Nigeria Won’t Progress Till it Abandons Primitive Leadership Selection — Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that Nigeria can’t obtain significant progress till it abandons what he described as primitive strategies of choosing leaders practices pushed by spiritual and ethnic issues somewhat than competence and advantage.Speaking on Saturday, November 14, 2026, on the maiden Herbert Macaulay Colloquium in Lagos, Jonathan known as for far-reaching reforms in political management recruitment, democratic processes, and the training system. 

He warned that the nation dangers falling in need of the aspirations of its founding nationalists if it continues on its present path.The occasion, themed “Nationalism and Nation Building,” was organised by the Macaulay Heritage Foundation in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. It was held on the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on Victoria Island to mark the 162nd birthday of nationalist Herbert Macaulay.

Attendees included former PDP Deputy National Chairman Chief Bode George, Pa Tajudeen Olusi, representatives of the Oba of Lagos, students, and politicians.Jonathan mentioned the founding nationalists’ imaginative and prescient of independence went past merely transferring political energy from colonial rulers.

They sought a sovereign nation wherein residents managed their assets for nationwide improvement and the welfare of the individuals, and the place each citizen no matter ethnicity, faith, or social background loved equal rights, dignity, and alternatives.Sixty-six years after independence, nonetheless, he questioned how far Nigeria has come.

While acknowledging progress in some areas, he listed persistent obstacles: poor management, weak establishments, corruption, inconsistent insurance policies, insufficient infrastructure, insecurity, and over-reliance on uncooked materials exports.He pressured that sustainable improvement requires shifting away from spiritual politics, opaque democratic practices, and the recruitment of leaders primarily based on spiritual or ethnic affiliations.

Nigeria should as an alternative prioritise competence, integrity, and advantage in selecting those that govern.Chief Bode George, convener of the colloquium, described Macaulay as a particular present to Nigeria whose contributions to the nation’s political improvement deserve higher recognition. The gathering, he mentioned, aimed to look at the methods Macaulay used to problem colonial rule and advance the pursuits of Nigerians.

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