- Jonathan laments diminishing respect for Nigeria
- advocate revolutionary attitudinal change
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has registered concerns with the increasing drop in the level of respect being commanded by Nigeria in Africa and global communities.
He said that Nigeria was fast loosing Its position as giant of Africa, attributing the development to the credibility questions of its leadership and the attitudes of the political class in their quest to grab political powers.
Former President Jonathan spoke in Abuja, on Tuesday, at the public presentation of a book titled “Development as Attitude” authored by former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Prof. Osita Ogbu.
Former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim; former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi; former Enugu governor, Okwesilieze Nwodo; Enugu State Governor, Peter Mba (represented by the SSG); Former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka; Enugu LP Guber candidate, Chijioke Edeoga; former Adamawa governor, James Ngilari; among several other dignitaries from business and government communities attended the event.
Former President who was chairman of the occasion, congratulated the author for all his good works towards the building of Nigeria, particularly its economy, and regretted why their paths didn’t cross while he was in office as President so they could have worked together to strengthen the political and economy of Nigeria.
He said: “Prof. Ogbu is one of the persons that have strong faith in Nigeria irrespective of the perceived hopelessness and myriad of challenges being experienced in the country. He is one of those that have distinguished themselves in the field of economics and leadership.
“But in the short time I served as President of Nigeria, I realized that there’s need for attitudinal change of our people particularly the political class. It’s not about electing people into political offices, it’s about the attitude of the people elected and their followers.
“Even if you elect an angel as President of Nigeria, be assured that without attitudinal change of Nigerians, there’s limit to what we can achieve as a nation. I agree with the people that stated that being a political office holder doesn’t represent good leader. Leaders have unique attributes and vision on what they want to achieve at a time.
“Individuals and countries of the world are regarded and respected because of what they offer to the world, particularly in terms of Information Technology (IT) which is revolutionizing the world. We cannot continue to say we are gaint of Africa and be crawling like garden snail.
“Evidently, our respect in the world stage is almost going down because we are not contributing much to the world particularly in technology, among other things.
“For instance, Indians control the IT world now. Most of the big IT companies are headed by Indians. This didn’t happen overnight. People and government of India made deliberate effort to achieve that.
“To this end, attitude of politicians must be properly examined if we must developed as a country. If we must move forward as a country, our brand of politics must change.”
On his side, Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 general elections challenged political office holder to use the opportunity they have to transform the people, making life better for them.
He, however, disagreed with some earlier speakers who suggested additional time in office so they can have enough time to make impact on the people.
He said: “You don’t need to spend decades in office as a political office holder to make impact on the people and the system. You can be in office for a short time, do what is right and make great impact.
“I have asked this question severally, where are the people that protested across the country when fuel price was increased by N60 by former President Jonathan in 2012. Are they dead now? What of those who protested when dollar exchange rate was N170 to a dollar and now it’s over N1000. Are they dead?.
“Obviously, we have people who have vowed that this country will not be good, that we won’t have the right thing and people in place to move the country forward. That’s what we all need to fight and change, and not longevity in office. Even if it’s three months you spent in office, you should leave a lasting legacy. You are not expected to change everything and that’s why government is a continuum.
“It’s unfortunate that in Africa, the longer you stay in office, the more damage you do to the people and the system. So, I suggest we return to the parliamentary system of government where every leader can answer for his or herself, and not what we have today where an elected leader will be delegating people to speak to Nigerians on his behalf.”
Prof. Jideofor Adibe, who reviewed the book, disclosed that the 202 page book, with 13 chapters, were carefully written to address the challenges of attitude which has been bane of socioeconomic and political development in Nigeria.
He said the book also highlighted certain steps that could be taken to achieve lasting peace that would result in significant socioeconomic growth and development in Nigeria.
He mentioned that the Author made several references to steps taken by former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee kwan Yew, which he recommended for political leaders in Nigeria.
The Author, in his remarks, advocated revolutionary attitudinal change as well as rethink of the political style to tackle poverty and underdevelopment in Nigeria, thus reminding the government that the level of patriotism and citizenship expected of Nigerians won’t come because of poverty and deprivations.
“A good governance is the one that promote the happiness of the people. So, deliberate efforts should be made to better the lots of the people. We must also know that national development doesn’t occured naturally. It’s caused to happen by people who are determined to make it.”