Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd) has listed the qualities Nigeria’s next president must have to be able to lead the country successfully.
Babangida, popularly called IBB, however, said it’s paramount for Nigeria’s next president to have a very good understanding and a deep grasp of the economy and politics.
The former military dictator, who stated this while speaking on an Arise TV interview programme on Friday, added that he had already seen some individuals with such qualities.
IBB further stated that it would be good to have such persons voted into office as Nigeria’s president in 2023.
He said, “If you get a good leadership that links with the people and tries to talk with the people; not talking on top of the people, then we would be okay.
“I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to, and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with.
“Nigerians are very resilient, they are very resourceful; so leaders should see how to use this to achieve a common objective.
“That is a person, who is very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. The leaders should understand Nigeria and Nigerians. Anyone who wants to be a leader must use his intellect to understand the people.”
Answering a question on whether such an individual should be given the chance to emerge in 2023, Babangida said, “I believe so if we can get him.”
The former military president, however, also urged President Muhammadu Buhari administration to adjust its economic policies.
“There’s too much control in the way the economy is being run. We should open up the economy and make use of our God-given resources,” he said.
But IBB blamed the current leadership in the country for the worsening incidence of banditry and insecurity across the country.