Restructuring won’t solve Nigeria’s political problems’

A former member of the National Assembly, Dr. Usman Bugaje, has advised against restructuring, arguing that it “will not solve Nigeria’s political quagmire.” According to him, only competent leadership would address the challenges facing the country.

Bugaje gave the advice Friday while speaking at the Maitama Sule Leadership lecture series organised by the Students Wing Coalition of Northern Groups in Minna.

He said 20 years into democracy, the trust between the government and the citizens had died due to leadership problems.

“For the country to get it right, the next group of leaders should have knowledge, experience and character which is lacking in the current crop of leadership of the nation. 20 years into democracy, the scale of corruption and poverty is alarming,” he said.

He added: “In Nigeria today, politics is not stable. The APC and PDP are the same; that is why one would defect from one party to another and be comfortable there. I want you youths not to go into the 2023 elections blindly. We cannot continue with this type of politics, we can’t continue with this kind of democracy.”

In his keynote address, a member of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Saddiq Umar Abubakar, said for the next elections, the North would support any Nigerian that had character, knowledge and leadership qualities “irrespective of the state he comes from.”

“We are not particular about a northern leader, Muslim or Christian leader, the leader we will support would have character, capacity and knowledge to drive the nation. We will vote for any Nigerian of any extraction who has the competence, courage, and knowledge to move Nigeria forward,” he said.