The Nation Newspaper

Tag: new leaders

  • ‘Nigeria needs new leaders with fresh ideas’

    Comrade Fidelis LawrenceEkoh, 43, is a 2019 presidential aspirant of Young Democratic Party. In this interview with Gbenga Aderanti, he talks about his plans for the country and why voters should look for new faces with fresh ideas. Excerpts

    WHAT inspired you to seek the highest office in the land? No Nigerian is happy at the way things are going here in Nigeria today.  I am very sure that you feel the same way that I feel. You should have seen the gathering of youths in Benin when I made my declaration at the Youth House Benin. They all came out to see this Edo State indigene who has come to join in the struggle for a better Nigeria. Just like the rest of the youths, I am tired of the hardship bad leadership has brought upon us over the years.

    We are all tired of bad economy, we are tired of bad roads, we are tired of poor income, to most Nigerian workers, even their take home pay cannot actually take them home. Healthcare is rather too expensive for the ordinary low income Nigerians. As a result, too many people have died of illnesses that naturally shouldn’t be life threatening.

    The frustrations being brought on all of us by our leaders are countless.

    Fellow compatriots, we cannot continue to complain and pray and fast without taking necessary actions. Faith without works they say is death. The time is now for us to wake up from our slumber and act right.

    Many will ask why you did not start with the lower wrung of politicking?

    I feel that it is only by running for the Presidency that Nigerians would really feel my impact. If I run for the governorship or senator or house of reps, only the state or the zone and constituency would see my contributions. I would only have impacted on my state. If Nigeria is okay, my Edo State as well as other states in Nigeria would be okay.

    As a Nigerian who lives abroad, do you think you understand Nigeria’s problems more than those living in the country?

    That I live outside Nigeria does not mean I am not a full blooded Nigerian. I am 100% Nigerian who only lives abroad and visit Nigeria very often. I was born here, studied in Nigeria and visit Nigeria all the time. I can say I live at home and abroad and I am very much aware of the challenges Nigerians face. The fact that I have lived overseas for a long time is an added advantage. My mission is to bring all those ideas of the global standards back home. Our leaders go overseas every now and then, but have deliberately refused to learn how those nations are solving their problems with new technologies and new ideas.

    Our leaders are facing both old and new challenges, but they are still using same old systems to attempt to solve them. Yet they expect to achieve new results. I have absolute knowledge of what Nigerians need to grow. I will bring fresh ideas from Europe and adapt it to suit Nigeria problems. For example; the issue of electricity; I am of the opinion that it should have long time ago been classified as solved and forgotten.

    What would you do first if you become the President of Nigeria?

    Nigerians are very hungry and food is very important to life. A hungry man is very angry, so, I must take care of the stomach before any other thing. I will declare a state of emergency on food. There is food crisis in Nigeria. My government will subsidise food for the masses. Just as it is in Europe and America, my mission is to force down the prices of food produce and make them available and the reach of all.

    I will also place emphasis on security and electricity power generation because I believe that it is key to development. A country that is not secure will not stand. A country without electricity to effectively power homes and industries may never make any positive progress good enough to raise its head among the Comity of Nations. This is why unemployment rate is so high; the same reason we are not a producing nation.

    We also hope to do a drastic thing on education of the youths. More scholarship of gifted children will be embarked upon like it is done abroad.

    Most of our roads are in the worst of deplorable states. They have become death traps where the lives of many Nigerians have been abruptly ended. Our healthcare system is practically a no go area. Our facilities are generally depleted and rusty and medical costs are rather too expensive and far beyond the reach of low income Nigerians.

    We must stand up and join the rest of our fellow compatriots in the clamor for better leadership, in the clamor for a more purposeful and youthful leadership.

    Don’t you think you are too young to run for this top position?

    I can’t say I am too young to run at 43.  By all standards I am young but not too young. I am an old youth. Check out the presidents of France, Canada, Austria and Ethiopia. Youth has more energy to fly through the stairs unlike old men like we have across Africa. Even all the Holy Books endorse youth because of the huge energy they possess. As a youth, you are more flexible in making decisions and are capable of taking a few positive risks because of the internal mental energy you possess.

