Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday declared that he will “never stop having children.”
Explaining his statement, the former president said that although he no longer father any child, his children are now adults, the cycle of life continues through his grandchildren and future generations.
He maintained that the continuity of generations makes the protection and wellbeing of children a collective and lifelong responsibility.
Obasanjo spoke while hosting the leadership of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), led by its President, Dr. Ekanem Ekure, at his residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“I am no more giving birth to children and my children are now adults. But my children are still having children and my grandchildren are having children, so I will never stop having children.
“Because when I stopped, my children will not stop and when my children stopped, my grandchildren will not stop and the cycle continues,” Obasanjo said.
He described children as the bedrock of any society and pushed for greater commitment to their care, survival and development.
Obasanjo added that the future of nations depends on how well children are protected today.
Obasanjo praised paediatricians for their critical role in safeguarding children’s lives, describing paediatrics as a unique and demanding medical specialty.
“Your profession is a profession of life and death, especially because children cannot always explain what they feel the way adults do,” he said. “You must feel for them, understand them and go the extra mile for them.”
The former president accepted PAN’s request to serve as an advocate for child health and wellbeing, pledging his support for initiatives aimed at improving the lives of children in Nigeria and globally.
Earlier, Ekure hailed Obasanjo as a global statesman whose voice carries weight both locally and internationally, saying PAN deliberately sought his support because of the growing crisis in child health.
