By Egufe Yafugborhi
PORT HARCOURT – LAWYERS and Spokesman on President Mohammadu Buhari Reelection Campaign, Festus Keyamo, has faulted promoters of former Unites States President, Barrack Obama’s famous perception that “Africa needs strong institutions and not strong leaders”
Festus Keyamo
Keyamo, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, along with Professors Eme Ekekwe, and Steve Okodudu were Thursday interrogating ‘Corruption as an Issue in Nigeria’s Development Crisis’ in a seminar facilitated by the Rivers Unity House in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
Reacting to civil society personality, Livingstone Wechie’s reecho of the famous Obama’s perception, Keyamo said, “We must begin to interrogate the context in which we quote or refer to perceptions of others whenever we hold on to them. Otherwise you will just be bandying misconceptions about.
“Obama said Africa need strong institutions, and not strong leaders, and people have been harping on our problems in the continent being institutional weaknesses and not leadership. But have we Africans asked ourselves in what context Obama meant it?
“Take it or leave, Africa and indeed any nation in the world needs both strong institutions and strong leaders. Strong institutions would mean that they are backed by laws and any abuse of the law is punished. Can a weak leader drive a strong institution productively as has been shown in Nigeria?
“See what has happened on anti-corruption with EFCC today. Level of recovery of stolen funds and assets forfeiture under this administration have surpassed all previous administrations since 2003 establishment of the agency because you have a strong leaders in President Buhari with political will not to interfere in the affairs of the EFCC.
Prof Ekekwe and Prof Okodudu in their presentations charged the populace to show more commitment to interrogating and confronting corrupt leaderships in the country to make change in the anti corruption fight in Nigeria.