Nigeria @66: Our Leaders Aren’t Doing Enough – Nigerians

Nigerians express their views on leadership of the country as it marks 66 years of independence

By AZA MSUE, Makurdi, ABU NMODU, MINNA, Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin, Francis Okoye, Maiduguri, EMMANUEL MGBEAHURIKE, Owerri, INIOBONG EKPONTA, Uyo, Babaji Usman Babaji, Gombe, KALU EZIYI, Umuahia, IBRAHIM OBANSA, Lokoja, Nnamdi Mbawike, Enugu, BY DAMILOLA ORIGBEMISUYI, Akure, Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

Nigeria’s Problem Since Independence Is Leadership – Oibe

A resident of Kaduna, Sunday Oibe, has said the trajectory of leadership in Nigeria since independence has been a thing of backwardness and stagnation.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, Oibe said former Military Head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan met some of his expectations and did well.

Oibe also praised late President Musa Yar’adua, saying if not death Yar’adua would have met the expectations of many Nigerians, “If I must be honest with you, is the fact that Nigeria has not been blessed with leaders. But I cannot just give a blanket. I think under General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria was doing well.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan came at a time that we think that he was taking us to the promised land but then people gang up and removed him”

He stressed that, “So, the only problem Nigeria has is leadership. The second problem of Nigeria is leadership, and the third problem of Nigeria is leadership because God has not been able to bless us with good leaders.

Oibe added, “Today, Nigeria is in a state of stagnation, in a state of hopelessness. Late President Musa Yar’adua was a man who was ready to consolidate on what former President Olusegun Obasanjo did and do it well. But unfortunately, his life was cut short by death and I cannot blame anybody” he stated.

**Leaders Have Not Met Our Expectations **

Since October 1, 1960, Nigeria has passed through civilian administrations, military governments, a devastating civil war, economic crises, coups, political upheavals and, since 1999, an uninterrupted democratic era.

Through all these periods, Nigerian leaders have made promises of a better country.

But have they delivered? My considered answer is that Nigerian leaders have achieved important things, but they have not met the expectations of Nigerians to the extent that they should have.

This is not an indictment of every administration.

Nor is it an argument that Nigeria has made no progress. Rather, it is a recognition that the gap between Nigeria’s potential and Nigeria’s actual condition remains far too wide.

Any attempt to rate Nigerian leaders must acknowledge the different circumstances in which they governed.Using different criteria, my broad assessment is as follows:Tafawa Balewa — 8/10, Murtala Mohammed — 8/10. A short but energetic administration remembered for decisive reforms, administrative restructuring and nationalist policies and Abdulsalami Abubakar — 8/10. His most important achievement was the transition that returned Nigeria to democratic government in 1999. The three stood out.

Insecurity, Economy Top Gombe Residents’ Concerns

Some Gombe residents see Nigeria falling short of expectations, particularly because of insecurity, economic hardship, corruption, and weak public services.

Jummai Musa, a resident of Dawaki, opined that the country has performed poorly since independence, identifying insecurity, the economy, corruption, and bad leadership as major challenges.

She pointed out leaders such as Ahmadu Bello, Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo for particular achievements and economic reforms. The 50-year-old woman identified Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari and incumbent Bola Tinubu as poor performers.

For Munkaila Sale, a small scale businessman, leadership in a complex country like Nigeria is not and will never be that easy as many expect. He said all the past and present leaders did the best they could.

He suggests that the assessment of Nigerian leaders since 1960 is less about one universally accepted best or worst leader, but about what each person considers most important, such as economic growth, security, infrastructure, national unity, democracy, corruption or social welfare.

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Independence Promises Unfulfilled, Says Kogi CSO Advocate**

A civil society advocate in Kogi State, Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, has said Nigeria’s founding fathers envisioned a prosperous, self-reliant and globally competitive nation, regretting that 66 years after independence, systemic corruption, weak institutional governance and policy inconsistencies have continued to undermine the country’s development.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP in Lokoja, Muraina said millions of Nigerians were still grappling with poverty, insecurity and inadequate infrastructure, despite the country’s abundant human and natural resources.

Muraina said the promise of independence had remained largely unfulfilled because successive leadership had failed to effectively harness Nigeria’s vast resources for sustainable national development.

Assessing Nigeria’s leadership over the past 66 years, the civil society advocate described the trajectory as mixed, but with a significant record of underperformance punctuated by periods of institutional progress, but however, singled out the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999–2007) for what he described as deliberate structural reforms, saying the period stood out in the country’s post-democratic history for efforts to strengthen key institutions and reposition the economy.

