WEDNESDAY COLUMN BY USSIJU MEDANER
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What Nigeria needs at this material time is the emergence of a transformational leader in a president with visionary qualities. A successor, a president that possesses what it takes to moderate the social relationship of the people, reconciling the political, social interests, conflicts as well as boosting the economy of Nigeria. We need a president who will maintain morality, self-sacrifice and self-restraint as the index for evaluating himself or herself. We need a real leadership formula. We need redirection. The Nigeria nation needs a man who understands the democratic game that sustains societal administration; a president who possesses the developmental wherewithal and the propensity with a thorough understanding of national developmental pathway exhibited by perennial, verifiable antecedents, and one who both possesses the will and passion to move the country forward to its Eldorado.
It is a fact that the nation Nigeria is daunted with myriads of challenges, but resources unavailability would never be part of the problem of the country; rather, the maladministration of the bountiful resources, including its teeming population spreads all over the country. Therefore, the major need of Nigeria is the coming onboard of a leader who possesses the capacity to organise the administration of the country for the effective and efficient utilisation of national resources to the benefit of the people of the country. This kind of leaders are not found on social media and are not picked by the mere possession of oratory power, nor of the possession of street support based on tribal and religious-induced groupings, but of longstanding demonstrated capacity to maximise the usage of state resources to grow the system of the state to the benefit of all, and thereby creating developments that meet the needs of the present populace without jeopardising that of the future generation.
The way forward for Nigeria envisages reordering and greatness will begin with the full realisation of the stagnation in the body politics of the country, affected by the very long years of bastardisation since independence and up till 2015; the good works the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration is putting up and the need to sustain the tempo and greatly improve on the speed and content of the developments projections; and the readiness of the youths and the entire population of Nigeria to participate in the determination of events within the country by lining up behind great antecedents and capacity and not religious or tribal biases.
It is time for Nigerians to do their part in defending our national democracy; taking us away from destructive infiltrations that make a mess of the nation’s democratic positives. It is time the youths and the people of this country recognised that lining up behind religious and tribal identities; lining up behind nonentities and non-performing individuals is never for the good of the nation or its people. The time for us altogether to separate religion from politics and stop encouraging politicians who hide behind the cloaks of religion to deceive us and take our mandates from us is here. Our participation henceforth is mandatory, expedient and must begin with outright defense of the national democratic processes, taking them out of the hands of opportunists and nonperformers.
We must ensure the emergence of only credible candidates for political offices and unite against all unpatriotic elements. We must reject all electoral manipulation, financial inducement, and programmed induced support and violence as much as we must stand by every vote cast and make sure they all count, when the time comes.
By antecedents, I must begin from the fact that a great presidential material must have demonstrated the innate capacity to organise human resources to administer various sections and aspects of national life. Leadership success is one great measurement of the number of men and women raised to occupy sensitive national positions very effectively and efficiently. A real leader would be the one who is an expert at identifying talents, organising talents, and engaging them to achieve set societal goals at ease. Picking from the crops of candidates presenting themselves for the presidential position should begin from using this criteria; how many men and women have they spent their time and resources to develop over the last years of their direct and indirect involvement in politics and Nigeria democracy. This is one area where the candidate of the All Progressive Congress floored every other; he was in power as the governor of Lagos state for eight years between 1999 and 2007, and since then, he has been away from both elected and political appointment position till now, yet, the names of Nigerians off all religions, regions and tribes that he has raised, developed and presented to positively contribute to national and local development of the country are wholesomely unbelievable. I was reading the names somewhere and I was awestruck; how can someone have such an achievement? From the current vice president of the country, to significant names among the ministers, heads of parastatals, governors of states and an endless list, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has built men and women who are building the country. It is obvious that no other candidate ever comes close to that.
At this point, our country is facing a huge challenge precipitated by the national abuse of the interphase of religion, ethnicity and politics. And we, without recourse to the delicate linen of religious and tribal factors as components of national unity and peaceful coexistence, need a leader who will consciously redirect our attention from these factors that do more to divide us than to unite us. We cannot afford to romance individuals who are still engrossed in taking the advantages of these malignant factors to become leaders over our people. In the last one month, direct statements credited to some of the presidential contestants are worrisome and should be critical indicators of who we reject and who we support with our votes at the appropriate time. The candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, at one of the CAN events boldly told the audience it is time the Christian take back their country by voting for him. That statement is huge and pregnant of serious deafening consequences for the unity of our country; it directly tells the Christian community that the other religion had relegated them and took away their country from them; that the 2023 election is not about Nigeria, nor about democracy and greater future of our nation, but rather, a war of religious control. That is unpresidential, and unexpected of someone moving to occupy a presidential seat of a plural, diverse nation as Nigeria.
Just early this week, the candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, at an organised gathering of the northern groups, and in a recorded and televised speech admonished the people that they are northerners and cannot be seen voting for anybody from the other regions of the country. He had the opportunity to address Nigerians and present his talking points, the factors that separates him from other contestants, but he goofed; by exposing who he really is, the ethnic biased Atiku. In his words, “A northerner does not need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate.” Such a divisive speech is unbecoming of a presidential candidate; it is obvious they would become nothing short of sectional leaders if peradventure they are elected to become the president of the country.
We know, the heat of a campaign can bring errors, but there are acceptable errors and unacceptable errors. The candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been in the news lately for making some slips in grammatical construct, and that is acceptable, but when it comes to issue of national coherence and aggregation, the man would not gaffed to pit us against each other on any front. I listened to one of his many speeches recently and I knew just as much as I have always known that this is the man for the job. He said and I quote, “Though tongues and tribes may differ, our diversity is a promise for prosperity.” He wasn’t taking advantage of his religious and tribal affiliation, nor of any other factor that divides, rather, he sees our differences as a blessing we must harvest toward prosperity of our nation. No wonder, as an elected governor, he made appointments without consideration for religion or tribe; no wonder he has genuine friends and benefactors across the country who see this moment as a time to pay him back for his unbiased treatment of people regardless of their religion or tribe.
I will continue from here next week but let me conclude by stating that our country Nigeria must get it right now and it is in our hands to make it happen. The Time is NOW. Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chamber, former ECOWAS Executive Secretary once said and I quote “Those who discern the sign of time shouand make bold to endeavor to move with the time, those who refuse to are left behind to their disadvantage.” A vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a vote for the freedom of Nigeria; a vote for the commencement of giant development strides the country is capable of. I introduce to you once and again, for your consideration, and acceptance, based on confirmed track records of verifiable service; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the ultimate service to the Nigerian nation in the awaiting next political dispensation.
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!
