From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Aidoghie Paulinus, Fred Eze, Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
As Nigerians head to the poll on February 25, 2023, to choose the country’s president and deputy, some concerned religious, civil society and labour leaders have charged the electorate to vote candidates that would prioritise the needs of the poor, build infrastructure and harnessed the nation’s untapped human and natural resources for its economic development and prosperity, among others.
The leaders that spoke to Daily Sun in separate interviews on the kind of leaders they expect include the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC),Auwal Ibrahim Musa; Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo; the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC); Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
Onaiyekan said the country needed a president who would prioritise the needs of poor and put the good of the nation well above his or her own personal or group interests.
“An honest servant leader, who is ready to put the good of the nation well above his or her own personal or group interests. A leader who will give priority attention to the needs of the least, the weakest and poorest in our communities, competent in managing our human and material resources.”
The cleric said he was not looking for an angel nor a messiah with a magic wand to govern the country, adding, “but I am looking for someone different from the bunch of characters from all political parties who have been ruling and have brought our nation to its present state, on the brink of chaos, having made themselves rich and powerful, at our expense. Let all the ‘ex-this and ex-that’ quit the stage and stop inflicting on us empty promises they have been throwing on us for decades. Let those who seek political power for the sincere service of the people come forward with courage to make themselves available. If it seems too late for February 2023, there is still life after that day. May God save Nigeria,” Onaiyekan said.
Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International (Nigeria), Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, said Nigerians want a president that will genuinely encourage national unity not disunity.
“We need president who will efficiently harness our untapped and ungoverned natural resources. This year, well-meaning Nigerians want a president with a distinctive political ideology with clearly-defined and realistic blueprint to relieve them of the increasing socio-economic burdens coupled with insecurity that widen poverty gaps and social inequalities in the country.
“Nigerians want a people-oriented president with a passion-driven strategy to efficiently harness our untapped and ungoverned natural resources in solving unattended socio-economic problems like irregular power supply, bad roads, infrastructural decay and youth unemployment that discourage investment opportunities and exacerbate social vices, respectively.
“Nigerians want a president that will genuinely encourage national unity not disunity. Nigerians want a president that will engage in a radical reform of the security sector, especially the Police Force, to prevent recurring cases of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, abuse and other degrading treatments. Nigerians want a president with greater curiosity and an appreciable solution to securing their lives and property. Nigerians want to see and feel the long-waited democratic dividend.
Good governance is our fundamental expectation from the incoming president. That is, transparency, accountability and citizens’ participation in socio-economic and political decisions as they affect the country.
“We expect the president to uphold social equity and justice, respect the sanity and sanctity rule of law, demonstrating sincere support for independent judiciary and criminal justice institutions.”
Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, on his part, said the kind of president Nigerians want is one that has the capacity and the courage to make difficult decisions. Because the tough times ahead will require one that can make difficult decisions.
He said: “For 2023, the kind of president Nigerians need is first, one that can unify the country and address this polarisation that we’re experiencing within the current political context. Because there’s this fragmentation across ethnic and religious lines. And so the country needs someone who can unify the country, and advance national integration.
“Secondly, Nigeria needs a president that has the capacity and the courage to make difficult decisions. Because who ever wins the election, will have to make difficult decisions. The first decision he will have to make is about the economy. The tax policy, whether you’re increasing the tax rate, or the tax net, is a conversation that must be held. The second is a conversation around the fuel subsidy. Because we are going to go through a difficult moment after the election. And so difficult decisions have to be made and so we need a president who has the courage to make very bold economic decisions to address the economic challenge that Nigeria has. The President Nigeria also needs is one who is able to harness the potential and human resource to deliver on the promise of democracy.
“We need a president in the villa who prioritises competence above every form of political settlements, and one who can address the issue of insecurity. One who can also tackle frontally this maze of corruption. Because Nigerians are yearning for a president who can combat corruption.
“And lastly, a president who can manage a very small but also less expensive government. So in terms of the kind of President that Nigeria needs, he is the one who will love this country, and who will be willing to make sacrifices for the common good of Nigeria.”
Organised labour in Nigeria, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have said Nigerians deserve a president that will prioritise education, healthcare, unify the country, tackle insecurity, unemployment, poverty, inflation and others blights jolting the country.
They also said only candidates whose values align with those expectations will enjoy the full support and votes of their members.
The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the Organised Labour had since developed a Charter of Demands with which they are engaging the political process.
He noted that the Charter of Demands will reflect the interest of the Nigerian workers in the coming elections and their expectations of the next president.
He said the Charter of Demands
prioritises equity, fairness and social justice and asks for free and quality education to tertiary levels for every Nigerian. It also insists that every Nigerian should access free and quality healthcare from cradle to grave.
“Our Charter of Demands makes the argument for the kind of restructuring that brings sustainable development to real Nigerians currently struggling with the crumbs. It posits that politicians should no longer be allowed to send their kids to schools abroad or treat their sicknesses in foreign hospitals while the children of the poor are trapped in endless strike actions and poor medical facilities which their failed leadership has imposed on all of us.
“Our Charter of Demands also makes a strong case for decent work for Nigerian workers. We are saying that those who contribute to Productivity and Wealth Creation must be the first partakers of their toil and sweat. We are demanding that instead of criminalising picketing and strike actions, politicians should criminalise non-payment of salaries and refusal to honour collective bargaining agreements just as the case currently is with the ongoing strike action in our universities.”
He further disclosed that the instrument seeks remedy to the lazy rentier mentality of extracting the country’s natural resources in their crude form and shipping them abroad for processing and then importing the finished products at greater cost to Nigerians.
On his part, TUC President, Festus Osifo on his part said the congress only wants a president who has character, competence and capacity.
According to him, Nigerians have suffered enough in the hands of terrible leaders and deserve leaders who will change the narrative.
He insisted that it was time citizens de-emphasised religious and ethnic biases in choosing a president and placed more emphasis on proven track record.
Also, Deputy President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), John Praise, in submissions said 2023 general election was a great opportunity for Nigerians to take electoral steps and decisions that would have great effects on their lives.
He said Nigeria needed a president in 2023, who, deeply, understands the diversity of Nigeria and how best to manage and harness the diversity for socio-economic growth and development of the country.
“Nigerians have suffered too much in recent years and recorded high level of insecurity that had resulted in several deaths, and that was because of high level of corruption, maladministration, mismanagement of our diversity. As a result, we need a president who is experienced, energetic and deep in knowledge of economy and governance, and not the one that will be ‘tele-guided’ because he or she lack the necessary knowledge and competence to pilot the affairs of Nigeria.
“At this point, Nigeria needs a leader who won’t be far from the people. This is because a lot of people have been ‘brutally wounded’ and would need someone that will renew their hope and rekindle their confidence in Nigeria.
“We need someone that understands the country especially how things work, economically and otherwise. Nigeria needs President that can be able to assemble and reunite all the ethnic groups in Nigeria, not minding the religious, political and other differences.”
He advised Nigerians to queue behind someone who has the capacity to bring people together irrespective of differences.