2023: ‘The Nigeria and president we need’- citizens’ perspectives

It is widely known that no nation can grow and be ranked among the best without good, quality and purposeful leadership. But these attributes, which Nigerians say have been mere rhetoric and all talks, have been continuously shrouded in the manifestos of those seeking to sit in the corridors of power.

Yes! It is another political season of the year where aspirants make false promises as they walk on the road to the 2023 general elections. Talks, consultations are ongoing among presidential aspirants for the battle of the tickets.

To some, next year may just be another year in the calendar but observers say 2023 will either herald the rebuilding of “Africa’s largest economy”, which they say is on the brink of collapse or will further put the country in a lowly state.

As Nigerians eagerly anticipate the general election that will lead to the changing of guard of the nation’s top job and renewal of the social contract between the government and the people, citizens watching with keen interest are already pondering who will preside over the country for the next four years and take us out from the prevailing challenges with a view to meeting the needs of the citizenry.

With a plethora of aspirants, from ex-governors, former senators, to professionals among other politicians vying for the plum job in Aso Rock presidential villa, here are some of Nigerians’ comments about the nation they yearn for and the way to go.

“We admire Switzerland, Holland, Israel, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the rise of China in a global world, what has made them outstanding is that neither their leaders nor the citizens are passive. We must all rise like never before to query the existing status quo. We must be angry with our wasted years. That is what could define how we discover those to elect, the kind of persons who should ascend to leadership in 2023,” says Tony Abolo, a communication expert.

He said to bring about the change Nigerians crave for, there must be mass public participation in a stand against the “locust years”, adding that “none should stand on the fence or else you will have no one else to blame about the thorns that won’t go away.

“It is so needed today in our country; a proper collective civil engagement of all and sundry if Nigeria is to be rescued post-2023 after these past years of unmitigated disaster; incoherence, savagery and utter lack of progress. It’s time we all thought through critically and collectively across ethnic and class lines, how best to salvage a nation on the brink, brought down by the indifference and greed of our self-serving political elite, many of who neither understand what nation-building is all about and what are the ingredient of development nor care.

“It calls for action. It requires much more than Facebook barks and vituperations; much more street action and vigour than posting on WhatsApp. It requires an active critical mass citizenry participatory action. You are either in a movement, a third force movement or you are in a fresh new political party or you are in the same old boats (APC/PDP) but firing with a new post-2023 spirit.

“You must be like in the earlier European societies that beget democratic ideas and tenets, state out your philosophy and ideas in pamphlets and books and help create a revolutionary spirit for a new rebirth for a new nation.

“We must choose right this time and consciously choose the way to go, whether it is the party or personality or the age factor that determines our best options. We must have reasons like the 18th century Europeans to choose – life, liberty and pursuit of property or the way the Americans framed theirs – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Choosing and thinking right as a critical mass and not preferring our region or religion would ensure that post-2023, affliction will not arise in this land, again.

He further said: “We have been duped and taken for a ride for too long; sixty years of cavorting in stupidity, ignorance and painful wrong choices. Clearly 2015 to 2023 has been a mishap. And it has been the hope of Nigerians that every national election season should be a season to reconstruct the nation’s dream of unity, strength, a giant in the sun and the fabled black man’s big hope. No time more than now as 2023 approaches, that we could forge new directions in the nation’s history.”

Abolo, a development economist, said that even when Oby Ezekwesili, Kingsley Moghalu, Fela Durotoye came on the scene in 2019, Nigerians could not recognise the need to choose intellect, instead, they opted for “bread of politics” which according to him has now metamorphosed into “bread of sorrow”.

“Who then should bail the nation or help it think not only out of the famous box but with a foresight ahead of the box to kick-up the nation towards 2023 and beyond. Intellectualism is imperative if we must salvage the polity.

“What we should establish, henceforth, is an intellectual debate and discourse on the person or persons who seek a local or national office and more importantly, what is our vision for tomorrow? Does the individual or whichever party is the vehicle for delivery, match our visions for a better tomorrow? Our constant lack of those kinds of interrogations got us into the mess we have been in from 1999 till date.

“By now, we should be able to articulate on the kind of changes we want, which can be aggregated, defined and which can be measured as a template going forward. We must now be more analytic, scientific about the desired changes. What kind of character do we want to see as a president? Is he inspirational? Does he breed confidence? Is he a unifier? Does he have a global vision? Is he Pan African and yet indigenous enough as a Nigerian?

“What are his visions for a newer, better and renewed nation. Can Nigerians stay inside Nigeria, and can Nigeria be made so attractive enough that no one thinks of leaving or voting with the feet? Could Nigeria be a growing economy that reverses these years of accursed and unnecessary poverty in the land?

