I have no regret over my stewardship – Obasanjo

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that he has no regrets over the decisions he took in joining the Nigerian Army and serving the country as its No. 1 citizen.

At a leadership training workshop organised for primary school headboys and headgirls in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states by the Centre for Human Security (CHS) of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Obasanjo urged Nigerian youths to be courageous in decision-making.

'Be bold and courageous when taking decisions. I was bold about mine and I would say I have no regrets,' he stated while recalling his decision to join the Nigerian Army.

Obasanjo also charged the participants to embrace core values of life to help them move Nigeria towards sustainable development. He canvassed adequate reward for teachers to enable them to effectively discharge their duties and impact positively on the young ones.

Prof. Akin Mabogunje and Ogun State commissioner for education, science and technology, Mr Segun Odubela, attended the workshop.

Obasanjo, who was the special guest of honour, expressed worry about the dearth of quality leadership in many African countries. He said it was imperative to breed new leaders with deep sense of patriotism and exemplary leadership skills.

The former president highlighted what he described as '20 golden rules for young leaders' and asked them to stick to them.

Obasanjo said youths that aspire to leadership positions must learn to set good examples for others; always keep their promises; set realistic goals; be good team players and be courageous when making decisions.

He said: 'These 20 golden rules are not by any means exhaustive. But if you imbibe and internalise them while you are young, they will stand you in good stead throughout your life. You cannot be a good leader if you don't set good examples. Because as a leader your job is to lead and the art of leading is showing example. Be firm, kind, considerate and compassionate.'