A group under the aegis of Niger Delta Peace Coalition on Tuesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly and other political leaders in the country to change their style of leadership if they want the country to move forward.
National coordinator of the group, Zik Gbemre, who spoke with BusinessDay in Warri, lamented the poor living conditions of many Nigerians, blaming this and other problems facing the country on poor leadership.
Gbemre said President Buhari and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo, need to do things differently if they want Nigeria to change, adding that they cannot continue to do things the same way and expect different results.
He said from history of the country since Independence there had never been any significant difference from what the leaders had been doing, lamenting that in spite of what the leaders had been doing, the country had not experienced any significant change.
He said unless Nigerian leaders changed their style of leadership, the country would continue to remain the way it was.
“It is imperative for the political leaders in Nigeria, from the Presidency down to the State and Local Government levels, including the National and State Assemblies, to realise that as custodians of the public wealth and resources of this nation, their every action, inaction and even body language towards national issues have the potency and propensity to decide and shape the socio-economic, political and developmental future of Nigeria and its citizenry.
“Therefore, they need to realize this fact and the huge responsibilities upon their shoulders, as they carry about their statutory duties/responsibilities in their various positions in government.
“That means, whatever we see wrong today in our society, these political leaders are to the take the bulk of the blame. And as such, there is need for them, starting with President Muhammadu Buhari, to see things from this perspective and realize that they really have to start doing things differently in the next four years, if we are to see any significant progress and desired changes in our,” Gbemre said.
He said President Buhari-led Federal Government, as well as all the other political leaders across different levels, needed to realize that they do not know it all, adding that “they also need to learn to listen to good advice from relevant Nigerian stakeholders on how to do things better. They need to have more empathy in addressing the deplorable plights of most Nigerians.”
He said the government should have empathy and constantly feel the pulse of its people and also know when they are happy or not, whether rightfully or wrongfully.
He said, “It doesn’t matter. You may be working hard and they are not feeling it. Your job is to make them understand. If you don’t explain yourself, and all you do is to look at them in a condescending manner as if they do not deserve any kind of explanation, it is counter-productive. It is not all about sending your aides to issue statements.
“When you were campaigning, you went around soliciting votes, how come you are not talking to the same people or making yourself accountable to the people? There is need for the leadership to talk to people and that way they give them some degree of assurances. That way, people will be able to plan.”
He said another reason why the country was not moving forward was because of the issues of nepotism, favouritism, ethnicitism, religion and political affiliations which he noted “have been the attributing factors that have made the nation not to have political leaders that ought to be elected/appointed on merit and qualification to effectively and efficiently lead the country to great heights.”
He said the solution to Nigeria’s problem was for the government to create a conducive empowering environment for people to do legitimate businesses.
“Nigerians will love to do legitimate business. I come in contact with lots of Nigerians. We are the most productive and innovative people on earth. We are unstoppable. So, we need an empowering environment. We need security. We need a friendly environment,” He said.
“Nigerians will love to do legitimate business. I come in contact with lots of Nigerians. We are the most productive and innovative people on earth. We are unstoppable. So, we need an empowering environment. We need security. We need a friendly environment,” He said.