“Can we be that competitive that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) finds us, rather than travelling around the world, including going to desert countries, like Mali and Chad and Turkey and Iran in search of investments? Not to talk of the ever-constant trips to China for unending loans, instead of growing the people and growing the economy,” he said.

According to him, “Nation building is one of our preoccupations, as we have never embarked on the idea, neither in our history nor in any conscious way. It may require leadership or “leaderships” at many social strata. But it is often shaped along with peoples’ social history, revolutions, and contradictions with an eye on a better society.

“In the usual manner of Nigerians, the forthcoming presidential election has become the all-consuming passion and conversations. What can be the game changer is a young, vibrant and virile mind that can see a Nigeria in the mould of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vision bearer of Dubai or Lee Kuan Yew, the father of modern Singapore. Anything less would leave us still in the cesspool that we have been in the last sixty years.

“We require a person with the SEGID theory mindset – a mind that understands the science of economic growth, industrialisation and development (SEGID). We need someone who understands that building bridges, roads, railways and national airline is not the way to develop our nation. We must key into industrialisation,” Abolo opined.

Corroborating, Pius Oiwoh, chairman, Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said obviously the nation is confronted with numerous challenges, hence the urgent need for citizens to entrench leadership that will guarantee security of lives, reduce poverty and restore hope to the ordinary people.

“As we approach electioneering, we should be looking at someone who is experienced with a sound moral background and upbringing, someone with the indices sufficient to manage an economy; also, someone who has been following the trajectory and will be able to deliver. We want someone who is passionate about reviving the economy because it is currently in a bad state.

“We have never had this tough and rough. People are dying every day, people are being killed and it appears the present leadership has failed. We are tired and if we find someone willing to take us a step further, I am sure that there will be improvements.

“Like every Nigerian, who clamour for a just and egalitarian society, good governance, we are also very expectant that someone who has the interest of the people at heart would emerge after the 2023 general elections.

“We are really tired of the recycling which we now experience in our leadership. We do not want a situation where someone wants to attain power for the sake of looting,” Oiwoh said.

Speaking on the yet-to-be assented Electoral Bill 2021 earlier transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, he said the refusal to assent to the electoral bill has become a nightmare for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to perform their electoral duties.

He urged the National Assembly to override the president’s veto if he fails to assent to the bill.

“Not assenting to the Electoral bill is another problem itself. I am very disturbed that the president has not assented. It is really unfortunate and I expect the National Assembly should do the needful by overriding the president’s veto with two-thirds majority.

“INEC is in a tight situation now. We have been hoping that the president assent to the bill even before it was sent back because of the issue of direct and indirect primaries. The National Assembly has succumbed to the areas the president raised concern, but we find ourselves in a country where we have professors, intellectuals and one person will hold the nation to a ransom,” he said.

Sharing his thoughts on who the citizens can employ to lead the nation, Osazee Edigin, a human rights activist, said: “We desire a president that is vast in human endeavours, educated and have the ability to bring Nigerians together in unity. The president should be young and energetic.

“We clamour for a Nigeria with patriotic and altruistic leadership. The Nigeria of our dream should be that which invests in capacity building for youths. Merits should be entrenched above political and ethnic considerations. A country where citizens are proud of and ready to give all for. A nation truly practising democracy and the rule of law,” Edigin added.

Also giving his opinion on the 2023 poll, Abdufatah Enabulele, chief Imam of Benin central mosque, urged the citizenry to elect the best and most suitable candidate irrespective of tribe and religious inclinations.

The cleric called for a united front in order to achieve the Nigeria citizens long for. He said: “We, Nigerians, have a role to play. Every Nigerian must be involved so we can have the right persons to address our prevailing challenges.

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“There is still hope if we have the right people ruling us. Leadership entails a lot of responsibilities, and when you have the right leadership at the helm of affairs, things will move on smoothly; there will be peace, unity and development.

“Our problem now in Nigeria is that we don’t have the right leadership managing the affairs of this country. The ones we have are not doing it for the interest of Nigerians. And so, as we approach the 2023 election, we are praying that God should have mercy on us.

“Like we say heaven help those who help themselves. We should shun religion and adopt competence as a criterion. We should elect those with vision, honest, and can form policies and programs that will better the lives of Nigerians.

“I think the ball is in our court, we should do away with the saying that our votes do not count. If in the last election in Edo State, we all agreed on a candidate, I don’t see how it cannot be replicated in the 2023 election, provided we have the zeal.”