Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has charged Nigerians to make their leaders accountable by demanding change of mediocre political leadership and ensuring that treasury looters are fished out.
Obasanjo who gave this charge in his remarks at the third biennial International Conference of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, held on Wednesday, with the theme, “Polity Debacle and the Burden of being in Africa.”
Adding, he noted that the standard of living of Nigerians will improve if they make their leaders account for deficit in leadership, fiscal and economic policies, management, infrastructure, industry and technology.
Obasanjo, represented by Deputy Coordinator, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential library, Mr Ayodele Aderinwale, called on intellectuals across Africa to assume political leadership positions to revamp the economy and provision of solutions to the nation’s dying public infrastructure.
“We are seeing how the people are changing mediocre leaders in Africa. We are seeing people’s will at work. The momentum must continue so that political leadership can change. There should be no hiding place for treasury looters and good people with ideas must come forward to be counted, get elected and be supported by our people to grow the economy and provide solutions to dying public infrastructure.”
“The town and gown must collaborate to make Africa great. Those in political leadership position must provide the policy framework for harnessing these resources and the enabling environment to provide public infrastructure and policy. We are living witnesses to the untold socioeconomic and political instability and bloodshed in Congo, Sudan, Liberia and of course, Nigeria, among many African countries. So, we need to resolve the social justice issues around resource control, citizenship.”
“Let me say unequivocally that our standard of living will rise the moment we take our destiny into our hands. We have to create the industries that will generate the jobs. African teachers will have to provide the education that the African children need to be economically productive and politically effective. African nurses and doctors will have to do the hard work of raising the quality of healthcare that Africans need. African parents will have to give their children the law, security and discipline they need to grow into responsible human beings. African political leaders will have to make the changes that will reduce corruption and generate the laws, policies and practices needed to leapfrog these efforts by catching up with the rest of the world,” Obasanjo said.
In his keynote speech, Professor Akanmu Adebayo of Kennesaw State University, United States of America, emphasized that Nigerians must keep hope of a better country alive, urging scholars and well-meaning Nigerians to remain unrelenting in challenging leaders to keep up with the rule of law and deliver good governance.
Adebayo called for the reconsideration of the huge cost of governance and its apparatuses for the nation to experience real national development.
In the interest of national development, he called for the toning down of irreverent campaigns for separation, secession by agitating groups like Biafra.
“Those agitating should remember that over a million lost their lives in the Biafra struggle,” he said.
Professor of political economy and management expert, Pat Utomi prayed for leadership that would be truthful and be willing to positively change the culture of the country.
Utomi decried a collapse of culture and weak institutions which had hampered development in Africa, lamenting that Nigerians were largely driven by instant gratification.
Senator Binta Garba, represented by Bishop Musa Wuyep bemoaned dishonesty and greed as the bane of development in the country, expressing hope that the nation had leaders committed to long term planning.
Former presidential spokesperson, Dr Reuben Abati traced the problem of corruption to the African culture whereby citizens exerted much pressure on the elected for money and other favours thereby pushing the elected into stealing and corruption.
Abati suggested that there should be greater advocacy for the humanities because the humanities turn people into good citizens.
Professor of Geography and Urban Studies, Akin Mabogunje said the nation required leaders that were fair to the multi religious, multi ethnic, and religious diversified nature of the country.
Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, represented by Professor Y. K. Yusuf, noted that the theme of the conference resonated with the interests of the JAMB in that the Board was interested in lightening the burdens of the polity and easing polity debacle by promoting access to education and stemming the tide of illiteracy.
The Chief Host and Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor A. I. Olayinka, emphasised the link between policy debacle and the burden of being in Africa recommending that the conference must proffer concrete, feasible, pragmatic solutions to practically guide policymaking in Africa.
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