Bush, Kufuor Challenge Nigeria Government to Take Stiffer Action against Corrupt leaders, Terrorism

Posted by African Examiner Uncategorized Sunday, December 15th, 2013

Ayo Balogun, Lagos

Former Presidents, United States and Ghana, George W. Bush and John Kufuor respectively have challenge the Nigeria government to take stiffer action to halt rising corrupt leaders and terrorism in the country.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan

They spoke at the 2013 Access Conference staged by Access Bank PLC in Lagos, Nigeria during the week, saying that corruption and terrorism thrived in the nation because culprits were not punished severely to serve as deterrent to others.

According to Bush, a leader must be courageous to take decision against corrupt aides, saying all corrupt officials in his administration were sent to jail, emphasizing that every nation had its own peculiar problems, stressing that the ability of the leaders to rise to the occasion and turn the situation around was what mattered.

On terrorism, Bush stated that there was nothing more evil than killing innocent people to achieve political ideology, saying that people that perpetrated act of terrorism should not be handled with kid gloves, urging the people occupying leadership position to emulate the late Nelson Mandela whom he said, was a man of enormous character.

Also speaking Kufuor said leadership required a lot of discipline and abhour corruption, saying that it took disciplined leaders for the country to overcome its challenges.

“We managed our micro-economics with discipline than was required. This made our creditors to forgive us our debt that was over $40 billion. We restored agriculture and gave education priority, cut down on indiscriminate borrowing. We empowered the private sector,” he stated.

Founder of Fate Foundation, Chief Fola Adeola, decried that the nation’s leaders had failed to lead the people and make their leadership role felt by the people they govern, saying that “our leaders have turned governance to Special Purpose Vehicle to do their business. They did not see Nigeria and Nigerians seriously. They must take leadership as a nation they govern and care for and be ready to do things that generations yet unborn will benefit from.”