Speaking at the 58th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, on Monday, Jega warned against the misconception that leaders, who exude strength are competent, when it comes to taking decisions.
Attahiru Jega, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said what Nigeria needs, is not necessarily a leader, who is strong, but one who is competent and assertive.
Speaking at the 58th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, on Monday, Jega warned against the misconception that leaders, who exude strength are competent, when it comes to taking decisions.
He said: “What we require most are the competence and capacity of leaders to take decisions and be assertive in ensuring that those decisions are actually implemented. So, we have to be very careful in thinking that a strong leader can really help.
“Just like a weak leader can wreck an institution, a strong leader, who has just that power and courage, but lacks the capacity, ability and competence to lead, can also wreck strong institutions.
“Competence of leadership is a very important variable in bringing about the stable political transition, good governance and deepening of democracy."
Speaking on the importance of building strong institutions, he stated that: "We must emphasise professionalism, impartiality and non-partisanship. This is because quite too often, you have good and strong institutions, but once partisanship is introduced and partiality become the norm, as many public institutions in this country, then those institutions would not be able to deliver effectively on their mandates.”