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Nigeria’s key problem is political leadership not ethnicity nor religion

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ahmadu bello obafemi awolowo nnamdi azikiwe nigeria 1962

Religion and ethnicity has a long standing tradition and formative principle of the old. Its one thing that in actual sense united mankind and formed a mutual pattern of relationship. Taking religion and ethnicity out of play will distort what i call “the perfect plan”, thereby throwing the entire universe into a state of disorderliness. Every single problem Nigeria has had over the years has a pigment of tribe or religion in it. These two words on their own are NOT capable of generating conflict, but the improper application of it by selfish politicians whom without them cannot form a proper sentence or make headway in their political ambition, always fall back on them when every other thing fails.

Professor Chinua Achebe in his famous book “The Trouble With Nigeria” said, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate…”. In truth, there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character, climate, land, air, water, religion, tribes etc. The only wrong that has made all this look like they are the problem is the content residing in the minds of our leaders. Majority of political leaders feel that the best way they can beat their opponent is through the instrument of tribe and or religion. If the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had not corrupted the minds of his people by stealing the leadership of Western Nigeria from Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, things might have been different today, politics might have been played differently today and maybe, just maybe, the dreams of our fathers and fore-fathers would have come to fruition.

Politics can be played without bitterness. It can be played without hate, deceit, dependence on negative application of religion or tribe, it can be played without struggle or stain, only if we know how. Nigeria’s problem is political leadership and not ethnicity nor religion, it has never been. We call on our political leaders to do the right thing in order to transform Nigeria for good.

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Jeff Okoroafor is a leading member of a new generation of civic advocates for government accountability and democratic change in Nigeria. The Citizen Affairs Initiative is a citizen-driven governance initiative that enhances public awareness on critical issues of service quality in Nigeria. It encourages citizens to proactively seek higher standards from governments and service providers and further establishes new discussions in communities about the standards that citizens should expect and deserve from those they have given their mandates. Jeff is the Managing Director of SetFron Limited, a multimedia development company that is focused on creative and results-driven web, mobile app, and ERP software solutions. He is the co-founder of the African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi), a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation that provides tertiary education scholarship for young people from low-income homes in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the United Nations World Summit Awards. A Strategic Team member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and a member of the National Technical Committee on the Establishment and Management of Missing Persons Database in Nigeria. Jeff holds a Bachelor and Postgraduate diploma degrees in Computer Science, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.

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