Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has attributed Nigeria’s socioeconomic and political stagnation to a deficit in effective leadership, urging that “self-centered” leaders step aside for the nation to progress.

He made these remarks on Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while serving as the Special Guest of Honour at the Leadership Empowerment International Conference, Channels Television reports.

The event, organized by the South Africa-based Immanuel Theology Institute International in collaboration with the Priesthood Leadership Development Initiative Inc., saw 25 distinguished Nigerians honored with honorary Doctorates in leadership.

Obasanjo stressed that Nigeria’s development has been stifled by leaders at all levels of governance who are more concerned with their personal interests than the nation’s welfare.

He argued that these leaders lack the necessary knowledge and understanding to govern effectively and fail to prioritize service as the core of their leadership.

Obasanjo emphasized the need for transformational leaders who prioritize good governance, calling on Nigerians to reject transactional leadership that hinders the country’s progress.

“There is no end to leadership and service to your community until you breathe the last. And you can never be too old to be a leader and to give something to the community in which you lead and serve as a leader, to serve your state, your country, the continent and the world.

“And if you ask me in one word, what is the bane of Nigeria today? I will not think about it twice. I will say it is leadership. Leadership that is self-centred, leadership that is a deficit of knowledge and understanding and leadership that does not see service as the centrepiece of what leadership is all about.

“If we can get the leadership right, we will get all other things right. This is what LEIC is doing that is commendable and very good. We must encourage and inculcate good leadership into every level of our national life”, Obasanjo said.

The former president also praised the efforts of the International Coordinator of the Priesthood Leadership Development Initiative, Prof. Olusesi Obateye, and President of the South Africa-based Institute, Prof. Van Den Berg Edward Alfred, for their commitment to recognizing and encouraging Nigerians with leadership potential.

Prof. Obateye, speaking on the conference theme “Responsible and Responsive Leadership,” lamented the shortage of good leaders in Nigeria, noting that poor leadership has been a key obstacle to the country’s development nearly 64 years after gaining independence.

Among the honorees at the event were former Ogun State Commissioners Engr. Anthony Ojeshina, Hon. Kehinde Sogunle, and Hon. Dele Obadina, as well as former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Chairman Chief Joju Fadairo and former Central Bank of Nigeria Director Engr. Oluwatoyin Jokosenumi.

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