Ango Abdullahi blames leaders for Nigeria's underdevelopment

Femi Adi/ Kaduna

Former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University , ABU , Zaria and Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Food and Security, Professor Ango Abdullahi has blamed the current economic and development problems in Nigeria on bad leadership.

Abdullahi spoke in Kaduna today at a lecture organised by Gusau Institute. The lecture has the theme: Power and Influence in Africa : Algeria , Egypt , Ethiopia , Nigeria and South-Africa.

Abdullahi said if the present crop of leaders that took over after the late Awolowo, Azikwe and Sardauna were as focused and sincere with the responsibilities of leadership reposed in them , Nigeria would have been better .

” Our parents , the Awolowos , Azikwes and Sardaunas fared better than what we are. doing now”, Abdullahi stressed.

While lamenting the failure of the current political leaders to tackle common and basic problems of the society , he advised that leaders both in Nigeria and Africa must wake up from slumber .

Similarly,the keynote speaker and the Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies based in South Africa, Dr Jakkie Cilliers also said that Nigeria and indeed Africa have the potentials of controlling at least 20 percent of global power by the year 2040 if its present and upcoming leaders will enthrone good governance and transparent leadership.

According to him, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Algeria have made significant progress over the years in terms of infrastructural and economic development, but lamented that some other countries in the continent that are being ravaged by war and other economic challenges have made this success insignificant.

State governors, who spoke through Kano Governor , Abdullahi Umar Ganduje however gave assurance that all governors are ready and determined to enthrone good governance and tackle corruption which is the major cause of the country’s under-developement.

Four state governors, technocrats, editors and publishers, serving and retired military officers as well as members of the diplomatic corps attended the event .

Lt. General Alani Akinrinade, a former agriculture minister, chaired the event.

The two year old Gusau Institute was founded by Lt. General Aliyu Gusau, who served as National Security Adviser to successive presidents in Nigeria, from Ibrahim Babangida to Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. The Institute wants to be the “leading provider of research and training and discussion of initiatives, policies and programmes for the enhancement of peace and security” in Nigeria and Africa.