Beyond 2023: The Ideal President Nigeria Needs -By Ambi Moses

Nigeria’s problem is not only leadership shortcomings but also a structural anomaly brought about by the crippled constitution of 1979 and amended in 1999. This is the reason why no elected president will ever make any viable progress because the present political structure is extremely inimical to the progress and development of Nigeria. Before the next President embarks on any task, achieve more, do more and be more, restructuring must be done else all his efforts will be futile and be/she will eventually end up like his predecessors. Even the scriptures attest in the books of psalms 11vs3 “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Any president that will succeed in Nigeria must inject structural changes into the country’s system. Changing Nigeria in a sustainable and liberal manner goes beyond improving electricity generation, building bridges and roads and school feeding programs.

It has always been argued that it takes a lot to fix Nigeria and thus, the inevitable question springs up “who can help Nigeria navigate her path to greatness?” Names get thrown around, but do they have the full requisites to be the best option? I daresay only a fearless, stubborn, intelligent and even terrible person can really fix this nation. I have decided to come up with a list of idiosyncratic qualities I think the ideal Nigerian president needs & match them with some known Nigerian personalities. What do you think is/are the needed qualities of the ideal Nigerian president, let’s see if we can begin the process (informally) on who our ideal president should be:

The ruggedity of Governor Nyesom Wike; the Decisiveness of General Murtala Mohammed; the ‘local investment capability’ of Aliko Dangote; The political astuteness of Peter Obi; The fearlessness of Dora Akunyili of blessed memory; The financial nitty-gritty of Tony Elumelu; The humility of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; The intelligence of Governor Babatunde Fashola; The exposure of Ngozi Okonjo Iwaela; The stubbornness of Mallam Nasir El-rufai, the energy of Atiku Abubakar and The shrewdness of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Is there a Nigerian with all these qualities? Sure, no individual is perfect, no one has it all, and countries that are developed today didn’t get there by having perfect leaders but they have perfect systems and structures that make governance a lot easier which unfortunately is not the Nigerian present reality, therefore we need a leader or leaders who make deliberate efforts towards developing these qualities in them. Good policies come from sound minds & committed individuals with vision.

As 2023 approaches, rather than drumming up support for any candidate or any party, Nigerians should clamor for a total overhaul of the 1999 constitution that has stagnated the country for several years because in my opinion, no matter who gets to power, no substantial progress can ever be made with the present structure and system and we will only keep going round in circles for many years to come until someone bold enough steps up to the challenge.

No individual has all the perfect qualities. We have to settle for human being and that’s why our ideal leaders must be deliberate about self development coupled with good policies. Nigeria CAN and will work, we have only been unfortunate to have the wrong leaders at practically almost all levels of government.

Nigeria stood and still stands in dire need of a president who will listen to the yearning and aspirations of his people; An upstanding technocrat that will respect the constitution, heal and unite our broken and dysfunctional country; A president that understands the complexity of Nigeria and has the tenacity to create an equilibrium to our complexity regardless ; A man/woman who is ready to defend the territorial integrity of the nation; A man or woman that isn’t incompetent and wouldn’t condone incompetency; Someone who has Religious and tribal tolerance; Someone who is truthful, not a man of violence, and has respect for Rule of law. Above all I need is a president that will do all what he has promised to do.

Furthermore, an ideal president is most likely to put in the most trusted hands in key positions, people who have similar opinions & views on how to make things work and this, the impact will be felt in all systems of the polity. I also know that political expediency will be a factor in the long run, but an ideal leader won’t compromise on the fundamentals and what he regards as core values. Ultimately, any leader who accommodates corruption and incompetency in his government will never succeed!