Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has shed light on the uncertainty surrounding her father’s actual age, revealing that the elder statesman may be older than his official records indicate.
Speaking during an interview on latest edition of ‘The Morayo Show’, Iyabo said the former president is officially expected to celebrate his 90th birthday next year but believed he could, in reality, be about two years older.
According to her, the discrepancy was linked to the way ages were recorded in rural communities at the time Obasanjo was growing up.
“My dad would have his 90th birthday next year. He was born in a small village in Ifo Local Government called Ibogun,” she said.
Iyabo explained that there was no primary school in Ibogun during her father’s childhood, forcing children to travel to a neighbouring hamlet, Ibogun Olaogun, to attend school.
She said when her father was enrolled, his age was estimated rather than determined from official birth records since there was none at the time.
“When he started school, what they did in the village was that they just looked at other kids. That if the other kids were probably two years, he was actually quite older, looking at some of his village contemporaries,” she said.
According to Iyabo, the estimated age recorded at the time eventually became her father’s official age and remained unchanged till date.
“He says he would be 90 years next year officially, but he could be 92 years. But you know, once that age is stamped, it follows you for the rest of your life,” she added.
Her comments highlighted the challenges of birth registration and age documentation in many rural Nigerian communities in the early decades of the 20th century, when formal record-keeping systems were limited.
Obasanjo, a former military head of state and two-term civilian president, remains one of Nigeria’s most prominent political figures. His official date of birth is recorded as March 5, 1937, which would make him 90 years old on March 5, 2027. However, based on his eldest child’s latest account, he may be as old as 92.