    But your party has not done the primaries yet; do you think you will emerge the YDP Presidential candidate?

    I am very hopeful that when the primaries are held, I will emerge because I have consulted widely with my party, Young Democratic Party. I hear there are about three or four others interested to contest and fly the party’s flag. But I rather want to talk about my own candidacy with the assurance that I will clinch the ticket.

    But several young people had been given the opportunity and they failed?

    It is not in my place to talk about the failed youths. I only wish to say that I will not fail. Talk should be about those who are positive. Even in the midst of rubbish, there are still youths doing very well and will never fail. What matters is having positive attitude and virtues and being prepared for leadership

    Critics say you do not possess requisite experience to be president of Nigeria.

    I wonder what they mean by that despite that I was involved in students’ politics while at Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma where I studied Agric Economics. I used to think that politicians are criminals but my stay in Europe changed all that perception.

    I realised that politicians should only go to serve. I am the President, Fatherland Vision, an Non-governmental Organisation based in Belgium, as well as other youth empowerment groups. I am also president and founder of Youth Initiative For Capacity Development and Nation Building here in Nigeria. Leadership is all about virtue.

    Aren’t you afraid that there are many contenders for the presidency?

    Fear? I am not moved by negativity but positivity. It tells me that it is time for our country to take off. More people are getting involved and are worried about the state of affairs in Nigeria. By so doing, Nigerians have a broader perspective to choose from. Only the best will be good enough. Nigeria should start to do politics of the best not politics of the money bags. The money bags politicians have failed us. They are in the race only for the wrong reasons. Now Nigerians have another opportunity to look away from the regular names and faces and pick leaders who are true visionaries with new ideas from fresh perspectives.

  • Ohanaeze Youth Council elects new leaders

    A new leadership of Ohanaeze Youths Council (OYC) has emerged with Mr. Arthur Obiora as the National Leader.

    Obiora from Anambra state polled a total of 147 votes out of 187 votes cast to emerge as the leader in an election conducted at Ohanaeze National Secretariat in Enugu.

    The Ikechukwu Isiguzoro-led youth wing was dissolved two years ago by the Ime Obi of Ohanaeze Ndigbo during the tenure of Chief Enwo Igariwey.

    The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo under the leadership of Chief John Nnia Nwodo refused to restore the dissolved Exco, hence it declared media war on the parent body.

    Obiora defeated two other candidates to emerge new leader of Ohanaeze youth wing.

    The keenly but peacefully contested national election started with accreditation of delegates from the seven Igbo speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states.

    Special Adviser, Media to the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emeka Attama, said with the election concluded, the positions of the youth wing, which had been vacant since 2016, have now been filled.

    “This has put to paid once and for all the issue of leadership of the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

    “Ohanaeze Ndigbo charged them that the principle of be thy neighbour’s keeper should be adhered to and I urge them to always work in concert with the parent body of Ohanaeze for the progress and development of Igbo land,” said Attama.

  • Group elects new leaders

    The National Association of Ijaw Female Students (NAIFS) Alumna Auchi chapter has elected three members into its executive committee to pilot its affairs for one year.

    They are Miss Ayanka Joy (president), Miss Anitorufa Williams (secretary), Miss Esamah Daisy (Welfare).

    The association which was founded by Joseph Evah in 2004, now has about 15,000 members in over 80 tertiary institutions as well as and over 13 Alumna chapters worldwide.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the new leaders, the National Deputy President, Miss Preye Ejiro, underscored the importance of educating the girl-child.

    “Offering girls basic education is one sure way of giving them power to enable them make genuine choices over the kind of lives they wish to live and also have skills, information and self confidence that she needs to be a better parent”.

    Daisy also urged the women to attend meetings and share their challenges with the house.

    “We are all sisters we should tell each other our challenges even if we can’t help at that moment we can call on God for divine intervention,” she said.

