CAN president: The best Nigerian isn’t leading the nation — it’s unfortunate

Samson Ayokunle, president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), says it is unfortunate that the best Nigerian is not leading the country.

Ayokunle said this on Thursday while speaking at the National Stakeholders Summit on the 2019 election.

The CAN president said Nigeria does not need a mediocre leader.

“It is very unfortunate that the best Nigerian is not the leader of the nation. We don’t want a mediocre, we don’t need a mediocre because you can only offer what you have, and you cannot offer what you don’t have,” Ayokunle said.

“Can’t we have a people-oriented, selfless leader, somebody that can add value and make all Nigerians proud? Actually, the religion one practices is not what matters but the quality of that person, quality in terms of serving Nigerians selflessly, objectively without nepotism or any other mundane considerations.”

On his part, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, sultan of Sokoto, said something is wrong with leadership as there is “so much cry in the country”.

Abubakar said the leadership must take correction to address the country’s challenges.

“If you hear so much cry, then something is wrong with the leadership and that leadership must take correction so that we see how to get things right,” he said.

“As religious leaders we must come together and realise that there are so many things we have in common than the few things that will lead us astray and those few things can lead you to hell fire as religious leaders.

“We must be very serious about how we do things as religious leaders and if we want to have a country. We must be serious about the cry of the common man who is crying daily for one thing or the other.”

The sultan said the country will not experience peace and development if killings are not stopped.

“There is too much blood shedding in Nigeria. The blood of innocent people who do not even know what is happening or what is governance,” he said.

“This is happening across the country and if we don’t stop this and recognise the sacredness of human life, we cannot see peace, we cannot have peace and development in any place.”