Obasanjo Criticizes Leadership Failures as Key Obstacle to Nigeria’s Progress
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has attributed the stagnation of Nigeria’s socioeconomic and political development to ineffective leadership. He argues that the nation’s challenges persist because of leaders who prioritize their own interests over the public good.
Obasanjo made these remarks in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the Leadership Empowerment International Conference, where 25 distinguished Nigerians received honorary doctorates in leadership from the Immanuel Theology Institute International, based in South Africa, in collaboration with the Priesthood Leadership Development Initiative Inc.
According to Obasanjo, Nigeria’s progress is hampered by a class of leaders who are self-serving and lack the necessary knowledge and understanding to effectively serve. He emphasized that these leaders fail to view service as the core of their responsibilities.
He urged Nigerians to advocate for transformational leaders rather than transactional ones to ensure effective governance. Obasanjo stressed that true leadership is a lifelong commitment to serving one’s community, state, country, continent, and even the world.
“If you ask me to pinpoint the root of Nigeria’s problems, I would say without hesitation that it is leadership—self-serving leadership that lacks knowledge and understanding and does not prioritize service,” he remarked.
Obasanjo praised the Leadership Empowerment International Conference (LEIC) for its efforts to promote good leadership and called for a broader incorporation of effective leadership practices at all levels of Nigerian society.
He also commended Prof. Olusesi Obateye, International Coordinator of the Priesthood Leadership Development Initiative, and Prof. Van Den Berg Edward Alfred, President of the South African Institute, for their role in recognizing and nurturing leadership talent among Nigerians.
Prof. Obateye, who spoke on the theme of “Responsible and Responsive Leadership,” highlighted the persistent issue of inadequate leadership as a major factor in Nigeria’s slow development, nearly 64 years after independence.
The conference honored several individuals with honorary doctorates, including former Ogun State Commissioners Engr. Anthony Ojeshina, Hon. Kehinde Sogunle, and Hon. Dele Obadina, former PDP State Chairman Chief Joju Fadairo, and former Central Bank of Nigeria Director Engr. Oluw
atoyin Jokosenumi.
