1,000 CSOs Meet in Abuja, Recommend Bello’s Leadership Model for Nigeria

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

No fewer than one thousand registered

civil society organisations (CSOs) and pro-democracy societies drawn from various states across Nigeria converged on Abuja yesterday to discuss the suitable leadership model for the country.

Coming under the aegis of Civil Society Think Tank, the CSOs made up of professionals, youths and women, said they were in Abuja for ‘a one-day intellectual discourse on the future of Nigeria’, with the theme: ‘A glance into Nigeria’s Future and Governor Yahaya Bello’s developmental politics: 2023 in Perspective’.

One of the guest speakers and former Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Prof. Ahmed Danfulani, said time had come for a true leadership in Nigeria that would be all inclusive, regardless of region, religion and status.

Danfulani said: “Governor Yahaya Bello’s example in leadership is noteworthy. I see a lot that distinguish him as a leader of repute in many areas. His approach to religion and ethnicity in a state as ethnically and religiously sensitive is one. The emphasis on gender sensitivity is also worthy of mention. His approach in addressing the security challenges in the state is also top-notch.

“Bello has set examples that should be amplified and used as a yardstick in assessing candidates that have signified interest in leading this country. This is what I urge all of us to be strategic about.

“At the back of our minds, we must be clear about the qualities the next president of Nigeria should possess. This is on the heels that stepping into the shoes of President Muhammadu Buhari is a tedious task.

“The emphasis should not be about zoning, ethnicity or religion. It must also not be about who has an enormous war chest. It should be about competence and strategy for addressing the challenges in the country.

“From 2023, we hold the ace to ensure that we must get it right, and the emphasis should be about developmental politics, as encapsulated in the theme of this meeting. The reference to Governor Bello is fitting and germane. I believe that Nigeria has come of age, and zoning or ethnicity should no longer dictate how we are governed.”

Dr. Omale Ben Amedu, in his contribution, said: “Almost every sphere of the societal grouping has at different times picked out Bello for one reason or another as the doyen of exemplary leadership. It has been the women group or geo-political forum in different days, as well as people living with disabilities or entertainers or sports legends, clerics across the religions, elder statesmen, youths traditional rulers, professionals, students, the media and even many others least known and expected showing their support for the governor.

“One must have lost count by now, the acceptability recounts of those who have come out openly to choose Bello on one point or another, as to why he is the preferred leadership personality. There must be something unique about this Bello.”