President Bola Tinubu on Friday assured Nigerians that his administration remains committed to far-reaching reforms and long-term national development.

Mr Tinubu spoke at the 2026 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation at Efunyela Hall, Ikenne, in Ogun State.

Represented by Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, Mr Tinubu said his government’s agenda reflected the visionary leadership style of late nationalist Obafemi Awolowo.

He said Nigeria today had a leader in the late Awolowo’s mould guiding the country through a critical period of reforms.

The lecture theme was ‘Politics as Future-Making: Awolowo and Leadership as Theory of Action.’

Mr Tinubu described the late Awolowo as a rare statesman whose courage, intellectual depth and welfare-driven governance transformed the old Western Region.

According to him, the late Awolowo’s tenure as Premier from 1954 to 1959 established the Western Region as a development model built on education, healthcare and infrastructure.

He stated, “Pa Awolowo was a profoundly wise leader whose ideas and actions placed him among the great thinkers and reformers in history.

“His introduction of free universal primary education in 1955 remains one of the most consequential policy decisions in Nigeria’s history. The policy laid the foundation for the strong human capital base that continues to drive development in the South-West.”

Mr Tinubu also highlighted Awolowo’s infrastructural revolution, noting that more than 2,000 kilometres of roads were constructed across the Western Region.

He said the figure far exceeded the road network inherited from the colonial government.

Mr Tinubu noted that the present administration’s economic and structural reforms had begun stabilising the economy and improving key indicators.

According to him, Nigeria recorded a Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 4.23 per cent in the second quarter of 2025.

He added that the period also saw improved foreign reserves and a significant reduction in the debt-service-to-revenue ratio.

Mr Tinubu urged citizens to support the ongoing reform agenda to sustain economic recovery and growth.

Earlier, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku described the late Awolowo as one of the three founding fathers of modern Nigeria.

He said the late Awolowo’s legacy continued to shape national discourse and political thought.

Reflecting on current politics, Mr Anyaoku cautioned against excessive focus on the 2027 general elections at the expense of governance.

Delivering the lecture, Prof. Wale Adebanwi, said the late Awolowo approached politics as a long-term project of shaping society through visionary policies and scientific governance.

Adebanwi, a Guggenheim Fellow, is a Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, United States.

He also holds a secondary appointment in the U.S. Department of Political Science.

According to him, Awolowo’s intellectual works offer a pragmatic blueprint for building a prosperous and egalitarian federation.

He said the ideas were grounded in federalism, social justice and human capital development.

In her welcome address, Executive Director of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, said the lecture promotes reflection on leadership and Awolowo’s enduring values.

 She also announced the establishment of the Obafemi Awolowo Future Leaders Fellowship.

According to her, the initiative aims to nurture ethical and visionary young leaders across Africa and the diaspora.

Mr Awolowo-Dosunmu added that the foundation was considering sector-based awards to recognise individuals demonstrating excellence and integrity in their fields.

 (NAN)