Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo has penned an open letter to Cameroon’s long-serving leader, President Paul Biya, urging him to consider stepping down and securing his legacy as one of Africa’s greats.
The letter, reflective, personal, and steeped in the tone of shared history, reads less like a reprimand and more like a heartfelt appeal from one veteran leader to another.
“Dear Paul,” Obasanjo begins, before recounting his own journey through power and retirement. “I was in my mid-40s when I attained the heights of Nigeria’s Military Head of State. Three years later, you became the President of ‘Africa in Miniature,’ home of Africa’s strongest men, Cameroon.”
Obasanjo, who famously became Nigeria’s democratically elected president in 1999 after years of military rule, reminded Biya of the difference between their political paths. While he voluntarily left office in 2007, Biya has remained Cameroon’s president since 1982, a tenure spanning more than four decades.
“It has been 18 years since I left the corridors of power, while you remain the Great President of Cameroon,” Obasanjo wrote, subtly juxtaposing his own exit with Biya’s enduring grip on leadership.
With a tone both fraternal and reflective, the Nigerian statesman invoked the wisdom of age and the joy of legacy. “Dear Paul, as an octogenarian, I look forward to becoming a nonagenarian like you soon. People from our generation who are still living derive joy from the smiles and affection of our great-grandchildren, grandchildren, and children.”
In what appears to be the heart of his message, Obasanjo gently advised Biya to “not run out of luck,” urging him to “write [his] name in the good books of Cameroon forever.”
A Legacy Conversation Across Borders
Obasanjo’s missive is more than a personal note, it is a symbolic reflection of Africa’s leadership dilemma. With Biya approaching his 93rd year, questions around succession and democratic renewal have intensified both within and outside Cameroon.
For Obasanjo, whose career has been defined by both military might and democratic reform, the letter reflects his long-standing advocacy for leadership transition across the continent. Over the years, he has often spoken out about the dangers of “sit-tight” leadership and the need for generational renewal in African politics.
Whether Biya will heed the appeal remains uncertain. But Obasanjo’s message lands as both a warning and a wish, a reminder that power, however enduring, is ultimately transient, and that the most lasting legacy lies in the courage to let go.
Comments
Post a Comment