Nigeria will not rise until decency, soundness of mind and spirit of hardwork, over name, class, lineage or tribe, will give a little boy or girl opportunity in our nation. Until a girl born in Awka, until a girl born in Uyo, until a boy born in Kano, until a boy born in Lagos, until the little girl from Jos, and until the boy from Yobe, can aspire for anything, based on hardwork and the power of their imaginations can propel them, Nigeria has no future. The recent story of nepotism and special job placements for children of politicians and the connected diminishes this nation. There are few things which can be life-changing than a good job. Nigeria needs to make the few jobs we have to be competitively open to ALL; economic mobility goes through that path.
We yearn for a leader who can engineer Nigeria into rebirth and restoration to offer a prosperous nation that is colorful, fluidic, vibrant and open, unbounded by tribe and class, and united by a shared purpose.
He or she must demonstrate immense intelligence, competence, pragmatism, and unimpeachable before his fellow citizens. A person of integrity, broad knowledge, enormous vision and solid experience; one that can stimulate more vibrancy in the private sector and move the public sector out of its stasis, tackling corruption and stabilizing our democracy. And yes, giving us electoral reform to remove stagnation, circuitous legal component and time-waste to get leaders to work as soon as possible after elections.
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Restoring our dignity and recovering our place in the world. Building confidence and re-imaging our nation through affecting fundamental reforms in capital markets, education, healthcare, etc all packaged in the zobo-amala-nkwobi of good governance. Yes, a hopeful nation, admired by all!
Our young people when giving fair and open opportunities to rise and fail will be the path to that hopeful nation. Backdoor opportunities must END.
Nigeria needs a GREATER Leader to change the fundamental constructs of this nation, and give everyone opportunities. That your father is a politician should not guarantee you a job over your classmate who is evidently more qualified. I hope we understand that at our individual levels, we can be that GREATER.
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The challenge is: how do we get the small-minded people up there to understand and appreciate that there are greater reward and massive benefits, when job placements and elective positions are done the right way? All our acts of desperations and vulnerability haven’t improved our fortunes as a nation, rather they leave us with greater agony and disillusionment; so why can’t we try something else?
You mentioned ‘shared purpose’, the question is: do we really have one? On the surface, it does appear that we do, but put any proposal forward, you get attacked for mundane reasons, not on the merits or demerits of your proposal, but rather on hatred, envy, and other vices which the very people opposing you would struggle to explain why they are opposing…
The qualities of immense intelligence, competence, pragmatism, etc you highlighted seemed lofty, but these are merely the basics, but in a country where ordinary requirements always appear like premium, it’s difficult to see people possessing these qualities near seat of power. We are largely one dimensional, if you see someone who’s honest, then he/she is likely to be incompetent to do a job. If you see who’s skilled, then he/she will lack candour or integrity. This is our story!
My comment to the above statement
– Sir William Jackson
Part One “A NATION’S GREATNESS DEPENDS ON ITS LEADER To vastly improve your country and truly make it great again, start by choosing a better leader. Do not let the media or the establishment make you pick from the people they choose, but instead choose from those they do not pick. Pick a leader from among the people who is heart-driven, one who identifies with the common man on the street and understands what the country needs on every level. Do not pick a leader who is only money-driven and does not understand or identify with the common man, but only what corporations need on every level. (edited)
Part Two “A NATION’S GREATNESS DEPENDS ON ITS LEADER Pick a peacemaker. One who unites, not divides. A cultured leader who supports the arts and true freedom of speech, not censorship. Pick a leader who will not only bail out banks and airlines, but also families from losing their homes — or jobs due to their companies moving to other countries. Pick a leader who will fund schools, not limit spending on education and allow libraries to close. Pick a leader who chooses diplomacy over war. An honest broker in foreign relations. A leader with integrity, one who says what they mean, keeps their word and does not lie to their people. Pick a leader who is strong and confident, yet humble. Intelligent, but not sly. A leader who encourages diversity, not racism. One who understands the needs of the farmer, the teacher, the doctor, and the environmentalist — not only the banker, the oil tycoon, the weapons developer, or the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyist.
Part Three “A NATION’S GREATNESS DEPENDS ON ITS LEADER Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows corporations to outsource jobs for cheaper labor when there is a national employment crisis. Choose a leader who will invest in building bridges, not walls. Books, not weapons. Morality, not corruption. Intellectualism and wisdom, not ignorance. Stability, not fear and terror. Peace, not chaos. Love, not hate. Convergence, not segregation. Tolerance, not discrimination. Fairness, not hypocrisy. Substance, not superficiality. Character, not immaturity. Transparency, not secrecy. Justice, not lawlessness. Environmental improvement and preservation, not destruction. Truth, not lies.
Part Four “A NATION’S GREATNESS DEPENDS ON ITS LEADER Most importantly, a great leader must serve the best interests of the people first, not those of multinational corporations. Human life should never be sacrificed for monetary profit. There are no exceptions. In addition, a leader should always be open to criticism, not silencing dissent. Any leader who does not tolerate criticism from the public is afraid of their dirty hands to be revealed under heavy light. And such a leader is dangerous, because they only feel secure in the darkness. Only a leader who is free from corruption welcomes scrutiny; for scrutiny allows a good leader to be an even greater leader.
Part Five “A NATION’S GREATNESS DEPENDS ON ITS LEADER And lastly, pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters of a given nation strive to emulate their leader’s greatness. Only then will a nation be truly great, when a leader inspires and produces citizens worthy of becoming future leaders, honorable decision makers and peacemakers. And in these times, a great leader must be extremely brave. Their leadership must be steered only by their conscience, not a bribe.”
– Rise Up and Salute the Sun – Suzy Kassem
Thank you Sir for finding time to share your deep perspectives with us. We agree – it begins and ends with leadership.
Backdoor opportunity killed the public sector and crept into the private. It is now fully wired into the nation’s DNA and we are now on a rollercoaster, just moving in circles with no progress. This is the benefit of poor leadership.