Nigeria’s Vision Has Not Been Realised – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the vision of the founding fathers of Nigeria has not been realised.
According to Buhari, more intellectuals are needed in governance for a better Nigeria.
Buhari stated this at the public presentation of a book titled, “Unfinished Greatness, Envisioning A New Nigeria,” written by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi held at the NAF Conference Centre Kado Abuja.
Buhari who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, said he has a high regard for Dr Fayemi because of his intellectual works that are helping in building the country.
“The vision of our founding fathers has not been realised,” Buhari said adding that it was the reason the book should be read.
“The book will help in the governance of the country,” Buhari said, adding that Fayemi was his minister and a trail blazer, having transformed the solid mineral industry.
“Fayemi was part of the team that helped bring me to power and he was part of the transition government.
“Sometimes, academics are not feet in governance. And as the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has said, too much analysis can lead to paralysis.
“So, governance should be a combination of intellectuals and people that are experienced in governance. That makes the country move forward. We need a combination of experienced people and the academia who identify the needs of the society.
“Mr President is of the view that the more experience we have, the more people can get it better,” Gambari said.
Also speaking, the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said people often see politics as a dirty game but added that it is not.
“Politics is not a dirty game,” Ganduje said while encouraging intellectuals to join politics.
“We are witnessing intellectualism in governance and intellectualism in politics. There is no doubt, this is a welcome development.
It is good for intellectuals to take a role in politics because they analise and lead the people because there are always conflicting variables,” Ganduje said of Fayemi.
“In Nigeria, intellectuals are afraid of governance because they see politics as a dirty game. But Politics is not a dirty game. There is a connection between intellectualism and governance,”Ganduje said.
The keynote speaker who is a Senior Programme Staff, South Asia Institute, Prof Adebayo Olukoshi, said Africa has not found the right leadership but added that the people must be determined to have a Singapore, Brazil and become big players in the international system.
“Digging a bit deeper, if we must transform a nation, we must look at dignity. While character can change a nation, it is dignity that transforms a nation. China is a good example,” he said.
By Leadership.
