******Uzum Identifies Poor Leadership Recruitment As Bane of Nigeria At 64.
By JOHNSON EBIGIDE
As Nigerians bask in the euphoria of the independence of their country from colonialism since October 1, 1960, Eugene Azuka Uzum has identified poor leadership recruitment as responsible for the lacklustre development of Nigeria.
Uzum, a lawyer, policy analyst, and consultant, spoke against the backdrop of the continued loss of interest of most Nigerians in celebrating the Independence of the country, especially at the local and state government levels.
He said that there was the urgent need to rejig the present leadership recruitment process that has institutionalized mediocrities in Nigeria, adding that it is fast cascading the country to the brinks of despondency, anarchy, political nonchalance and underdevelopment.
He called for a more responsive and inclusive leadership recruitments that would capture Nigerians with capacity, high integrity, selflessness and the patriotic zeal to channel the country back to the path of greatness and recognition in the comity of global nations.
Uzum said that Nigeria had been operating different party structures without the desired political repositioning of the country because the people driving the political machinery were simply adding “garbage in and garbage out” in the process of governance of the country.
He added that so far, the leaders had been greedy, unpatriotic and self serving, resulting in the pervading injustice and underdevelopment of the country amidst its great endowments in human and natural resources.
He maintained that merit should not be compromised in the recruitment of political leaders, nor should the recruited leaders be continuously subjected to the control and manipulation of political godfathers at the local, state and federal levels of governance in the country, adding that the interest of the entire citizenry should be prioritized continuously.
Uzum specifically called on polical leaders in Delta State to adhere strictly to best practices in leadership recruitments for maximum results in the administration of the state.