By FRANCIS SARDAUNA

A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has attributed the security and economic challenges besetting the country, particularly the northern region, to bad leadership.

He added that Nigeria has greedy leaders who have narrow vision in terms of how to usher in developmental projects that could develop the country, not to talk about the region where they come from.

Jega, who disclosed this Thursday in Katsina during the Maitama Sule Leadership Lecture Series, organised by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), said that Nigerian leaders lack the intellectual capacity to be classified as leaders.

The lecture, with the theme ‘The Political and Socio-economic Consequences of Border Porosity in Northern Nigeria’, which was organised by the coalition in honour of late Sule, held at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina.

Jega, who was the chairman of the event, said poverty, youth unemployment, insecurity, maternal mortality, out-of-school children, early marriage, as well as challenges of reproductive health emanated from the Northern region of the country.

He said: “The major indices of these crises manifested themselves from the Northern part of this country, whether it is poverty, youth unemployment, security challenges, maternal mortality, out-of-school children, lack of girl-child education and early marriage as well as the challenge of reproduction of our females.

“Anything you can think of, the terrible statistics come from the Northern part of this country. And why is it so?. That is the key question. Today, we remember the Maitama Sule, the Amadu Bellos, Isa Katais and many others.

“These were people who led and protected the North and ensured that the North developed in accordance with its ability and their own abilities as leaders. While we cherish the memories of what had happened in the past, what kind of leadership have we got from the Northern part of this country?

“We have so-called leaders who are selfish, who are not selfless, greedy, who have a narrow vision in terms of how this country can develop not to talk about the region where they come from. They really lack intellectual capacity to be classified as leaders.” (THISDAY)

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