Shina Peller: Nigeria’s Political System Must be Restructured to Produce Good Leaders

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A member of the House of Representatives, representing Iseyin/Kajola/Iwajowa/; Itesiwaju federal constituency of Oyo State, Hon. Shina Peller has said that the political parties in Nigeria should be restructured to produce credible leaders from the 8,809 wards in the country.

Addressing journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, on the sidelines of a two-day youth leadership programme tagged “Get Involved Leadership Training, he organised, the lawmaker said “Nigeria does not need new political parties to effect right leadership for the country.”

Peller, who is a member of House Committee on Army, also said “the war against insecurity in the country rests on the collaborative efforts of all Nigerians,” adding, “we must stop blame game on anybody and we should all work together to end the menace in the country.”

The lawmaker said the foundation for the selection of political leaders by the existing political parties in the country was faulty.

Peller added, “It was when I joined politics that I began to dissect the political structure of Nigeria. I also realised that the political structure from the ward level is laid on a faulty foundation.

“This weak foundation has been responsible for the production of the persons at the helms of affairs. This is the truth. If the country elects the best person as president, he cannot perform well, because the foundation is wrong. There is a huge gap between the age group that is making policies and the age group that the policies will affect.”

The lawmaker, who described the 8,809 wards in the country as the strongest level of the nation’s political system as well as the foundation, said that there is urgent need for political parties to put right structures there, adding that, “the foundation, as it is, is wrong.”

He also said that the Nigerian political system should identify young ones with political acumen and ambition and assist him or her for future opportunities.

“We have seen the widening orientation gap amongst the citizenry, especially the young generation. And we believe that for Nigeria to be transformed, we need to re-orientate new crop of leaders to get it right and to get involved in building the nation,” he said.

On the leadership programme, Hon. Peller said that participants have been trained in Oyo, Osun, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger, adding that a total of 64 participants were trained in Kwara State.

“Our mission here is simply to train interdependent leaders who can in turn train others that can drive development from the grassroots.

“We believe in the bottom-up kind of leadership approach, because from our findings, if majority of our communities are led by well-informed citizens, our challenges as a nation will be less.

“This training aims to build Kwara State that works well for people of Kwara State. This is a platform to mentor, encourage young ones to develop their environment with honesty, transparency etc, for the best of all and for the good of the country.

“Today, people with means are thinking of running away from Nigeria because they have given up on the country. There are even rumours of disintegration, unpatriotic persons hitting up the polity for selfish reasons. If we all run away, who will fix Nigeria?

“Of a truth, we are faced with many challenges as a country, but like I always say You cannot solve the problem of headache by cutting off the head. That would be double tragedy!

“To every young person in the country, hear me clearly, the 2023 general election presents a huge opportunity for you and I, as there won’t be an incumbent president contesting at the polls. It is an opportunity in disguise.

“I admonish you to arm yourself with your voters’ card and become a member of any political party of your choice, that way you can have a stake in decision making, you can say boldly that you’re an active citizen.

“I envision a time in Nigeria where the State House of Assemblies shall be dominated by vibrant intelligent young persons. This will be a time when the Nigerian dream of prosperity and economic growth shall be like a burden on the shoulder of every citizen.”