*Nigeria does not need power shift. Nigeria needs leadership shift.*
By, JS Okutepa SAN
Jibrin Samuel Okutepa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
He is the founding Partner of J.S. Okutepa SAN & Company; a law firm based in Abuja, FCT, with branches in Makurdi, Benue state, and Lokoja, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria.
He is a graduate of the Faculty of the Law University of Jo's where he obtained his LL.B (Hons), and was called to the Nigerian Bar on 12th of December, 1991. He is an astute legal practitioner of great repute and industry.
Mr. Okutepa, SAN is a committed and dedicated member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) both at the National branch levels. He held a variety of positions in the NBA Makurdi branch from 1993 to 2008.
He was the financial secretary, Publicity, Secretary and 1st Vice Chairman of NBA Makurdi Branch between 1993 and 2008. He was a member of the General Counsel of the Bar. He was a Member of the National Executive Committee of NBA, from 2004 till 2018.
The leader that Nigeria needs is a leader that can harness the natural and material resources of this country justly, equitably and fairly, devoid of nepotism and corruption.
Nigeria does not need tribal leaders or tribal warlords. Nigeria needs a patriotic and committed Nigerian as a leader that leads by examples for others to follow.
Nigeria does not need power shift.
What we need is leadership shift. We need character shift. We need attitudinal shift. We need shift in our ways of doing things.
Nigeria does not need Igbo, Hausa/Fulani or Yoruba power shift. No that itself is an insult to the collective sensibilities of more than 240 other tribes that are parts of the Federation of Nigeria.
We have entrusted powers in the hands of these so-called three major ethnic nationalities since the Independence of Nigeria from 1st October 1960 till date, and all we have and have seen is deteriorating political, social and economic developments.
At 61 Nigeria is still crawling and in feeding bottle stage of development despite abundant natural and material resources.
These three so-called major ethnic nationalities have successfully nurtured corruption and corrupt ways of doing things to official state policy.
I believe Nigerians are not interested in who gets power. Nigerians are interested in the use to which power is put.
Therefore come 2023, let us look for and elect leaders who can restore or take Nigeria to the map of good governance and development.We should avoid power shift talks, to leadership talk. Let us shift power from failure to those who can use power for the development of the greatest good of the greatest numbers of Nigerians in the North, South, East and West.
We need leaders whose actions and decisions will not encourage agitations for separation and balkanisation of Nigeria. We need a leader that has the capacity to deal with banditry and bandits, kidnappers and all forms of social and political miscreants. This is what Nigerians want and not power shift for purposes of continuous sharing of our natural resources into private pockets of those in and around power.
We cannot continue to operate a lawless system and expect good results and development. Nigerians need leaders that can enforce the laws of Nigeria and visit offenders with sanctions without fear or favour.
It is leadership shift we need!
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