Ezekwesili decries leadership failure in Nigeria, tips Peter Obi for president in 2023

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, on Sunday, blamed Nigeria’s current situation on leadership failure.

Ezekwesili, who spoke on a Channels Television Programme, Sunday Politics, said absence of good governance was a major barrier to development in the country.

The founder of FixPolitics Initiative noted that the country was mired in avoidable crises despite its abundant resources.

Ezekwesili, however, commended young Nigerians for taking part in the country’s electoral process.

She added that the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, stood a better chance of winning in 2023 general elections.

The ex-minister charged Nigerians to be more strategic in their bid to challenge the political class.

She said: “Nigeria offers contrast. On the one hand, the activation of youth participation in the electoral process of the country is commendable. On the other hand, the country has failed in many ways over the last 62 years. The summary is leadership problem. There is no coherence in the energies needed for development because leadership is completely lacking.

“Nigeria lacks leaders with requisite knowledge and skills to deliver. This makes mobilization of right type of leaders somewhat impossible.

“Regardless of what parameters you use, it’s glaring that Peter Obi represents many good shapes more than others. The momentum at the moment demands that we must begin to evaluate our candidates. We must prioritise competence and character over baseless parameters.

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“The data of young people at the moment shows that it’s no longer what it used to be. Citizens are becoming self-organizing. What is important for this phenomenon is to be better, more strategic in order to preempt inimical steps from the status quo.”

Ezekwesili berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for being insensitive to the country’s diversity.

She added: “APC fielding Muslim-Muslim ticket is contemptible. This is not sensitive to some segment of the country. The fact that PDP also jettisoned inclusion, contrary to what it claims to uphold, stands condemnable. They were so arrogant to argue that competence and character matter. If that’s their stance, PDP should have used Peter Obi.”

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