Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has shared how he once dismissed his daughter from his farm for resuming late, emphasizing the importance of discipline and firm leadership.
Obasanjo made the revelation while receiving the Chairman of the Board of Management, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Dr. Dayo Israel, who visited him at his residence within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
He urged Dr. Israel to be prepared for challenges and not shy away from making tough decisions. “No notable leader succeeds without stepping on toes,” he said.
Recounting the incident, Obasanjo explained that after leaving office as Head of State, his daughter, then a Veterinary Medicine student at the University of Ibadan, joined his farm for practical training. On her first day, she arrived 15 minutes late. After a warning, she repeated the lateness the next day, and he immediately sent her away.
According to him, the action had a lasting impact on his employees, who realized that if he could discipline his own daughter, no one was above the rules.
Dr. Israel, accompanied by FMC Abeokuta’s Medical Director, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, and his management team, described Obasanjo as a leader full of wisdom, adding that his guidance would be valuable in the transformation of the hospital.