Kenyan Anti-Corruption Crusader Prof. Patrick Lumumba has blamed the challenges to Africa’s greatness on the problems of leadership structure in Nigeria.
Lumumba said this on Wednesday in Abuja, electronically, at the Summit of the Alternatives (SOTA) with the theme “Citizens Framing the New Nigeria of Our Dream.”
The occasion was organised by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSO).
The anti-corruption crusader called on Nigerians to fix the leadership structure of the country, adding that it was a missing link to Africa’s greatness.
According to him, out of every five Africans, one is a Nigerian, by that the economic potential of Nigeria cannot be gainsay.
He said that the problem of Nigeria was simply leadership, adding that if fixed, every problem would be addressed.
“Nigeria had great leaders during the times of Sir. Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe among others shortly after independence.
“The question, therefore, is that when did the rain start beating us? I can tell you that no sooner had the gains of independence been realised that we began to see abuses, then came the ear of coup d’état.
“Then, we began to see armed men in the political arena, I can say without fear of contradiction, that, that was when the rain started beating us.
“I remember that where ever Nigeria has provided leadership, the African continent always occupy her pride of place, be it in football, literature and medicine”.
Lumumba said that the political elite who ought to liberate from the politics of money and money bags were responsible for the leadership challenges facing the country.
According to him, it is time for Nigerians to throw aside things that hold them down and must recognise that whatever Nigeria does is important to Africa.
“It is time for Nigerian leadership to recognise that Nigeria ought to be the political Mecca to which we pay pilgrimage.
“When the Nigerian leaders wake up to this reality, Africa will be great because Nigeria’s leadership is the missing link to Africa’s greatness,” he said.
Dr Oby Ezekwesili, one of the conveners of the summit, said the event was orgnaised by a coalition of CSO and 66 political parties to change the status quo of the wrong narratives of governance in Nigeria.
Ezekwesili said the idea was also to begin to address the transformation of Nigeria’s political leadership through deliberations by patriotic Nigerians.
“The gathering will present a formidable platform for people who believe that Nigeria has right to develop a deliberate framework to demand for termination of the decadent political class.
“In medium term, an expected outcome is that, they will provide back end support to drive the ideology of the new Nigeria of our dream.
“It is ostensibly a call to duty and civic action,’’ she said.
The coalition comprises of Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Enough is Enough, Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA)-Africa.
Others are Budgit, Red Card Movement and Nigeria First among others. (NAN)
