Nigerian government, citizens don’t trust each other: Yar’Adua Centre

“Islamic provisions on leadership emphasised that leaders should be trustworthy, transparent and accountable.”

News Agency of Nigeria • May 15, 2023

Buhari and Osinbajo laughing used to illustrate the story[Credit: The Guardian Nigeria]

There is a distrust between the Nigerian government across all levels and the citizens, says Muttaqa Rabe-Darma, the president of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Human Development Centre.

Rabe-Darma disclosed this on Sunday in Katsina during the 13th Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Day Memorial Lecture, organised by the ‘Katsina State First Youth’, Fix Under Grassroots Aids Initiative.

According to him, functional governmental systems require a trustworthy leader who exploits an all-inclusive government, considering all stakeholders as part of the decision-making body.

He noted that it also required appreciating people’s functionality and ability, irrespective of whether they acquired knowledge and skills formally or distinctly.

“Therefore, governments took a large chunk of responsibility for societal decay. Unlike what Islam teaches, leadership is no longer based on trust. The leaders and those they led no longer trust one another,” Mr Rabe-Darma explained. “Islamic provisions on leadership emphasised that leaders should be trustworthy, transparent and accountable.”

The Yar’Adua centre boss also mentioned that one way to ensure followers’ trust in leaders “is to appreciate that leadership comes with self-responsibility, responsibility to the general public and importantly, to Allah (SWA).”

Mr Rabe-Darma described the late president and former Katsina State Governor as an excellent transformational leader. He said the late president exhibited commitment and dedication towards transforming the state as the governor of Katsina and also had plans to move Nigeria to a greater level.

He explained that Mr Yar’Adua left legacies in the state that would never be forgotten in the history of Kataina, saying that he was a leader worth imitating.

Mr Rabe-Darma added that the Islamic principle of governance is the best system and model that would make the state governing system workable and curb its multiple challenges.

He acknowledged the need for a new leader-follower model based on Islamic leadership principles to be embraced by the incoming government to succeed.

(NAN)

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