June 12, 2021

Nigeria is a great nation and being a great nation, both leaders and followers have to live up to that expectation. Leaders should lead for the overall goal of the people; Nigeria will be worth living in, if the leaders think about the overall goal of the people

A cultural group, Igbo Organisation New York, has listed ways to make Nigeria great, charging leaders to offer selfless service to the people rather than pursue self-centered interests.

The President of the organisation, Mr Cyprian Agwu gave the advice in an interview in New York.

Agwu, who spoke against the background of June 12- Democracy Day, said the beauty of a successful democracy was in having selfless leaders.

According to him, democracy is about serving the people and the leaders should live up to that expectation.

“Nigeria is a great nation and being a great nation, both leaders and followers have to live up to that expectation.

“Leaders should lead for the overall goal of the people; Nigeria will be worth living in, if the leaders think about the overall goal of the people,’’ he said.

According to Agwu, democracy is about freedom of expression and freedom of association, hence leaders should live up to the tenets.

“We expect our leaders to know that they are representing the people not themselves; once they understand this fact, it will change their mind-set about leadership,’’ he said.

The leader of the organisation also advised leaders and the led to unite in mind and purpose and to shun ideas that are capable of promoting division.

He lamented the division caused by tribal and religious differences, saying, “such mind-set will not make the country to move forward.

“There used to be a time when a corps member from the South East will be proud to be posted to the far North because he wanted to be enriched and come out as all-round Nigerian.

“It is no longer the case again; what you see is that people try to exploit the ideological difference, tribal difference; he is Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, instead of thinking that we are Nigerians.

“If we think oneness and unity, Nigeria will be worth living in and the great potentialities of the country will emerge.’’

Agwu said Nigeria had great potentialities and that only great minds would be able to unlock the opportunities to excel and those minds would excel when they give them great opportunity to excel.

On June 6, 2018, eight days after May 29, 2018, President Buhari-led federal government declared June 12 to be the new Democracy Day.

Buhari also resolved to honour the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola, with the highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic. (NAN)