The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Muhammad Sanusi, has declared Nigeria has never been this split since the Civil War of 1967 to 1970.
He claimed the nation, due to the elections, was now “dangerously split along ethnic and religious lines”, adding that it has placed the integrity of state institutions in doubt.
“The public now has doubts about policy, police, courts and the election umpire,” he added.
Sanusi made the statements on Tuesday during the third Nigerian Leadership Colloquium in commemoration of the senior pastor of Trinity House, Lagos, Ituah Ighodalo, who turned 62.
The event, which place on Tuesday in Lagos, was themed “A New Nigeria: Leadership Imperatives for radical development and Transformation”.
Sanusi, in his message through Zoom, noted that the country now faced a task of nation-building, adding that the economy was currently in the doldrums.
He continued, “In October 2022, speaking at the Kaduna Investment Conference, I advised Nigerians that if anybody promised them that dealing with Nigeria post-2023 would be simple, they should not vote for that person. I meant it.
“I don’t believe Nigeria has been in a position as terrible as this since the civil war. We have a task of nation-building.
“We have a nation that has been split dangerously along ethnic and religious lines.
“We have an economy that is in the doldrums, and sadly, we appear to be experiencing a scarcity of leadership.”
According to him, beyond identifying the sort of leaders the nation needs, it also has to look critically at the process through which the leaders emerge.
“No process is flawless. We have seen such in the United Kingdom and the United States. At the very least, the voters should know who they are voting for. I believe we need to begin to look at the Electoral Act, of 2022 much sooner than elections. We need to establish a system where one cannot simply go and participate in party primaries without being subjected to public scrutiny. This is what occurs everywhere. People need to know what they are voting for. In other climates, they are forced by legislation to engage in public forums to address matters of policy.
“This is the only nation I know where we elect a President first before knowing whether he knows what he is doing or if he understands what the job is,” he continued.
He also stated the mechanism by which Nigerians pick their leaders must be more open.
