*Group calls for visionary leadership
The Turn Around Group (TAG) has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari for his inability to end insurgency, corruption, and insecurity in Nigeria.
Lanre (Legacy) Adeleke, Chairman of TAG, in its Democracy wish to the country, stated that Nigerian polity has been marred by cronyism, nepotism, corruption, insecurity, ethnicity, religious intolerance and godfatherism.
Lamenting the dire situation of the country, Adeleke said, “Cronyism, nepotism, corruption, insecurity, ethnicity, religious intolerance and godfatherism have characterized our polity.
“The corruption perception index rating of Nigeria by Transparency International clearly points at the artery from where the country has been hemorrhaging in spite of its huge human and material endowments. We have since overtaken India as the poverty capital of the world!
“No place is safe in the country anymore! From armed banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes to terrorism, the helplessness of our law enforcement agencies and the military is so glaring, Nigeria has been reduced to a state of anomie where citizens have had to resort to self-help, through neighborhood watch and vigilance groups. Kidnapping has become such a lucrative venture, foreign fighters now see Nigeria as the new gold mine.
“Nothing exposes the level of decay and lack of confidence in the country like the number of companies that have since left these shores for neighboring countries and the sheer number of diaspora Nigerians and professionals. Some foreign embassies operating in the country have become major sources of revenue for their home governments because of the number of applicants trying to leave the country. Those who cannot leave, simply take the highway of suicide.”
The TAG chairman noted that there is a need for a paradigm shift in the country as the nation needs to move from mediocrity, non-accountability, lack of transparency in all spheres of life and governance, corruption, economic stagnation, and general insecurity
“There is a need for the injection of fresh ideas and new innovative thinking in this age where artificial intelligence will start competing with while complementing human intelligence. There is a need to move the country into the realm of the new world superpowers operating smart economies and embracing disruptive technologies like blockchain to facilitate a nimbler and more responsive environment that promotes efficiency and sustainability.”
“Nigeria needs visionary leadership that understands where the next disruption is going to come from and that is prepared to position the country and its youthful population to take advantage of it in order to propel us to our dream, El Dorado!
"It is possible! We can be great again! We can be safe again! We can reclaim our lost values again,” Adeleke said.
Commenting on the commemoration of June 12 as Democracy Day, Adeleke added: “June 12 was a date that was supposed to heal the wounds from the civil war and events leading up to overthrow of the first republic. A day when Nigerians set aside religious and tribal differences and spoke as one, in their choice for a better Nigeria. It represented a kind of catharsis but alas, it was scuttled by the military and we were back to where we were.
“1999 represented another chance for us to get it right and as far as stability and an
uninterrupted run is concerned, we seem to be on the right track. How far though can this last?”