But all of these are mere symptoms. We see the manifestations, but the real problem is deep down. Every four years we attempt to treat the symptoms by electing the person who has convinced us that he is the solution to our woes. Then he disappoints us.
8
704
2,392
We complain and wait for another four years to repeat the cycle. It is time to stop that nonsensical cycle. We have to press the RESET button. We must restart Nigeria and begin to build the country of our dreams. We stand now at an opportune time to press that RESET button.
40
875
12
2,719
We must do so by rejecting those who have failed us so woefully in the past. We will choose a New Nigeria. A major problem is that we cannot predict what our leaders will ACTUALLY do when in power, and we appear to have no way to force them to deliver once they are in office.
5
494
1,693
They make promises during their campaigns, but they fail to deliver on them. The problem is one of accountability. We need a way to hold leaders accountable when they are in office.
11
552
1
1,856
How? If we ask ourselves, what is the greatest fear that a politician really has? The answer is: removal from office. Our politicians hold on tenaciously to power, because the stakes are so high.
9
567
6
1,930
Any leader who knows that he or she can be removed from office will have no choice but to listen to the people and at least try to deliver good government. Therefore,
11
561
2
2,050
we can conclude that a major aspect of the leadership problem we have in Nigeria is because the leaders are not really afraid of being removed from office once they are voted in. They see the electorate as timid and docile.
5
527
4
1,872
Citizens have to use their constitutionally given and recognised powers to hold leaders accountable; whether it is by asking them to resign or by putting pressure on our elected representatives to proceed with impeachment processes against them.
6
523
3
1,769
These provisions are not there for decoration; they are tools to be used effectively in holding the feet of elected officials to the fire, all in the interest of good governance and a better life for the people.
6
529
1
1,948
Let me end these remarks by borrowing from The New York Times of July 12, 2015, advert placed by Josh Tetrick, the CEO and Founder of Hampton Creek, in the United States. Josh Tetrick’s letter was addressed to “Dear 23-year-old.”
Nov 25, 2022 · 7:17 PM UTC
19
674
1
3,084
The second paragraph was an eye opener for me as a parent, politician, policy maker and mentor. It said:
21
674
1
3,172
“And more than any generation before, you have a commitment to common good over individual gain – an ethos that reaches across traditional divisions such as race, ideology, partisanship”.
29
836
3
3,148