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2023: Babalola advises Nigerians to consider age, health, others in choosing leaders

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, has advised Nigerians to consider age, health, education, sound knowledge of current affairs, work ethics and experience in choosing the next president of the country.

Babalola in a statement said he is compelled to advise the Nigerian electorate on the qualities which an aspirant to the post of the Nigeria’s President must possess before voting for him.

He said the next leader of the country must believe in the need for a new constitution; demonstrate previous contributions to development, economic standing and readiness to serve as well as proven ability to solve problems.

Babalola said: “Any aspirant for the post of Nigeria’s President should not be more than 60 years old so that if he has the opportunity of serving two terms of four years each, he would leave office before he turns 70.

“The aspirant must be physically, mentally and medically fit. The President should not be a person who will be looking for medical treatment from hospital to hospital round the world. He must be so healthy that he should be able to work for a minimum of 14 hours a day.

“It is mandatory that the aspirant for the post of Nigeria’s President must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree from a reputable university, sound knowledge of current affairs:

“A person aspiring for the post of Nigeria’s President should possess a sound knowledge of Nigerian, African and world affairs for him to be able to speak and debate convincingly on any of them.

“From my personal knowledge of the volume of documents, petitions and applications etc., that daily flood the office of the President, most of which require his personal and urgent attention, the occupant of that exalted seat should be able and ready to work for a minimum of 14 hours a day.

“I know as a fact that former President Olusegun Obasanjo worked for a minimum of 18 hours a day when he was at the saddle as Nigeria’s President without leaving any file till the next day. That is how anyone aspiring to be Nigeria’s President should work.”

According to Babalola, the next president of Nigeria should have acquired reasonable and laudable experience in private and public business. He said the person must also demonstrate that he has acquired verifiable leadership training and experience.

“The aspirant should not be arrogant or opinionated. He should be a good listener, respectful and humble. He must be law abiding and a respecter of the Rule of Law.

“The aspirant must be someone who is totally detribalized and who appreciates that the country – Niger Area – now called Nigeria was brought together by Europeans during the1884 Berlin Conference without consulting the locals and without their consent.

“He must appreciate that the over 400 ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria have their different languages, cultures, religions, customs and values. He must therefore demonstrate to the voters that he believes in the evolution of nation Nigeria from these various ethnic nationalities,” he said.

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