A critic and public analyst, Hon. Paul Amadi, has said that character is profoundly important in leadership and therefore could either make or break nations.
Amadi who made the disclosure while chatting with some newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos , warned against handing over power to men and women without character.
He insisted that the Nigerian society should first clearly understand what character is, saying it is the spring water or river that washes along virtue or vice and as such produces integrity, honesty, compassion, sense of fairness, and commitment, responsibility and sacrifice.
“No matter the so called capacity one has, if virtue is missing, what we have is a habitual criminal, unreliable and dishonest person.”
He further argued that at the core of Nigeria problems lies our willingness of fear of demanding that our leaders be well vetted before serving in office. “Like everything, our ethnical standards are low and poor that, we end up chorusing those who oppress and rob us all of our resources.”
Amadi said he was optimistic that Nigeria will rise again when there are enough men and women of great character in leadership positions who are willing to sacrifice their time, energy and personal interest for the common good without looking back.
‘’Even the devil has capacity. It could make money for men and women, it could help people achieve goals as high as mountain but eventually it would lead to their destructions and those around them. No society has ever lasted with leaders without character,” he said.
Amadi also called on Nigerians to put their ethnic bigotries and prejudices aside, extinguish their selfish personal interest, think about the bigger picture and truly assess the character of men that they are voting for this reason, arguing that Nigeria is at a tipping point and that any further mistake would be forever regretted.
He expressed worries that the health sector had collapsed in Nigeria leading to diseases and ailments. Believing that good governance is a product of humility, responsibility and sacrifice and that only one of all the presidential candidates has these attributes for leadership.