Nigeria swimming in mediocrity since independence – Former Minister, Jerry Agada
A former Minister of State for Education, Prof. Jerry Agada, has attributed the poor state of things in the country to inability of successive leadership to drive home strong policies that could strengthen the system.
He said, a country where the leaders and elite get richer while the poor get poorer, will “incrementally derail, decline and disintegrate”.
Prof. Agada, who was a Guest Speaker at the 2017 Cultural Day of National Association of Idoma Students (NAIS), Keffi, at the weekend; said Nigeria needed credible leaders, with track records of honesty, dedication and selflessness.
“It is pertinent to note that since independence, Nigeria has been swimming in mediocrity and lack of purpose. There is no permanence, no continuity and no priority policy issues.
“We must admit that poverty, ignorance, fear and religious fanaticism have led to a situation where the relationship between the leadership and followership is akin to that between a slave and master. The leader is seen as a divine appointee and first among equals. This ignorance and religious conception of what the leader is, has given credence to the dictatorial tendencies on the leadership in Nigeria, whether in military or civilian attire”, he posited.
To achieve the dream leadership in the country, Prof. Agada said, the leadership must be “enthroned with the best of qualities, assume a dynamic nature, be futuristic, collaborative, rational and most especially, be ready to learn from the mistakes of the past and be ready to adapt to actual situation”.
Prof. Agada, who is the Chairman of Benue Civil Service Commission, also used the occasion to enjoin the youths to have little patience for Buhari-led federal government and Benue State government, under Dr . Samuel Ortom, which he described as “leadership with emphasis on service to others and promotion of ideals for self emancipation and peaceful co-existence”.
On his part, the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Disabilities, Dr. Samuel Ankeli, sued for unity and harmony among Idoma youths, saying, if Idoma youths must progress, the habit of “pull him down”, as could be seen in some elders must be discouraged.
He enjoined Idoma youths to stop condemning each other and rather, stand up for each other and defend their land, adding that, the access to social media should be cultivated for promotion of Idoma cultural values and development of the land.
Also speaking, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, charged Idoma youths and students to shun cultism and other social vices capable of undermining the unity and corporate existence around the institutions of higher learning.
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