Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advised Nigerians to
be circumspect in exercising their voting rights in the 2023 elections.
Jonathan gave the advice while delivering a keynote address
at the one-year memorial summit in honour of Idahosa Okunbo, the late chairman
of Ocean Marine Solutions Limited, in Abuja, on Saturday.
The former president said 2023 should be seen as an avenue
to elect the kind of leadership Nigeria deserves now and in the future to
assume its rightful place among nations.
“Ahead of the 2023 elections, we are getting ready to be
wooed and wowed at campaign grounds by various politicians seeking different
offices,” he said.
“But these thoughts
are beyond 2023. It is about Nigeria and the kind of leadership it deserves now
and in the future to ensure that our country assumes its rightful place among
the comity of nations.
“My charge to Nigerians is to be circumspect in the exercise
of their voting rights.
“We must shift away from the politics of bread and butter
and ensure that we do not elect leaders that will buy our conscience today and
mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren.
“We should endeavour
to elect only those that will leave legacies of unity, peace and development.”
The former president urged Nigerians not to lose hope.
He said every political cycle provides Nigerians with the
ample opportunity to take decisions that would help them renew their hope, and
restore the lost glory.
He advised political leaders at all levels to deliberately
make the necessary sacrifices that promote patriotism, inspire devotion, and
spur citizens to do their best for their country.
He also urged them to be concerned about the depth of their
footprints and the kind of legacies they are leaving behind.
“The essence of leadership is to drive initiatives that seek
to build sustainable societies and make the lives of the people better and more
meaningful,” he added.
“Every political leader should, in a moment of
introspection, spare a thought for the legacy he or she would leave behind.
“Will you be remembered as a deceitful leader, an ethnic
bigot, a religious fanatic, or a nation builder that would leave lasting legacies
for the people?”
On Nigeria’s political evolution and development challenges,
Jonathan said the nation and its leaders can not afford to lay undue emphasis
on its ethnic-sectional colouration.
He said emphasis should be to harness and rally the fine points of its diversity for positive growth and development.
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