By Anote Ajeluorou and Tunde Akinola
While Nigeria’s literary critics and scholars have long
argued that Nigerian leaders do not read books and were fast entrenching a
culture of anti-intellectualism that hinders the pursuit of knowledge for
development purposes, governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi has
further lent credence to this assertion by stating the obvious: Governance is
not driven by knowledge to take the nation from third world status. He made
this submission at a book launch in Lagos yesterday entitled Here Comes the
Commander-in-Chief: Four Years of Journalistic Activism, written by Gabriel Akinadewo, editor of Nigerian
Compass.
Amaechi, who
was the special guest of honour and was represented by Hon. Dakolo Peterside,
stated that one of the challenges of leadership in the country today was that
“we don’t have intellectuals in government; intellectuals shy away from
governance leaving the space for others. Governance should be driven by
knowledge otherwise we will remain in the third world category of countries
that are largely under-developed”.
Amaechi, whom
Peterside described as a student of literature and history, said Nigerian
leaders do not read, a situation he said largely accounted for the stunted
development so far recorded in the nation’s history. Amaechi, who also heads
the nation’s Governors’ Forum, declared, “Our leaders don’t read and we
certainly won’t make progress. Only readers should lead; those who don’t read
should have no business to lead. We must wake up and hold our leaders to
account for our commonwealth. Our commonwealth isn’t the leaders’ private
estate”.
He described
the author Akinadewo as belonging to the last generation of the scholars in journalism.
Amaechi said the book has significance for the nation’s democratic practice in
tracing its trajectory with an eye on its leaders.
Also, Speaker
of the House of Representative, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, who was represented by
Hon. Zakari Mohammed, said for those in the 7th Assembly, the issue of
leadership was a matter they took seriously, saying leaders should be given to
those who seek for it rather than for reluctant leaders. He also noted that the
assembly had adapted a pan-Nigerian stand to realise the Nigerian Project with
the support and prayers of all Nigerians. He also noted that the unity of
Nigeria was not negotiable and that leaders must not give excuses for failures.
However, elder
statesman, Chief Ayo Adebanjo took a swipe at current journalistic practice,
saying standards had fallen from what they were during the days of struggle
against the military by National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). Adebanjo
lamented, “The Media is deteriorating. 75 per cent of NADECO success against
Gen. Sanni Abacha was owed to the media. Are you the same today? You must put
the searchlight on your own house; that is my own impression. You are one of
those who must rule aright. Do some critical analysis of your people. Go get
yourself reborn; examine your reporters. Poor pay should be no excuse for
misbehaving. We must continue the Obafemi Awolowo standards to make progress in
this country”.
While reviewing
the book, The Guardian, Mr. Debo Adesina, noted that the book accurately
depicts the Nigerian situation and further prescribes what the country should
be in its assessment of both the leaders and the led. He stated, “Taking on
politics and politicians, the economy and economics, business and businessmen,
religion and the clergy, the Bar and the Bench, from the first page to the
last, this is an engaging record of the journey our nation has made over the
this period, a description of the wrong road taken and the appropriate one
uncharted.
“It is a
collection of insightful and astute commentaries on failed promises, dashed
hopes, scuttled dreams, darkened days and bleak nights. In many cases, however,
the author is able to show us where to find the light with which the lost
traveler can find the way home”.
Adesina
concluded by asking all Nigerians to take Prof. Chinua Achebe’s words of wisdom
to heart when he stated that Nigeria should be regarded as a child, albeit a
wayward child “we all need to care for and nurture”, so as to get the best from
it.
Also his paper
titled ‘The Journalist as Writer’, the guest speaker, Mr. Akogun Tolar Adeniyi,
described Akinadewo as “The journalist writer, the journalist historian, the
journalist researcher per excellence has fulfilled all the righteousness of a
classical journalist”.
Earlier, the
author, Akinadewo had dissected the root causes of Nigeria’s ills by observing
that attitudinal crisis was to blame, saying it would eventually lead the
country down the slippery clop of a failed state. He further stated, “Anything
done outside the people will never work. If the attitude of leaders is wrong,
attitude of the led will automatically be wrong”.
In attendance
at the launch were the former governors of Ogun State and Abia States, Gbenga
Daniel and Orji Kalu, ThisDay Sunday
editor, Mr. Tunde Rahman, Prof. Dayo Alao, Dipo Ajayi, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene,
Senior Adviser to the Speaker on Media, Mr. Imam Imam, Senior Assistant to
Delta State governor, Omar Djebah, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr.
Gbenga Adefaye, Are Oyefeso and a host of others.
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