Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that during his tenure as Head of State, the United States government under late President Jimmy Carter did not take any significant action in Africa without first informing Nigeria.

Obasanjo made this statement on Monday in Abeokuta during the Presidential Youth Mentorship Retreat organized by the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

His comment comes amid widespread reactions to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks, suggesting that America could intervene militarily in Nigeria if the Federal Government fails to address ongoing violence attributed to jihadist groups.

While Obasanjo did not directly reference Trump’s statement, he reflected on a time when Nigeria’s influence across Africa commanded global respect.

“During my time, the U.S. under President Jimmy Carter would not take any major action in Africa without informing Nigeria. They were not seeking permission, but they would inform us,” he said.

The former president explained that his administration, alongside the late General Murtala Mohammed, worked to restore Nigeria’s international reputation after a period of diminished global confidence.

“At independence, the world saw Nigeria as a giant. Soon after, we lost that. When Murtala and I came in, we brought it back,” Obasanjo noted.

Speaking to the youth at the retreat, Obasanjo urged them to be “positively disruptive”, emphasizing that young people must not wait endlessly to take up leadership roles.

“You have the numbers, but the number only matters when you use it,” he said, warning that if young Nigerians continue to delay leadership participation, “there may be no tomorrow left to inherit.”