Former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim has said that Nigeria’s next 80 years leaders must be those who plan for the next generation and not the next election, and such leaders must be over and above tribal and religious divides, with their focus anchored on concerns for the next generation.
Anyim Pius, who made this known on Saturday, while speaking as the Guest Lecturer at the HURIWA 2020 Human Rights Lecture, on the topic, ‘Challenges of Leadership in the 21st Century Nigeria’, emphasized that the 21st century is a century of possibilities and prospects of new inventions that can further change our world and improve on how we live, adding that Nigeria as a nation cannot be left behind.
The Guest Lecturer stressed on the need for the country to take advantage of the growing spate and benefits of existing technology, and more importantly, chart a course as a nation and take a lead.
In his words, “As a nation, we must take deliberate sustained steps and actions, with an eye on global technology competition.The world is at “war”, and the arena is leadership in technology and science and it appears to me that anyone can win in the remaining 80 years of this century.
“As a nation, we must not be defeated again. The future will not be driven by oil or a traditional agricultural system or governance system. It will be driven by ideas, projects and technologies that become obsolete before they are even consummated or completed, or before they even take off.
“We all know our expectations of leadership in today’s Nigeria. In sincerity, and I hold this to be personally true: our next 80 years leaders must be those who plan for the next generation and not the next election. Such leaders must be over and above tribal and religious divides. Their focus must be anchored on concerns for the next generation”, he said.
He also emphasized that any government that wants to keep afloat in the 21 century must prepare for change, “whether they like it or not, the change must come and if you don’t prepare to accept that change, then you and your people will be in trouble”, he stated.
While noting that Nigeria, with its population, diversity, natural resources and human capital, can be a leading nation of this century, he added that Nigerian youths constitute the largest active segment of over 200 million people, and are well positioned to propel this nation to greatness.
The Guest Lecturer who stated that Nigeria is faced by a myriad of challenges including climate change, banditry, violent insurgency, consumer and import dependent economy, pointed out that the consequential leaders are those who can take the lead in addressing these challenges and other global issues and set the young population on a course of national rebirth.
“They are leaders that redefine the national vision and commit to set the country on the path of exponential economic growth. This cannot happen unless leaders recognize the potential of youths and tap into it. The next 80 years of the 21st century would be driven by youths and youthful thinking”, he remarked.
He emphasized that leaders who would be relevant are those who are youth-centric, adding that the youths deserve and will demand for leaders who encapsulate the possibilities of the 21st century.
Also speaking, Senator Shehu Sani kicked against the arrest, freezing of accounts and seizing of passports of active participants in the #EndSARS protests, and urged the leaders to listen to the demands of the youth to right everything that has been wrong with the country.
In his welcome remarks, the HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, emphasized the need to stir Nigeria away from underdevelopment to an advanced society.
He also condemned the call for Amnesty International to leave Nigeria, noting that anyone that threatens a Civil Society Organization is constituting public nuisance and should be arrested.
He appealed to the government to take actions in reforming the police so that Nigerians can see an end to police brutality and torture. “If the police are properly trained, there won’t be need for the use of torture. Nigerian government should invest in intelligence gathering for the police as they have the largest presence all over the country”.
He also charged the government to seriously look at the issue of creating employment for the youth.
The HURIWA 2020 Human Rights Lecture also saw the presentation of awards to some persons who included the Human Rights Baby of the Year and Human Rights Queen.
