Choice of leaders across board has no doubt been a major problem facing Nigeria over the years. Former governor of Cross River state, Donald Duke, could therefore be stating the obvious when he said that the elites from across the ruling All Progressives Congress, the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party, and the private sector are to blame for the economic recession facing the country.
Duke spoke with in an interview with HipTV in Lagos.
“If you look at those who are running the affairs of the country, they have no business running the affairs of the country. So, the current economic recession is the fault of the elites – we the elites. I mean elites in the widest sense of the word irrespective of party affiliation.
“We go to the best schools, we send our children to the best schools, we have the exposure but we don’t want to benefit the society of all that exposure. All that education, yes, it’s primarily for you and your family but it also should spread around society.
“So the folks who we allow to assume leadership in the country, assume these offices not because they want to uphold and build society but for survival. It shouldn’t be that way.”
He added that the major problem of Nigeria is more or less lack of exposure and leadership crisis in both the public and private sectors of the nation
“We have a leadership crisis at various levels – local, state, and national – even in the private sector too. So there’s a national leadership crisis, and I say this in the widest sense of the word.
“We need to encourage people that have ideas that can move our society forward. But they are uncertain. We need to encourage them that it’s important that folks who have the exposure and the resource base to come out.
“I hope that as our politics matures, more folks with the right pedigree in terms of personal development and public service to come out and seek political office. No one is going to call you, you have to put yourself forward. That’s the challenge that we have.” He said.
