Good leadership: We all have role to play, Obasanjo tells Nigerians
Emphasizing on need for Nigerians to work towards entrenching the roots of good leadership within the Nigerian nation, former president Olusegun Obasanjo has laid emphasis on the importance of good leadership as the bane of development and growth in the nation. He explained that Nigerians has an important role to play in correcting the leadership challenges which has become a major problem on the country while he also explained that the nation Nigeria has a long way to go in its quest to ensuring good leadership in the nation
The former President explained that only Nigerians can solve their problems and challenges as people from other countries of the world can only offer them advice on what they believe or think is right for the country. He also stated that since its inception as a sovereign state the nation Nigeria has failed to attain the status it was meant to occupy and this is because the nation and its leadership outlook lacked direction.
This he revealed over the weekend at the Treasure House of God Church Abeokuta where he was given the leadership award by the church as it marked its 60th birthday and retirement of the Setman of the church, Seye Senfuye.
Senfuye, a former Accountant-General in Ogun state and the Senior Special Assistant to the former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, bowed out of service in August after 35 years.
According to the former President, he stated that every Nigerian has a role to play in the development and advancement of the nation.
He revealed that there are many opportunities for Nigerians to attain leadership positions and those who have this opportunities must ensure that they do not slack in their responsibilities in making sure that the nation is placed on the right pedestal.
He further stated that in the discourse of leadership in Nigeria, there’s a lot which must be done for the country, and for those of us who have enjoyed the privilege of the position we have attained, we must not shirk in our responsibility of the duty that still lies ahead. You and I, and everybody who is here now know that Nigeria is not where it should be
And who will put Nigeria where it should be? Not people from America, not people from Europe, not people from Asia; it’s you and me here in Nigeria. And if we fail to do what we should do, if we fail to say what we should say, when we should do it and when we should say it, we will be liable. We will be liable here, we will be liable hereafter. My prayer is that the responsibility that God has given to us, by keeping us alive, we will live up to it”.
There’s no gainsaying that one out of the numerous challenges which has plagued the Nigerian nation is the issue of leadership. Over the years since the inception of the nation the nation has seen to the emergence of various leaders right from the grassroots to its national scene, however with these different arrays of leaders which has graced it’s leadership space, there’s not been much to show for this as the nation has failed in its years of existence to rise to its full potential.
The Nigerian nation is blessed with various mineral and natural resources coupled with an abundance manpower which upon effective management and harnessing will go a long way in bringing immense growth and development to the nation at large.
Just as posited by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo there’s much to be achieved with effective and proactive leadership in Nigeria. It is quite unfortunate that the nation has been plagued with quantity over quality when it comes to the nation’s leadership circle. Many has seen the nation’s leadership platform as a means of enriching oneself, there’s been a proliferation of the nation’s leadership circles which has led to the commercialization of these exalted positions. This is why it’s easy for the culture of Godfatherism among every other anti-social vices to thrive as people now have the mentality that the nation’s leadership platform and position and be brought.
However it is imperative to state that leadership must be earned, to be qualified as for any leadership position in the nation, individuals who are seeking for these roles must be properly groomed for them. While we cannot deny the fact that there are individuals who attain leadership positions by accident or by chance and they still go on to make meaningful impact however the process having leaders in the nation must not be relegated to mere chance alone. People must be worthy of this position, the various ills being experienced and seen in the nation’s leadership circles is as a result of the inability of the system to value and priorities the building of individuals in the nation for future leadership positions.
There’s already a counter culture which sees leadership as a means to be exploited for personal gains and glorification, these attributes are detrimental to the growth of the Nigerian federating system. The values of selfless service for humanity must be taught and entrenched.
Starting from the family which is the smallest unit of the society, there must be a collective conscious efforts from all and sundry to equip and nurture the younger generation, erasing the thoughts and mentality that sees leadership as a means for personal glorification.
Just as Former President Olusegun Obasanjo stated, there’s still much to be achieved in Nigeria when it comes to the nation’s leadership outlook, this can only be achieved through an intentional ad carefully planned out process and not by chance. We must has patriotic Nigerians ensure that we go back to the drawing board as we seek to reconfigure the ill planned leadership outlook to a more worthy and suitable system, one that can facilitate the building of a great nation. It is never to too to be started, failure to start may spell doom for the future of the nation at large.
By Marcus Amudipe