     

  • Ibadan students get new leaders

    Members of The Federation of Ibadan Students Union (FIBSU) have elected their leaders in an election held at Mufu Lanihun College of Education in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Two delegate each from 34 tertiary institutions in different part of the country participated in the process. Security men were on ground to ensure the election was peaceful. Voting started 9am and it ended in the afternoon.

    At the end of the exercise, Ishola Yusuf, a 400-Level Animal Science student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, scored 55 votes to defeat other three aspirants and became the president.

    Also, Fatimoh Oladimeji was elected the Vice President, having scored 57 votes to beat two others; David Adeleke was elected Registrar.

    Others elected include Abolaji Oladele, Social Director, Oladipupo Arewa, Sport Director, Kamorudeen Noah, Welfare Director, Timilehin Olayiwola, Deputy Registrar, Adeolu Adeleke, Financial Secretary, Akinola Akinlolu, Public Relations Officer I, Rofiat Omotosho, Public Relations Officer II, Busirat Bello, Treasurer, Abdul Wahab, Auditor and Abdulahi Adegboyega, Protocol Officer.

    The electoral committee chairman, Yusuf Akintude, hailed the candidates for conducting themselves peacefully during the exercise. He urged all elected members to fulfil their campaign promises.

  • Letter to new leaders

    SIR: Nigeria has never been in lack of leaders since she became an independent nation. However, Nigeria – like many other countries of the world – has been in lack of what Dr. Myles Munroe describes in his book, The Power of Character in Leadership, as “genuine leadership in their leaders”.

    No leader, no matter his level of educational attainment, oratory ability, charismatic prowess, giftedness, spirituality, or what have you; can ever go far and achieve meaningful and remarkable results in his period of leadership if he lacks in the right dose – the moral force of a noble and stable character – which makes it possible for such leader(s) to exhibit a huge of sense of morality and conscientiousness in their dealings; a high sense of decisiveness in their decisions making; as well as lead the people with humility, empathy, integrity and with the desired resilience needed to lead them unto the path of development and palpable growth in their economic, social, political cum cultural and otherwise well-being.

    Nigeria has over the years been mired in the muddy waters of corruption, nepotism/favouritsm, economic backwardness, ethno-religious crises, crimes and a high spate of moral decadence, infrastructural decay, youth unemployment, burgeoning insecurity of lives and property, just to mention but a few. And over this period of time, the country has also had leaders who had made lofty promises of tackling and/or ameliorating these challenges, all to no avail.

    If there’s really any aspect that our leaders need to work on, it is their moral character. Overtime, there seems to be a total negligence of the place of morality and sound character which has really been the brain behind the obvious endemic corruption on every facet of nation and our lives.

    It’s no news that, in spite of the huge budgetary provisions and investments so far made, for instance, in the power sector, all we’ve had is everything but desirable power supply. As President Muhammadu Buhari puts it in his inaugural speech; “it’s a national shame that an economy of 180 million people generates only 4, 000MW, and distributes even less. Continuous tinkering with the structures of power supply and distribution, and close to $20b expanded since 1999 have only brought darkness, frustration, misery, and resignation among Nigerians. We will not allow this to go on.”

    The above statement by our President is a true pointer to the fact that the leaders that who had managed the funds meant to make our power sector work lacked the moral force of a noble and a stable character to help make all the financial investments made on this very crucial aspect of our economy bring to fruition. The same is the case with every other aspect of the economy.

    Our leaders in this new dispensation must bear it in mind that leadership is a privilege given to them by we, the followers. It’s never a right! And this is the nature of a genuine moral character in leaders which entails that they must adhere to all the ethics of their offices.

    My dear newly elected leaders, now that the die is cast and the battle line of leadership drawn, would you want to go back on the campaign and otherwise promises you made to us, your followers, and mar your image and our trust in you? Wouldn’t you rather stick to the moral force of a noble and stable character and dispatch your functions in that line? Wouldn’t you rather stick to the ethics of your offices and conduct yourselves in most ethical manner? Well, you can choose to do or become whatever you want in the next four years this dispensation will last.

     

    • Daniel Ndukwe Ekea,

    Umuahia, Abia State.