By Abbas Jimoh
ABUJA: Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, has likened Nigeria’s leadership failure to a love affair gone sour, saying citizens have been left in a state of national shock, betrayed by leaders who promised everything but delivered nothing.
Speaking at the launch of the African Institute for Statecraft International AISI in Abuja, Damagum, represented by the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi, said governance in Nigeria had deteriorated drastically since 2015, with ordinary Nigerians bearing the brunt of poor leadership recruitment, lack of preparation, and an absence of capacity building in the public service.
“Nigeria’s leadership failure has left citizens in a state of shock, comparable to being betrayed by a lover who promised heaven and earth but gave nothing,” Damagum said, stressing that without discipline, competence, and institutional capacity, governance would continue to fail.
He pointed to the civil service, with an estimated five million personnel nationwide, as an example of neglect.
“Many civil servants have not received retraining since they were employed. How then can they deliver responsive governance in a 21st-century economy? The president or governor cannot do everything. If those at the lower levels are unprepared, failure is inevitable,” he said.
Damagum insisted that leadership must not be reduced to individuals in high office, but understood as a system underpinned by strong institutions and disciplined governance.
He also reaffirmed the PDP’s commitment to reclaiming power in 2027, describing the party as “the only political institution consistently committed to democracy in Nigeria.”
He recalled a time when the basics of life were affordable for Nigerians and urged citizens to support the vision of AISI in nurturing a new generation of leaders through research, training, and policy innovation.
“Institutions like the African Institute for Statecraft International challenge us to refine our policies, strengthen democracy, and reimagine leadership not as privilege, but responsibility,” he added.
Other speakers at the event also echoed calls for a reinvention of political leadership. Chief Olabode George, represented by Hon. Dare Adeleke, decried the rise of personality-driven governance and sycophancy in Nigeria’s politics.
“When leaders borrow trillions without accountability and citizens celebrate personalities instead of interrogating failures, the nation drifts toward destruction,” he warned.
On his part, PDP chieftain Chief Segun Sowunmi described Nigeria’s democracy as being in an “existential crisis,” citing low voter turnout, ethnic divisions, and a population boom that could overwhelm governance structures.
“In 2023, 93 million Nigerians registered to vote, but fewer than 25 million participated. That is a crisis of confidence,” he said.
The AISI’s inaugural lecture, themed “Reinventing Political Leadership and Democratic Governance,” brought together political thinkers, party leaders, scholars, policy experts, and advocates for democratic renewal.
Participants commended AISI Chief Executive, Adai Edwin Adai, for establishing the institute as a platform to nurture fresh ideas on governance and leadership.
