Adams Agbo, Kaduna
The myriad of uncertainties that have pervaded all sectors of Nigeria’s society over the years was due to leadership crisis.
A medical doctor and elder statesman, Dr. Kunle Olajide of the Yoruba Elders Forum stated this in Kaduna while speaking on a radio program. The elder statesman said that democracy has struggled to thrive in the country despite sacrifices of the people because of ignorance, poverty and disease entrenched by the leadership.
He explained that democracy is about one man one vote but a situation where people are starved, kept in ignorance and diseases by their leaders, such people will continue to be manipulated.
The reason why politicians deliberately ignore to improve education and health as well as agriculture is for them to continue to give the people peanuts for their votes in elections. “If the people are hungry, certainly they will be desperate,” the elder statesman, said. Nigeria politicians give unfulfilled campaign promises to perpetually manipulate the led, he explained.
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According to Dr. Olajide,”When President Muhammadu Buhari was campaigning in 2014, he promised to put an end to medical trip abroad for public officers, but himself went on medical vacation for months with Nigeria’s presidential jet parked at Heathrow Airport for the country to pay ground rents for the time his medical trip lasted.”
Dr. Olajide blamed the situation on docility of the Nigerian public. According him, “Nigerian public themselves are too docile because everyone wants to benefit from the government. They don’t stand up to criticise government for wrong policies and the few of us who dare to for the benefit of the people, are tagged dissents,” he added.
The elder statesman further said that chapter 2 of the Nigeria’s constitution that talks about fundamental objectives and directive of state policy is being ignored and the people are not talking.
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When the question of growing suspension among tribes and geopolitical zones in the country was put forward, Dr. Olajide said that it is a ploy by the leadership to keep the people busy adding that suspicion of tribes and geopolitical zones is only a myth preached by the government.
He further said that apart from late President Umaru Yar’Adua who was bold enough to tell Nigerians that the election that brought him to power was a flawed election which other government was that people oriented, he queried? “Our public offices are too opulent that whenever our elected officials get there, they forget the people, they distance themselves.”
“Crisis continues to loom in our polity because if a government constitutes itself as a pro ethnic group, there will certainly be trouble because the other group will feel inferior and have the tendency to resist that, which also boils down to leadership crisis.” Dr. Olajide said leadership crisis in the country is responsible for what is obtainable in Nigeria today.