The way forward to solving Nigeria’s socio-political problems lies in the hands of all Nigerians by resolving to doing the right thing and shun all corrupt acts in their private and public lives, the Chairman, The Africa Future (TAF), Dr. Tosin Ajayi has said.
He said it is high time people stopped heaping the blames on the leaders, saying that leadership does not exist in isolation.
He spoke on Monday at the first state of the nation lecture organized by the foundation and delivered by media guru and frontline journalist, Mr. Ray Ekpu.
Ajayi, the CEO of African Future Limited expressed concern about the underdevelopment in the country, saying corruption remains a major issue stunting the country’s growth.
However, he said Nigerians should contribute their quota to change the narratives instead of blaming the past leaders.
He said, “We should stop blaming President Buhari, blaming Babangida and others, look at yourselves. If you are made a commissioner today, if you are made the President today, are you going to steal or not?
“I gathered some few people in my office. There are pastors among them and I ask them are you going to be corrupt? One of them said, ‘No I won’t be corrupt but I will find a way to get rich. The way forward starts from us as individuals; you cannot do anything right unless you divorce yourself of self.”
Ekpu in his lecture said the way forward to the country’s woes is to have good leadership. He said as the 2019 elections draw nearer, Nigerians must engage the politicians and participate actively in the process.
“What I believe is to have good leadership. Once we get that right, once we have it right in the leadership department, economy will shore up.
“I believe that the leader changes everything but of course there is a little bit that you can attribute to the followers. The follower is the one who keeps the leader on his toes but the leader has all kinds of facilities given to him- rules, regulations, the police, the army, security and the laws, the courts and so on. So it has all of these paraphernalia of power which he must use”.
He added, “Bad leaders emerge because the citizens are nonchalant, they are not interested, they are not voting, they are not registering to votes, they are not going to the campaign venue, they are just nonchalant but they do not know that that nonchalance would come back to bite them when they have a bad leader and that is what happens.
“So for 2019, I will say to everybody, engage. Get moving, don’t stay in your house and don’t let somebody put some dollars in a loaf of bread and give to you and you take, that is your future and the future of your children that you are mortgaging”.