By Steve Oni, Ilorin.
Former President of Ghana, Mr. John Kufuor, has said that Africa must be in search of enlightened and creative leaders in all spheres of life and in respective African countries to surmount present challenges and ensure exciting future in the continent.
Speaking after he bagged honorary doctorate degree in Public Administration by the Kwara State University (KWASU) Malete on Tuesday, the former Ghanaian President said that poor governance in African continent came about through poor leadership and poor allocation of resources.
The former President, who called for true servant-leadership among future African leaders, said that such leaders must have grasp of geopolitics around them and resolve to render peaceful and prosperous service to ensure sustainable development in the continent.
“Future leaders in the continent must be made to know that true governance will be brought about with respect for country and the people, respect for individuals and general humanity, which will make it possible for sustainable development to be achieved, while keeping corruption to barest minimum. Such leaders do not happen by chance”, he said.
He also said that African leaders should be guided by challenge of climate change to prevent against possible clashes, disruption of peace and ethno religious wars etc, adding that they should tackle such other challenges of globalisation, youth unemployment and low infrastructural development.
Ahead of 2019 general elections in Nigeria, President John Kufuor advised that people must accept that democracy has come to stay in the country, saying that government should encourage participation by majority of the people.
“You’re the most populous country in the continent. Whatever you do here reflects on life and everything else on the African continent. So, my prayer is that the people of Nigeria will exercise their rights of choice in accordance with federal constitution to give themselves a sort of leader they desire. When they get such leader, they should ensure checks and balances system of government is respected by government and the media should be watchdog when things go awry. And that should be done according to law. Everything should be as decided or determined by the constitution”, he admonished
In his speech, the Chancellor of the Kwara state University, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, stressed the need for a peaceful and credible election in Nigeria in 2019, noting that such would require the concerted national efforts by all the stakeholders, including the INEC, political parties, security agencies, the electorate and the international community, to bring about.
He said: “We must as a nation , resolve beyond doubts and say forward ever from 2019.
“Those who benefited from vote buying are worse than those who perpetuate political thuggery, for they truly mortgage the future of our people and ultimately undermine our democratic process.
“There is no doubt that the biggest challenges facing our country today include the growing socioeconomic inequality within and between our various communities as well as within and between our various communities as well as within and between our states in the country.”
Also speaking, KWASU Vice Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, commended the state government on the efforts made so far at developing the institution since its establishment nine years ago, adding that such efforts had helped to make the University stand tall among other great institutions, not only in Nigeria but also across the globe.
The VC said the conducive atmosphere created had made the university to have stable academic calendar , unlike other universities in the country.
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