.Says Nigeria needs leaders who can take informed, evidence-based decision
Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has highlighted the root cause of Nigeria’s leadership failure calling on professionals to step up to fix it.
Ezekwesili, who is the founder of the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance (SPPG), in a statement made available to Tribune Online on Sunday in Abuja, said what Nigeria needs at the moment are people with the right mentality with the capacity to make informed decisions to drive meaningful change and take the country out of its present economic downturn.
She said personal interest of those at the corridors of power over national interest is the result of poor governance Nigeria is currently witnessing.
“Poor governance is the direct outcome of a leadership pipeline that has prioritised personal ambition over public service. A nation cannot thrive when those in power lack the character to lead with integrity, the competence to make informed, evidence-based decisions and the capacity to drive meaningful change.
“If we do not intentionally develop a new class of leaders anchored in these values, Nigeria will continue to suffer the consequences of poor governance,” Ezekwesili, also a former vice president of the World Bank said.
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The statement while announcing openings for SPPG Class of 2026, which it tagged “#JoinPolitics campaign”, urged technocrats, professionals and values-driven leaders to step into the political arena and drive meaningful governance reform in Nigeria with the calls on the nation’s best and brightest to replace the compromised ruling class and restore integrity to governance.
Speaking on the campaign, CEO of SPPG, Alero Ayida-Otobo, emphasised the critical role professionals and technocrats must play in fixing Nigeria’s leadership crisis
“For decades, Nigeria’s governance structures have been hijacked by individuals who lack the character, competence and capacity to lead.
“Meanwhile, our country boasts some of the most brilliant professionals; doctors, engineers, economists, entrepreneurs who have excelled globally but remain absent from politics.
“It is time for these technocrats to wake up, step forward, and lead. Your expertise is needed in governance, not just in boardrooms or the private sector. If the best of us refuse to engage, the worst of us will continue to rule. The time to act is now,” Ayida-Otobo said.
“The SPPG is designed as a 21st century Disruptive Thinking Leadership program to train 10,000 new political leaders in five years who will run for elective offices at state and federal levels in legislative and executive offices, thus presenting the electorate with top quality choices of candidates,” the statement added.
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