Former President of Ghana, John Mahama; former Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan; the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah; and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State were among the dignitaries that stormed Abeokuta on Tuesday on the occasion of the 87th birthday of the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Others were the governors of Plateau and Bayelsa, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang and Douye Diri, respectively, and the former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, among others.
The event, held at the auditorium of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, also witnessed the launch of the celebrant’s new book titled ” The Art of Leading: Unconventional Wisdom from Biblical” and the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI).
He stated that the time is now for the grooming of good new leaders who are selfless and willing to sacrifice for the continent.
Obasanjo said, “Leadership is preeminent in anything we do, and if leadership is preeminent in anything we do, how do we recruit, how do we train, and how do we nurture leaders in all works of life? Leaders who are transformational instead of transactional will be servant leaders and sacrificial.
“In addition to writing a book and talking about it, can it be taught? Can leadership be taught? Can we look at where leadership has worked? I believe that, for me, we cannot go further than in the Bible.
“But, also, if it can be taught, what do we need to teach, what do we need to inculcate, and what do we need to do to make people absorb leadership tenets, leadership principles, and factors that will make us move fast and move far together, and that is what OOLI is about?”
The former president again emphasised the adoption of an African-style democracy that is “sufficiently African in content” to recognise African culture and history.
He said, “We have inherited liberal democracy from the West because they are the ones who colonised us, and they only gave us what they had.
“Now, I believe that when we are able to have a democracy that is African in content, sufficiently African in content, in culture, in history, and in practice, the sort of thing that happened in Plateau State recently will not happen because the idea of ‘well, we will win by hook or by crook, you go to court, there will not be the question of going to court because you won’t have to win by hook or by crook, you will have to settle it the way we settle things in Africa before liberal democracy’.
“Let me say two or three things about this liberal democracy: they (the West) have something they call loyal opposition. I have researched African languages for the meaning of opposition. The meaning in almost all African languages is the enemy. How do you have a loyal enemy? So what they have given to us does not make sense in the African context. In the African way, we have consensus; we sit under the tree and we iron out, and we then decide okay; this is the way it will go. There is no opposition, but they (the West) have loyal opposition because they came out of the monarchy, and you can be loyal to the monarchy.
“We are rethinking liberal democracy because if it is relevant to their culture and their history, what they have given us is not relevant to our culture and to our history.”.
Mahama, in his remarks, advised African leaders to embrace inclusive democracy, which gives room for the views of the opposition.
Mahama said, “Most African countries hold elections regularly now. You will find out that one leader will take one step forward, one leader may take one step or two steps backwards, and even another leader will keep us standing still.
“Effective leadership is therefore important, and it is one that continues to make progress even in the face of challenges.”
Jonathan also submitted that the democracy in Nigeria is characterised by a lot of challenges, such as greed in leadership, tribalism, nepotism, social vices, access to justice, human rights issues, and the quality of elections.
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