Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has led about 100 members of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Senior Citizens Club on a 2.5-kilometre fitness walk in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The exercise, held on Saturday, was part of the club’s keep-fit programme aimed at promoting healthy living and physical activity among elderly citizens.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo stressed the importance of regular exercise in promoting healthy ageing.
He described the exercise as both an awareness campaign and an encouragement for senior citizens to remain physically active.
“The essence of this, you can see that they are senior citizens, they are young Papas and Mamas. Normally you can only be a member of the club unless you are 70 and above and I am just getting to that age,” Obasanjo said.
The former president said the initiative was designed to demonstrate that old age should not prevent people from maintaining an active lifestyle.
“The idea is to show and to encourage and to let people know that in growing old, exercise is a vital element to make sure that you grow old graceful, graciously and in a way that even when you are old, you are still able to live the way you should live,” he said.
Obasanjo, who is a member of the club, added that the exercise also provided an opportunity to encourage others to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“It is an exercise and encouragement and as advice for people,” he said.
He also pointed to the physical condition of some of the elderly participants, including a 90-year-old member, as evidence of the benefits of remaining active.
The President of the club, Group Captain Ayobamiji Erinfolami (rtd), commended Obasanjo for participating in the exercise and leading by example.
Also, a close aide to the former president, Elder Udo Umoren, described the walk as an important source of motivation for members of the club.
“It is the needed tonic to keep us going and as rightly said by him, keeping us graciously and gracefully. We shall continue to appreciate him for this kind of motivation and encouragement as we continue to grow into our old age,” Umoren said.
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