IBB: Nigeria’s next president must understand the economy, have friends in every region

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), former head of state, says Nigeria’s next president should be able to talk to Nigerians. 

The former military ruler said Nigeria’s next president must speak to the citizens, understand economics, and have friends in every region.

He said this while speaking with Arise TV on Friday.

Babangida said he has seen Nigerians who have the qualities he described, and they are in their sixties.

“If you get a good leadership that links with the people and tries to talk with the people; not talking on top of the people, then we would be okay,” he said.

“I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to, and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with.

“That is a person, who is very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already in his sixties. I believe so if we can get him.”

Babangida also said importance should be given to qualification over ethnicity when choosing Nigeria’s next president.

“Either we want to practise democracy the way it should be practised, or we define democracy on our own whims and caprices,” he said.

“If we are going to do it the way it is done all over the world, you allow the process to continue. It is through the process that you will come up with a candidate that will rule the country. His beliefs and qualifications should be considered before he throws his hat into the ring, regardless of where he comes from.”