2023: Daniel, Obi, others advocate change in leadership recruitment process

IBRAHIM QUADRI

In preparation for 2023 general elections, former Governors of Ogun and Anambra States, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Peter Obi respectfully on Tuesday called on electorates to choose rightly in order to have leaders who would transform the country on a positive note.

The duo spoke during the fourth annual lecture organized by Freedom Online at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja.

With the theme, ‘Nigeria’s Political Indices: Bright or Bleak Future,’ participants at the lecture agreed Nigeria currently is faced with a myriad of challenges that require urgent leadership to save it from further decay.

Daniel, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said, every Nigerian knew the problems in the country and even the solution, saying “the right leadership is what is missing.

“The future of Nigeria is bright, I can’t admit that the future is bleak. With the right leadership, we can change the narrative. Despite our challenges, the international community still believes in the futuristic Nigeria.”

To achieve the right leadership, the former Governor said, “We have to disabuse our minds away from ethnicity and disunity, adding ethnic self interest should not be the way of life.

He argued that for Nigeria to be great, it didn’t require fasting and prayers, saying “We need to tap into our potentials.”

He added vote buying has been the order of the day during elections, saying “Once the vote is purchased, you are sold. The only way for Nigerians is to vote with their brains and not their stomachs.”

Speaking in the same vein, Obi said, “We have acquired virtually all the indices of a failed state. We are facing an uncertained future- a future that everyone of us is worried about.

“We have everything but we lack one thing, leadership and that is why the problem of Nigeria is the recruitment process. People are warming up to contest elections now, nobody is asking about their backgrounds.

He lamented that “Over 98 million people in the country are living in poverty and you want them to pay taxes, where will they get the money?”

In his own remark former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (MIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside opined that people should stop emphasizing on the past but laying emphasis on the future should be the focus.

“We know our leaders have mismanaged our resources but it shouldn’t be our preoccupation. We should focus less on the events of yesterday but begin to focus on how we can affect the future.

“We need shared future, we need unity. We must elect leaders who are not idealistic but realists. As citizens, we are not able to hold our leaders accountable, that is why they fret the resources. Mediocre leadership cannot drive development.”

Other dignitaries at the event include, former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi who was the chairman of the occasion, Chief Olabode George represented by Prince Usman Shodipe, President Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mustapha Isa, Aare Onakakanfo, Iba Gani Adams among others.