Dump Old Political Leaders, Cleric Advises Nigerians
From Emmanuel Ugwu in Enugu
Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma advocated a radical approach in the search for leadership in Nigeria saying the old clan of political leaders who have been recycling themselves in power should be swept aside for good.
The Bishop who bared his mind at a Correspondents' Forum in Enugu called for a revolution that would eliminate all the old time politicians and former leaders from the system to give the nation a fresh start akin to what Jerry Rawlings did in Ghana in the early 1980s.
"We need that type of revolution in Nigeria to learn our lessons," he said, adding, "we should have a new breed of political leaders."
The cleric, who took a critical overview of Nigeria's political journey since independence concluded that the leaders have not only failed the nation but have continued to foist themselves on the people even when they have nothing to offer in terms of good leadership.
He therefore called for a constitutional ban on all those who have held offices as heads of state or president, governors both in military and civilian dispensations.
For a start the Bishop said that former military president, Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida should be barred from holding any public office, arrested and put on trial for economic crimes against the nation.
"I see no reason why Babangida should not be arrested," he said.
According to him the sins of IBB included the devaluation of the national currency, institutionalization of money laundering and 419,
adding that these constitute weighty economic crimes against the nation to warrant his trial.
He called on the Justice Mustapha Akanbi led Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to stop treating people like IBB as sacred cows, saying that he should be probed along with the immediate past head of state, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar for economic crimes.
The Anglican cleric accused the federal authorities of practicing "selective negligence" by allowing some people to get away with their crimes while haunting other who committed lesser crimes.
And for the present political leaders he said that the post -2007 government should probe them and recover all their ill-gotten wealth to teach others lesson.
Chukwuma frowned at the reckless manner politicians are pillaging the nation's wealth at the expense of the Nigerian masses, noting that many of them have refused to declare their assets in order to cover their fraudulently amassed wealth.
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