The Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has highlighted the importance of compassion among political leaders in the country.
Fayemi, who was one of the speakers on a live broadcast tagged ‘The Fierce Urgency of Now: Tactics and Strategies to Pull Nigeria from the Brink,’ on Friday, stated “For us at the level of the governors, we have been dealing with immediate issues that go beyond generic points that have been made eloquently by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. When you focus on the recent challenges, be they banditry, insurgency or, most recently, the herder-farmer conflict that we have experienced in the South-West, what is clear is that, naturally, victims are almost always emotional about issues of this nature.
“When you have lost somebody or you know someone who has lost someone, it’s no use telling the person to be rational about the ill that has befallen them and the bereavement they’ve suffered. The truth of the matter is that we also need compassionate leadership in order to help deal with these issues, in addition to all the substantive things we need to deal with.”
Nigeria’s break-up will not solve problem –Adeyemi
Head Pastor, Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, who was one of the panellists, argued that calls for restructuring were premised on the need for citizens’ empowerment. According to him, the brilliant people in government need to give reasons as to why they are finding it difficult to push their ideas through.
Adeyemi said, “Let me be honest, I have friends in government. We should be discussing Nigeria’s development; Nigeria needs to move into the 21sst century as fast as possible. This whole thing is about the economy. If you have any problem in this country that is not tractable, somebody is making money from it.
“People are making money from Boko Haram. Banditry and kidnappings are about making money. Why don’t we then create a country where people can make money legitimately? Once you begin to discuss that idea with Nigerians, a vision will give people hope. Presently, there is despair; people can’t see any way forward.
“The discussion right now among this huge population that we have of young Nigerians is, ‘Let everybody go their way. Let’s break it down.’ But smart people know that will not solve the problem. South Sudan broke away from North Sudan and then South Sudan went its way. Breaking away is not the issue.”