Cold War to Chaos: Obasanjo warns of herculean challenges for youth

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that adults and societal leaders owe it to the youth to provide truthful, transparent, transformational, and selfless leadership.

Obasanjo spoke in Abeokuta on Saturday at the grand reunion and maiden lecture series of the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), United Kingdom Alumni Association, Nigerian Chapter.

The former president delivered a lecture titled, “The Challenges of Youth in a Fractured World.”

Represented by the Deputy Director of the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute, Professor Samuel Daramola, Obasanjo defined youth as the period between childhood and adulthood, marked by vitality, idealism, hope, expectation, dreams, and a touch of adventure and naivety.

He noted that today’s leaders once passed through this phase—marked by fantasy, energy, beauty, and idealism—but now, the youth face numerous challenges in a fractured world.

“Some of us were youths immediately after the Second World War; I was. Most of you were youths at the height of the Cold War.

“The world was not perfect, but there was some order and respect for international law, rules, and regulations. There were threats, but no impunity.

“They talked of a ‘balance of terror’ in those days, with reasonable stability, predictability, peace, and common security, as well as shared responsibility and prosperity among the leading nations of the world.

“Developing nations could breathe reasonably freely. The superpowers negotiated and consulted among themselves.

“Today, the youth face herculean challenges that they must not be left to handle alone,” he said.

Obasanjo called on leaders to prioritise the future by investing in it, rather than depleting resources meant for future generations.

He emphasised the need for young people to be integrated into all aspects of family, private, and public life.

Obasanjo, who is the grand patron of the association, encouraged youths to develop resilient character traits—essential for self-reliance and breakthroughs in today’s fractured world.

“Youth are not leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders today. Let them be part and parcel of leadership now, in preparation for tomorrow,” he said.

Earlier, the President of the Association, Maj.-Gen. Oluwaseun Oshinowo (Rtd), explained that the association was inaugurated eight years ago, adding that this year’s gathering aimed to discuss critical issues capable of moving the nation forward.

“Our main aim is to tell the world that we are here and available for whatever roles they want us to play when it comes to strategic-level discussions and debate,” he said.

Oshinowo also underscored the importance of youth to national development.

In his goodwill message, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama, described the event as an important platform for reflection, reconnection, and renewal for those who had passed through one of the finest institutions of strategic learning in the world.

Maitama, represented by a Director at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Mrs Abosede Awolola, noted that the RCDS holds a special place in the architecture of global leadership formation.

“The administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to a foreign policy that is citizen-focused, economically driven, and globally respected,” he said.

The Special Guest of Honour, Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by his Special Adviser on Security, Olusola Subair, said the breakdown of family values remains a significant threat to national development.

Abiodun urged all stakeholders to play their part in reshaping the minds of the youth towards more productive ventures.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Royal College of Defence Studies was established in 1927 in the United Kingdom.

(NAN)