts to discuss the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the African continent, rather than focusing on the next election.
Reflecting on Awolowo’s trilogy of books, the lecturer emphasized that “keeping Nigeria one” is not an end in itself but a means to achieve the welfare and happiness of all citizens.
Executive Director of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Ambassador Dr. Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, in her welcome address, thanked the Foundation’s supporters for keeping the sage’s intellectual flame burning since 1992.
She noted that the memorial lecture is not merely an act of remembrance but a “critical interrogation” of the ideals needed to build a just and egalitarian Nigerian society.
The event featured a diverse audience, including traditional rulers, university professors, and youth leaders, all gathered to honor the man frequently called “the best president Nigeria never had.”
Dr. Salako, in his closing remarks, urged organizations like the Foundation to continue objectively analyzing government policies to ensure they align with the common good of the people.
As the ceremony concluded, participants sang the old Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) anthem, a poignant reminder of the “Life More Abundant” promise that defined the Awoist era.
The lecture ended with a call for all Nigerians to sustain faith in the country’s potential to become “Afric’s leading light,” as envisioned by the late sage over half a century ago.
