Country Officer, Open Society Initiative for West Africa, Mr. Jude Ilo, has described bad leadership in Nigeria as a product of a system filled with agitation, unpatriotic citizenry among several others.
He made this known while speaking on the state of the nation as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily ahead of Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary on Sunday.
Mr. Ilo said, “In our own case if we apply the test of effectiveness, we will have a problem. Our system has not been effective, it is manifested in bad leadership, people who are not patriotic like we use to hear in the past, angry people are asking for a different kind of arrangement or country.
“One thing I think all of us need is to understand and agree on, is that the system we have now is not working, that is the reality. The second step would be ‘why is it not working? What are the fault lines?
“In my view, I sympathise with people who believe our constitution was not people oriented, was not created by the people, it was an act of the military.
“Though of course, there were consultations with the people, the process, of course, could have been a much better. But we should also keep in mind, that within the civilian regime, we have tried in two instances to give ourselves a constitution and a new framework for governing the country. And in both instances, it failed.”
Although the OSIWA chief admitted that building our country since the independence era is a gradual process, he, however, stressed that he sees a Nigeria that is trying to resolve her inadequacies and contradiction.
“I would say it is a working progress because the work of nation-building is continuous, it does not end. I see a country that is evolving, trying to resolve its own inadequacies and contradiction.
“In other work we do, I work away ever convinced that the people are interested in Nigeria as a country. Maybe they don’t know how to go about it, or they are constrained by either selfish or parochial sentiment.
“But the point of the matter is that there is a Nigeria in their mind. The colouration or configuration of that Nigeria varies from one individual to another.
“But I have never come away with doubt in the fact that people believe in Nigeria,” he explains.
CHANNELS TV
