Ex-president hosts youths on Nigeria’s Leadership Crisis

Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, was the venue when eminent speakers from different parts of the country gathered to deliberate on the issue of leadership in Nigeria. The talk-shop came under the aegis of the Youth Governance Dialogue set up by the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, which is an engagement platform to annually discuss the need for youths to be actively involved in governance in Nigeria. The speakers, drawn from diverse professions and generations, at the end of the lecture hosted by former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo came to a consensus that there was indeed a leadership crisis in Nigeria that needed affirmative, though non-violent, action.

From left: Onofiok Luke, Chidoka and Obasanjo at the event

Obviously speaking against the backdrop of the wind of change that has ushered in a new political order in France and some other countries, the Lead Speaker at the one-day conference, Chief Osita Chidoka, who is also the immediate past Minister of Aviation and former Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, stated that there was need for a national renaissance that would produce vibrant leaders who would lead the country without the encumbrances of tribe and other sentiments. Chidoka spoke on the topic: “Towards a Guiding Political Philosophy for a Democratic Nigeria”.
The former minister, in his presentation, said there was need for older politicians to strive to bequeath the next generation with national philosophy and ideology which transcends sentiments. “Our national aspirations should inspire the next generation and provide them with the existential meaning of Nigeria; a meaning that transcends geography, natural resources and ethnicity. To grow Nigeria, we must build a society that harnesses human resources, provides equal opportunities and develops capacity for innovation,” he said. Read more