Real reason why Nigeria is not moving forward - Dogara reveals

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara

– Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara received a Zik leadership award

– He disclosed that bad leadership is the reason for the present state of the country

– He suggested that schools should be constructed to teach youths about the benefits of good leadership in the country

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
Yakubu Dogara, the speaker of the House of Representatives has said that Nigeria is not developed because there is no credible leadership in the country.

While receiving the Zik leadership award for Public Service on Sunday night in Lagos, Dogara said with patriotic leadership, Nigeria would over come its challenges.

He said once the leadership of the country is put into place, Nigeria will become a better place.

“What has been the problem with Nigeria is lack of leadership; if we have credible leadership that speaks to the challenges we face as a nation, there is no way that in spite of our challenges, we won’t make progress.

“Why is it that they are making progress and we are not? If our founding fathers had gone back on their resolve to fight for us, we wouldn’t have had the nation that we call Nigeria today.

“If we establish both principles, there is no way Nigeria will not have progress. I don’t believe that the variety within Nigeria is a mistake, just as Nigeria is not a mistake.

“In a place where you find variety, God dwells there, so we don’t have any problem in this save for leadership. Unfortunately, we have been pursuing everything as a people except training leaders, “he said.

Dogara said that the educational system in the country was established by the colonialists to train a work force that would enrich them.


He suggested that institutions can be constructed to teach individuals especially the youths, the importance of good leadership.

He called on the present crop of leaders to rise to the challenges and build a generation that will take over from them, sustain and even surpass their legacies.

However, this is not the first time the Speaker of the House of Representatives has voiced this notion.

On March 1, when he received the Ambassador of Sudan, Mr Ibrahim Busha in Abuja, Dogara said poor leadership was one of the causes of underdevelopment in Africa.

He added that the reliance from the western part of the world has worsened the situation in the country.

“Unfortunately, we have been locked in a situation whereby leadership and governance as it is practiced has only tied us to aids from the western world.

“Instead of looking inwards, we always look outwards to aids that come to Africa and most of these aids have some strings attached.

“The aids tend to imprison and impoverish our people more than liberating them and putting them on the ladder of economic prosperity,” he said.

However, on reliance from the Western part of the country, the country has taken steps to grow the dwindling economy by making Nigerian made goods compulsory.

This decision was taken after consideration of the report of the committee on public procurement sponsored by Joshua Dariye representing Plateau West senatorial district. The bill is titled procurement act 2007 (amendment) bill 2007 (SB. 232).

Senate President Bukola Saraki said many countries have used the procurement act as means to improve their economy positively as the lawmakers should inject their full effort and support to make sure it works.