One president cannot transform Nigeria, says Simon Kolawole

Simon Kolawole, founder of TheCable online newspaper, says one president cannot transform Nigeria.

The former THISDAY editor said this on a TVC programme on Friday while unveiling his new book — ‘Fellow Nigerians, It’s All Politics’.

He said the development of vital sectors in the country can only be realised through the combined efforts of leaders at all levels of government and not only a president.

Kolawole said many Nigerians do not understand the way the country is structured, adding that politicians have found ways to leverage this ignorance in every election cycle.

“Every election year we renew our hopes, politicians come, make promises and say the right things to make us happy. And we go through this cycle all the time,” he said.

“We renew our hope thinking this is the guy that will change Nigeria. If this guy becomes president, there will be no flood again, no ASUU strike, nobody will have a headache again and no cockroaches.

“We create these expectations, then one week or two months after the president comes into power, we say this is even worse than the previous president.

“I don’t believe that one president can change Nigeria. I don’t believe one person can transform this country. When you talk about the development of a country, you are looking at how many people are living in poverty, education, security. The things we see in other countries and we want to go there.

“If you look at the way Nigeria is structured, it is not the president that is going to take charge of basic education, it’s under the local government, but we expect it is the president that will address that.

“We really don’t understand the way the system works, so we keep thinking that it is one man that is going to do this. Of course, there are major responsibilities for the president.”

‘POLITICIANS NEED TO VALUE HUMAN LIVES’

Speaking on the quality of governance in the country, Kolawole said if Nigerian politicians value human lives, they would govern better.

He called on politicians and leaders in public service to sincerely introspect on the delivery of their duties to the Nigerian citizens. 

He said: “There is a question I want to ask our politicians and that is why I want them to read this book. ‘Am I sincerely giving my best to this local government, state, ministry?’

“If you really care about the value of life, the emergency services will work. If you really care about the quality of life people are living, you will govern better.

“Because you will realise this money I want to spend travelling can sink thousands of boreholes and save many from cholera death.”

Kolawole’s debut book is now on sale at leading bookstores across Nigeria as well as on Amazon.

The book is published by Cable Books, an imprint of Cable Newspaper Ltd.

You can buy online in Nigeria by clicking here and on Amazon by clicking here.

Here is the FULL LIST of bookstores where the book is on sale.