Jonathan not as wicked as Obasanjo, says Kalu

A former governor of Abia state, Orji Kalu, has taken a swipe at former President Olusegun Obasanjo, describing him as a wicked leader.

Kalu, who was the guest lecturer at a forum organized by the Oyo state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in commemoration of Nigeria’s centenary celebration, held in Ibadan on Thursday, said despite the criticism against President Goodluck Jonathan and his style of governance, he is not as wicked as Obasanjo.

According to him, while Jonathan is liberal minded, Obasanjo is self-serving and vindictive.

He alleged that the former president was fond of labeling those who oppose him as corrupt, while his supporters perpetrate all manners of evil against the Nigerian state without being challenged.

In his lecture titled “Nigeria: A nation in need of credible leadership”, Kalu said a credible leader does not need to be a saint, but one, who has the love of the people and secures their support to do well in office.

“In my experience, credible leaders know what they are talking about and practice observable bahaviour that demonstrates their commitment to good governance.

“Such behavior includes showing a willingness to admit their mistakes to others, consistently representing and supporting the overall interest of citizenry. They also give honest information about credible performance even if it is not well received, ask for ideas on how to improve their own performance, and act consistently in any setting,” he said.

He identified the crisis with the Nigerian system as lack of credible elections, which, according him, was responsible for why the nation has not produced credible leaders in a long while.

He also challenged journalists to play their roles effectively to ensure a better future for Nigeria.

“Let me use this golden opportunity to appeal to journalist to retrace their steps and toe the line of professionalism so that credible leadership can be well rooted in our country and institutionalized such that it becomes an integral part of our national life”.