Sokoto Killing: Only Truthful Leadership Can Heal Nigeria’s Wounds – Utomi

Founder, Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) Prof. Pat Utomi has stated that given the political, and social instabilities bedeviling Nigeria, only a leadership nurtured on the foundation of truth that can pull the country out of the woods.

Utomi stated on Saturday in a statement while reacting to the killing of Deborah Samuel, a young student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto over alleged blasphemy.

The Professor Political Economics said the incident has has shown that the country is at cross roads and needs urgent intervention by a genuine leadership to save the soul of the country from the wounds that have cut so deep.

Speaking through the statement titled “A Time To Lead” Utomi said, “The incidents in Sokoto in the last two days have opened a deep wound into the Soul of our country. The only thing that can heal this deep gash now is leadership and truth, like the sore in the saying by the founder of the caliphate, Uthman Dan Fodio, Only truth can heal this one.
“This is open sore conscience. The blood of innocents are crying to God for Justice.

“Our country is truly at a cross roads and no one who fails to take a stand can be considered worthy of the trust of the people.

“As a Nigerian who has grown up Pan-Nigerian in cities like Kaduna, where I was born, Jos, Maiduguri, Kano, Gusau, Onitsha, Ibadan, Lagos and Nsukka, apart from my ancestral home in the Midwest, in the Northwest, North Central, North East, South West, South East, and South South, and for decades pursued a career in advocating accommodation of one another, I recognize clearly that if those who seek power, truly lead, we would not be in this recursive mode of one step forward, three steps backward.

“All must now speak up on future of how we live together. We cannot continue to play the Ostrich.

“I fully understand the widespread sentiment of many I run into that crunch time in the question of whether to break up or live together in dignity has arrived and that a referendum is more important now than election.

“I am pained by our arriving at this point but cannot ignore the passionate sentiment,” Utomi lamented.