Don’t Blame Leaders, IBB Tells Nigerians

Former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has said those who blame leadership for Nigeria‘s problems oversimplify them, urging.

IBB, who spoke in a special interview in the maiden edition of ANALYST TODAY Magazine to mark his 83rd birthday, noted that the blame should not be heaped on leadership alone.
The Former Nigerian leader said everybody must demonstrate commitment to it to overcome the problems bedevilling the country.

He was emphatic about Nigeria‘s problem and why the issues lingered amid complaints from Nigerians.
Asked why Nigeria has not been able to live up to its promise, IBB said, „You and me, that is the problem, we don‘t seem committed, committed to the country, committed to the people, committed to our ideals, once we begin to show real commitment, most of these problems will disappear.”

Also, when asked whether it was a leadership problem, he said, „Not leadership, really. If you blame leadership, you are oversimplifying. Leadership means putting yourself out there in a position to put those things you believed in into practice.”

The Former Nigerian leader, however, noted that there is a snag in how to inculcate such beliefs in leaders into the minds of younger generations.

He said people must be trained for leadership, saying, “So you have to give each person the sort of excellent training that will make them committed to whatever you are trying to teach them”.

On insecurity, he also said it is wrong to look at it from the part of soldering. Still, he posited that “the real problem is that our values have changed and what some consider good is something that is Probably not good for other Nigerians.”

He said the solution to insecurity is to go back to the drawing board and start over, for example, the ethical revolution, which started in 1979.

The Former Nigeria Leader said that those who will be fighting like soldiers should be assured of their social security and that if they die, their families will be well taken care of. They will be well catered for if wounded, saying, „People need these guarantees that by all means the country will compensate you for putting your lives on the line“.

He said someone leading the troops must get these guarantees to pass on to his men so that „ they know the country has their backs. We have the saying that it is not the gun but the man behind the weapon that matters.“