The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dr Mudashiru Obasa, has called on Nigerians to elect leaders in 2023 based on their competence and previous experience of success.
Obasa, according to a statement on Thursday, was quoted to have said this at the Anchor University’s first Distinguished Public Lecture of the faculty of Humanities in Lagos.
He said, “And as you are aware, if anyone applies for a job, the first things that are asked for are the person’s credentials and experience. So in choosing who would be our leader in 2023, we need to ask questions about who is competent enough and had done something similar to what we desire.
“We can still remember that not long ago, we had someone in Lagos State who laid a solid foundation, particularly in relation to revenue. We know that without revenue, there is hardly anything we can do.
“We had that person who used his intelligence to move the revenue from just N600 million to billions of naira and today, the state gets multi-billion naira revenue for development. See the infrastructural development in Lagos State now and you will agree that we need people who are experienced and highly exposed for leadership positions.”
Obasa further explained that the kind of leadership that will bring development is not based on age.
“Leadership is not about who is old or young. We have had some young governors who have no positive thing to show about the development of their states.
“If you place our country side by side some countries and compare developments in the last 50 years, you would agree that we have challenges. However, we are all leaders in our various spheres. Leadership has to do with the roles you play in your various communities.
“Today, China is a super power because of its growth and development. That is why we have to talk about leadership and the most important thing for us now is to have a leader who understands and can handle our situation such that a man living in a corner in Ipaja, who does not have interest in who the leader is, enjoys what should be simple amenities of life,” he added.
A Professor of History and Strategic Studies at the University of Lagos, Ayodeji Olukoju, also commended the Lagos State government for the giant strides that have been recorded so far.
