We need competent leaders, not just strong ones – Prof Attahiru Jega

A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, has mentioned that Nigeria needs competent leaders and not necessarily strong leaders.

Prof Attahiru Jega, “an incompetent leader who is strong will end up destroying institutions”.
The ex-INEC boss said this at the 58th Annual General Conference of the NBA in Abuja on Monday, SOJWORLD reports.

He said:

“What we require most are the competence and capacity of leaders in ensuring decisions are actually implemented. So, we have to be very careful in thinking that a strong leader can really help.

“Just like a weak leader can wreck an institution, a strong leader, who has just power and courage, but lacks the capacity, ability and competence to lead, can also wreck strong institutions.

“Competence of leadership is a very important variable in bringing about the stable political transition and deepening of democracy.”

The former INEC boss said politicians must stop treating elections as a do-or-die affair.

He recalled that a former President once said elections must be do-or-die, an incident he described as most unfortunate.

Jega also said there was a need for agencies of government to shun partisanship as this weakened institutions and eroded public confidence.

He added:

“We must emphasise professionalism, impartiality and non-partisanship. This is because you have good and strong institutions. But once partisanship is introduced, those institutions would not be able to deliver effectively on their mandates.”

The ex-INEC chairman said there was a need for law enforcement agencies and the judiciary being alive to their responsibilities. He also added that the integrity of the electoral process must be preserved and protected.

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Jega added:

“From my experience, I am convinced that electoral integrity is key to stable political transition. It is also the key to ensuring there is a framework for good governance and societal development. Electoral integrity is not just about the integrity of the election management body. It is also the integrity with which the key stakeholders engage with the electoral process.”

Prof Jega said even the recently concluded NBA election was not without its own controversies.

“The genesis of Africa’s political problems is the action of sit-tight leaders who amends the constitutions to perpetuate themselves forever. These leaders manipulate very vital democratic organs particularly the legislature and even judiciary to suppress any dissenting voice,” he added.

www.sojworld.com (c) August 28, 2018.