Conference full of sleepy old men who do not have the strength to decide the future of the nation – Kalu

A former Abia State governor, Orji Kalu, has described the ongoing National Conference in Abuja as a home to old men who do not have the strength to decide the future of the nation.

Speaking at the Centenary Lecture organised by the Oyo State branch of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kalu, who delivered a lecture titled, ‘Nigeria: A Nation in Quest of Credible Leadership’, said Nigeria would not move forward unless the first generation leaders withdrew gradually from politics.

He said, “The present crop of leaders seems to be failing the nation and the people are becoming increasingly doubtful if indeed we have leaders. To worsen matters, the first generation leaders are still mostly the ones calling the shots. If you go through the National Conference delegates’ list, you will be amazed by the number of men in their 80s still trying to determine the type of future that is suitable for the millennium generation. What fresh ideas can these sleepy old men offer on the way forward? There can be no credible leadership until these men begin to gradually withdraw and allow the younger generation to take charge.”

Kalu also said that for the opposition movement and criticism of government to be effective, the media had a huge role to play.

“It is the media that has the constitutional responsibility to create such robust interface between the opposition and the governing party. The opposition that will guarantee credible leadership cannot be strong and effective if we do not have an equally credible media,” He said.

Source: Punch