Nigeria a fractured entity, needs experienced leaders in 2023 – Gov Okowa

The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, on Friday described Nigeria as a country wrecked by inexperienced leaders.

The governor, who spoke at an event organised by Green Assembly Initiative in commemoration of the 2022 International Youths Day in Abuja, urged Nigerians to elect leaders that would salvage the country in 2023.

He also decried President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of the governors’ calls for the establishment of state police as the ultimate solution to the country’s security challenges.

Okowa said: “The way we look at what is going on today in Nigeria, there are loads of problems. And if we do not elect the right person, we’ll find ourselves getting somebody who will get on seat and stays confused on that seat because the problems will overwhelm him because he will not know how to start.

“When you work in a country like Nigeria and other West African countries where the issues are different, these require a lot of deep thought. I mean a positive experience that can truly enable you to govern and to bring everybody to the table on the governance process.

READ ALSO: IPOB threatens to work against Okowa’s VP aspiration over alleged killing of Igbos in Delta

“Not too many people have such experiences. I believe that the Nigeria of today is too fractured. There are so many contending voices. People are speaking in different directions. Our oneness is being threatened.

“The issue of social security is no longer there. The security in the land is worsening, our economy is in terrible shape. We cannot continue in that state. We must prioritize our priorities. We must continue to look at the right things, what we ought to do.

“When it comes to security demands, you’re going to hear various voices, even the governors are crying. And they have begun to equip themselves with weapons, even unlawfully.

“So the right thing is to ensure that the states are able to have their own police where they are officially equipped. And then they can go out in support of whatever the federal government police are doing to secure the land.”

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