Peter Okoye, PBA Journalism MenteeThe former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has said that Nigeria has become more divided along ethnic and religious lines as never seen after the Civil War.
He observed that the country has been dangerously divided along ethnic and religious lines simply because of the election which had put the integrity of public institutions in question.
“The people now have suspicions about policies, policing, judiciary, and the electoral umpire,” the former CBN governor stated on Tuesday at the third Nigerian Leadership Colloquium in honour of the senior pastor of Trinity House, Lagos, Ituah Ighodalo, who turned 62.
The theme of the event was “A New Nigeria: Leadership Imperatives for radical growth and Transformation.”
Sanusi, who spoke via Zoom, noted that the country is currently facing the challenge of nation-building, adding that the economy is now in suspension.
He said: “In October 2022, speaking at the Kaduna Investment Forum, I told Nigerians that if anyone told them that dealing with Nigeria post-2023 would be easy, they should not vote for that person. I meant it.
“I don’t think Nigeria has been in a place as difficult as this since the civil war. We have a challenge of nation-building.
“We have a country that has been divided dangerously along ethnic and religious lines.
“We have an economy that is in the doldrums, and unfortunately, we seem to be having a dearth of leadership.”
Sanusi added that it’s necessary to look beyond defining the kind of leaders the country needs, but also needs to look critically at the process through which the leaders emerge.
“No process is perfect. We have seen so in the United Kingdom and the United States. At the very least, the people should know who they are voting for. I think we need to begin to look at the Electoral Act of 2022 much earlier than the elections.
“We need to have a system where one cannot just go to participate in party primaries without being exposed to public scrutiny. This is what happens everywhere. People need to know what they are voting for. In other climes, they are compelled by law to participate in public debates to discuss issues of policy.
“This is the only country I know where we elect a President first before knowing if he knows what he is doing or whether he understands what the job is,” he stated.
Sanusi also added that the process through which Nigerians choose their leaders must be made more transparent.
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