By Cajetan Mmuta
The Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), Chartered, has emphasized the need for Nigerians to elect a credible, courageous, detribalized, and ideal leader, with the vision and character that inspires confidence, in order to get the country out of her present woods come 2023.

Speakers stated this at the two-day 2022 South-East Summit held in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

They explored and focused on why and how a nation with so much promise could end with so little honor, pointing out that poor leadership and failure had impacted Nigeria’s prosperity these past years.

They also advocated what could be done to reverse the nation’s downward trajectory into infamy and disdain.

The members pointed out that leadership is a compelling factor in the affairs of men and nation-states, and it could transform a poor village cattle boy and a jailbird into an international statesman, the world’s number 1 citizen, and a frontline opinion and character molder.

The guest speaker, Prof. Benjamin Osisioma, in his paper with the theme: ’Leadership and Nigeria’s Quest for Prosperity, Challenges, and Blueprint,’ flayed Nigerian leaders for failure to steer the ship of state in the right direction due to brazen influence and display of ethnicity, religious bigotry, and corruption, which evils constitute a spin-off from a failure of leadership.

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He noted that “In the early days of politics in Nigeria, ethnicity was not a critical factor. In the early 1950s, Nnamdi Azikiwe led the NCNC (originally, National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, and later, National Council of Nigerian Citizens) to win the status of a majority party in Western region.”

Osisioma observed that the early political fathers of the nation employed the principles of compromise, negotiation, and accommodation to ease the tensions in the land.

The professor, who was represented by his wife, Prof. (Mrs.) Hilda Osisioma, pointed out, “It took the divisive tactics of Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the Action Group, to upstage the NCNC rout. Those were the days when a northern chieftain was elected mayor of Enugu, and Zik’s newspaper publications were read all through the Nigerian nation.”

He argued that, “The nationalists were well aware of the differences-the multi-ethnic complexion of our federal arrangement, the plural mosaic of our religious and cultural diversities. They were not blind to these differences. But they were convinced that Nigeria could rise beyond these inhibiting factors to forge one united nation.”

Osisioma also posited that, “Only equity, fairness and natural justice in the allocation of the nation’s abundant resources will enable the land and her people to beat peace.”

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“The giant of Africa is thus proving the point that possessing mere potentials seem to be inadequate for transformation to greatness. Good leadership is critical as it provides the required governance that can exploit all the potentials for the good of the citizenry”.

Today, the number of Nigeriens living below the poverty line has fallen to 40 per cent, from 48 per cent a decade ago.