Leaders charged on good governance

NIGERIAN leaders have been urged to emulate Prophet Muhammad in directing the affairs of the country in order to ensure success.

The Director of Islamic Affairs and Chief Imam of the Nigerian Navy, Imam Gidado Taofiq Miqdad, made the plea in Abuja at the 11th annual public lecture of the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Abuja chapter.

He said Prophet Muhammad declared equality of all mankind, preached brotherhood of all mankind and established justice as the core of the Islamic value system.

“A Muslim is expected to know that power belongs to Allah alone, not to Mr President or to the people. He also needs to realise that the infinitesimal power given to man is a trial”, Miqdad said.

Listing the ingredients of good governance to include consultation, rule of law, accountability, mentorship, efficiency in management and service delivery, the scholar recalled that Prophet Muhammad specifically told one of his followers not to accept any leadership position, having seen his incapacity.

The National President of MMPN, Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the lecture was organised to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

He said it was disturbing that 56 years after independence, Nigeria is still where it is “because of bad leadership, corruption and incompetence”.

According to him, “lack of good leadership and fear of Allah have cost this nation a great fortune. All great nations excel as a result of the visions of their leaders, which are imbibed by the followers. But today, things have changed as leaders in Nigeria are only concerned about themselves and perhaps their friends and families as against the overall interest of the public”.