Our reporter/ Elder statesman and former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised Nigerian leaders who assume office without a clear plan of action for its citizens.
Obasanjo, who stated this in an interview on News Central Television, called out presidents who have no understanding of problems and challenges facing them.
The respected Elder statesman who did not mention any name, however, said a president should not make pronouncements on issues that have not been carefully studied or dissected.
According to him, to achieve long-lasting solutions to the problems facing the country, leaders must be prepared to understand the kinds of solutions that are required for specific problems.
“What do you say of a Nigerian president who came to office without a plan and woke up and just said, ‘Three-point plan’? What are the three points, and what are they going to achieve? Who are the people who worked on it?” he asked.
“You come and you just open your mouth and make a pronouncement on something that has not been studied.”
He also emphasised the need for good governance, adding that “good leadership should be appreciated and used to good advantage”.
“Leadership is not a thing you pick on the road, and not everybody is given it. So, when we identify leadership, we should appreciate it and use it to good advantage,” he added.
“When I talk of leadership, I’m not talking of leadership just at the political level but in all walks of life.
“Wherever we see leadership, whether it is in the private sector or the public sector, we should make use of that good leader to achieve the maximum.
“The point is, unfortunately in Africa generally and in Nigeria particularly, we take two steps forward, take one sideways, and take two or three backward.
“Leadership should be what we pay attention to.”
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