While praising the ethos of Chief Ayo Rosiji (the founder of NDL) Obasanjo expressed his joy at the continuity of his legacy. He described Chief Rosiji as a colossus. "I would go to his house in those days for advice and it was always very useful. A true Nigerian, patriotic and entrepreneurial, he exuded a love for the country that was almost unmatched. A love that led him to create opportunities for many, the youths especially through his ideas, something we particularly crave today”, OBJ said of him.
Speaking on the resilience of the company and its leadership, Obasanjo said: “Not many family businesses succeed. We have seen many fail and we can attribute their failure to a number of factors. So I want to take this opportunity to congratulate this organization for succeeding. I want to commend everyone who has worked for this organization in the past and all who work with the company now. This is a business that is in the fourth generation and I pray that it will continue forever.”