Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has said he doesn’t reckon with an 80 year-old man still nursing presidential ambition when there are younger people who have the zeal and energy to drive the desired change.
The Governor equally berated the people at the helm of affairs for not showing empathy to the masses following the hardship which emanated from their policies.
Makinde stated this during a convocation ceremony at a Private University in Ibadan on Monday.
“If you look at the leadership in Nigeria, you will clearly understand why we need your generation to be the change. People may ask what about my own generation. Well, it takes time for things to happen. Your generation is just coming out and you have all the energy and zeal.
“I don’t believe that, at 80, you should still be running to be president of Nigeria. You won’t have that energy. So, we need your generation to be the change.
“We have few leaders that inspire trust. In fact, over the years, trust has depreciated so badly that we are suffering a huge deficit. We have few leaders that are transparent and honest and who hold themselves accountable to these values.
“In recent times, we have had two extremes. Some have allowed misplaced empathy to stop them from making tough decisions that would make the economic life of the people better.
“Quite frankly, there is a great deal of difference between economically nutritious and economically delicious. You can take a burger and say it is delicious but will it really give you the nutrient that you need, especially when you are faced with a lot of infrastructure deficit.
And we have also seen others that lack empathy. So, they pursue policies that cause the people so much pain, but then they will tell you that let us suffer now to enjoy a better tomorrow.
Ethical leaders know what true leadership means. They know it is about responsibility towards the broader community. That is why Oyo State will always put the people first.”
This online news platform understands that Makinde indirectly referred to Atiku Abubakar who is a serious contender for the PDP ticket in 2027 and President Bola Tinubu who announced the removal of fuel subsidy at his inauguration venue in May 2023.