President Olusegun Obasanjo this morning listed qualities, which he said Nigerians could not afford to compromise while choosing the next President as doing so would reverse the gains of the last seven years of democracy in the country.In his Democracy Day broadcast to the nation, Obasanjo said whoever aspired to lead Nigeria must possess “a track record of discipline, capacity to deliver, integrity, and the essence of humanity- the fear of God.”
To succeed in the search for such a leader, especially given the current search, Obasanjo said Nigerians needed to redefine the purpose of politics and leadership by abandoning old ways of thinking on power relations, explaining that appeals to sentiments rather than rational thinking had stunted the attainment of nationhood.
“We must, as Nigerians, transcend old, non-functional, even discredited basis of power arrangements and permutations that led us no where other than spreading hatred, suspicion, inefficiency, corruption, and the contamination of progressive conduct and values,” he said.
Nigerian News