Today’s Nigeria Has Not Met People’s Expectations – Ogunsola

Speaking on the Nigeria’s 66 years independence anniversary, a public analyst, Oladele Ogunsola said “Certainly, today’s Nigeria has not met the expectations of the people with leaders at every turn making no conscious efforts to change the narration but just papering over fundamental issues in order to be seen as popular.

“Of all those who had led the country at one point or the other, the late Gen. Sani Abacha was the worst because of his poor respect for human rights leading to arbitrary jailing of anybody with dissenting voice, death of many as well as fleeing of the country by many for fear of arrest and even assassination.

“So far, I will rate the current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the best for choosing to be different with the various painful reforms his government initiated, something that really affected people’s perception of him. That’s what it means to be a leader, taking the country to where it should be and not where the people want it to be”.

Student Hails Tinubu Over NELFund Benefit

A student of the Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, Praise Falade, has said Nigerian leaders since independence have not fully met the expectations of citizens, arguing that successive administrations have performed worse than their predecessors.

Falade said rating Nigeria’s presidents was difficult because, in his assessment, “every president is always worse than their predecessors.” He rated Goodluck Jonathan below Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, while former President Muhammadu Buhari performed worse than Jonathan.

However, Falade said he would still choose President Bola Tinubu over the others because of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund), which has benefited many student. He added that without the NELFund, “Tinubu would have been the worst president so far.”

Our Leaders Have Failed Us

In Enugu, some of the citizens who spoke to our correspondent made it clear that our leaders have not met the expectations of the masses since Independence.

In an exclusive interview with Leadership Weekend in Enugu, Mrs Amarachi Nwaneri said since Independence, our leaders have failed to make the country better than they met it.

“ The truth is that Nigeria has not been lucky since Independence, our expectations have not been met and that is the truth, we need leaders that will make Nigeria great again.” She stated.

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I Score Leaders 3 Over 10**

Aliyu AK- Balarabe, a Maiduguri resident, says Nigeria is currently experiencing a government of hunger, economic hardship and insecurity.

Balarabe, scored Nigerian leaders 3/10 percent in meeting the expectations of Nigerians since independence, saying among the country’s leaders from independence till date, late Umar Musa Yar’Adua performed better in office than the rest.

He said his reason is that Yar’Adua abided by the rule of law during his regime, adding that he released Lagos State’s fund seized by the then president Olusegun Obasanjo after the supreme court declared the later’s action illegal.

Balarabe added that late Yar’Adua was able to control militancy in the Niger Delta, granted them amnesty which saw a rise in oil production.

Nigeria Have No Reason To Remain Under-developed

An Ilorin-based public affairs commentator, Comrade Abdul- Rahoof Bello, says said Nigeria has been on the path of progress but ironically at pedestrian acceleration.

He says with the abundant human and natural resources with which the country is endowed, it has no reason being in the class of underdeveloped countries.

“Late Gen. Murtala Muhammad’s military administration stands out among the military, while the best of the civilian governments were those headed by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Western region (1952-1959), and the late Sir Ahmadu Bello of the Northern region (1952-1966).

Assessing the post-military interregnum civilian governments (1999 till date ), President Bola Tinubu administration stands out as one implementing reformative policies and also taking giant strides to take the country back to the “factory setting” of fiscal federalism,” Bello said.

Hope Of Nigerians Has Been Betrayed –Comrade Bamigboye**

Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye, Oyo State Coordinator, Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR), said “The expectation of the mass of Nigerian working people at independence was that it would usher in a better life for all, but that hope has been betrayed.

“Except for a brief period, Nigerian leaders since 1960 have failed to meet that expectation. I would rate them low, 3 over 10 overall.

“The only relatively better experience was during the Second Republic under the progressive arm of the ruling class organized in the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN”

Bamigboye who is also a lecturer at the Human Kinetics Department, University of Ibadan added “Through pro-people policies like free education, free basic health care, rural development and mass housing, the UPN government in the old western states was able to uplift the living conditions of working people.

“The experience has been worse under the current republic since 1999 after the exit of the military.

“Education, basic health care and other social services have been grossly privatized and commercialized, poverty has increased many folds with more than half of citizens living below poverty line, and security of lives and property has become a thing of the past.

“That is why I consider the UPN period as the best performing, while the leaders of this Fourth Republic are the lowest because they deepened hardship instead of building on independence promises”.

Leaders Are Doing Their Best

Engr Stirling Uruakpa said in his opinion, said Nigerian leaders since independence have been doing their best to move the country forward, scoring them 60 per cent

Uruakpa argued that it is very difficult to judge or condemn a leader outrightly without hearing from him about the challenges he encountered while in office.

He, however, described President Bola Tinubu as one of the best because of the economic policies and programmes, though tough, he had taken to correct the wrongs of the past.

He explained that he arrived at the assessment because the policies and programmes, have potentials to lift the country from decades of economic stagnation.