Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has made a remarkable personal disclosure — he has been living with diabetes for over 40 years, and at 89 years old, he remains active, sharp, and in good health. His secret, he says, is not medical luck but deliberate, daily discipline.
Speaking at recent engagements in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the elder statesman opened up about his long-running relationship with the condition, offering a candid and deeply personal account of how lifestyle choices — not just medication — have kept him functional and vigorous well into his ninth decade.
Obasanjo was unequivocal on one point: diabetes has no cure. But in the same breath, he made clear that a diagnosis need not be a death sentence.
He outlined the pillars of his personal health regimen — a combination of healthy eating, regular exercise, adequate rest, routine medical check-ups, and strict adherence to prescribed medication — as the framework that has allowed him to live fully despite carrying the condition for more than four decades.
The former president also revealed that he plays squash three times a week whenever his schedule permits, a striking detail for a man his age and a testament to the seriousness with which he approaches physical fitness. Diet, he added, is equally non-negotiable — stressing that poor eating habits carry serious health consequences and that what one puts into the body demands as much attention as any medication.
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The “DREAMS + C” Formula for Healthy Living Beyond his personal routine, Obasanjo introduced a framework he champions for healthy living — a principle he calls “DREAMS + C”, with each letter standing for a core habit:
D — Diet
R — Rest
E — Exercise
M — Medical care and regular check-ups
S — Social interaction
C — Contentment
It is a straightforward but powerful framework — one rooted not in expensive interventions or elite healthcare access, but in consistent, conscious choices made every single day. Obasanjo credits these habits as the foundation of his sustained vitality across more than four decades of managing a chronic condition.
The elder statesman used his personal story as a broader platform to urge Nigerians — and Africans more widely — to stop treating health as an afterthought. He called on people to embrace preventive healthcare, pursue regular medical screenings, and take early testing for conditions like diabetes and cancer seriously before symptoms force the conversation.
His message carried the weight of lived experience: here is a man who has led a nation, survived the pressures of power and public life, and still found the discipline to protect his most fundamental asset — his health.
At 89, still playing squash and still showing up, Olusegun Obasanjo may be the most compelling advertisement for disciplined living that Nigeria has ever produced.