Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that the country’s stagnant socioeconomic and political conditions are due to a deficit in leadership.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday as the Special Guest of Honour at the Leadership Empowerment International Conference, he emphasized that “self-centered” leaders must step aside for progress to occur.
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At the conference, where 25 distinguished Nigerians were awarded honorary doctorates in leadership by the South Africa-based Immanuel Theology Institute International in partnership with the Priesthood Leadership Development Initiative Inc., Obasanjo argued that Nigeria’s advancement hinges on the departure of these leaders.
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He criticized the current leadership for lacking knowledge and understanding, and for failing to prioritize service as the core of development.
Obasanjo urged Nigerians to move away from electing transactional leaders and to strive for transformational leaders who are committed to delivering effective governance.
“There is no end to leadership and service to your community until you breathe the last. And you can never be too old to be a leader and to give something to the community in which you lead and serve as a leader, to serve your state, your country, the continent and the world,” he said
“And if you ask me in one word, what is the bane of Nigeria today? I will not think about it twice. I will say it is leadership. Leadership that is self-centred, leadership that is a deficit of knowledge and understanding and leadership that does not see service as the centrepiece of what leadership is all about.
“If we can get the leadership right, we will get all other things right. This is what LEIC is doing that is commendable and very good. We must encourage and inculcate good leadership into every level of our national life.”
