OBJ blames African leadership crisis on lack of vision, foresight

fORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has attributed the lack of “foresight and vision” as the factors responsible for the quality of governance the African continent has received over the years.

Therefore, he has called on institutions at all levels to “emphasis on leadership with foresight, vision, inclusiveness, quality participation, and planning, strategic implementation and feedback control system in order to improve on governance”.

Obasanjo made the call while delivering a lecture on “The Challenges of Good Governance, National Stability and Development” during the 2nd Memorial Lecture for late Prophet (Dr.) Gabriel Olubunmi Fakeye, the founder of Cherubim & Seraphim Movement Church and a book launch in his honour entitled “The Renaissance of the C&S Church in Perspective; The Story of C&S Movement Church,” in Surulere, Lagos State, on Saturday.

The former president, inferred that the African countries had been plagued with leaders who lacked the “distinctive characteristics” needed to actualise a “stable” and “robust system,” stating that the continent needed leaders, “who do not only have “the ability to take risks and adapt to change,” but also can “develop a vision, influence people, provide direction, innovate and solve problems”.

He added: “For any successful outcome as in the church and the nation, the leader must have a clear vision and must take initiative based on shared vision.”

The former president, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, also enjoined the church on the importance of training the youths.

“The church, as we have seen in some nations, throws up national leadership and we must, therefore, encourage our churches to dedicate time to the training of the youth in the choir, Bible study and evangelism… The church must be a training ground for leadership and the Bible is the best handbook of such training”, he stated.