The founder and Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, has emphasized that good leadership and internal division are major obstacles to Nigeria’s growth and development.
According to The PUNCH, the cleric disclosed this during an interview on the ‘Mic On’ podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, while discussing the theme ‘Leadership Beyond Governance Politics and the Role of the Younger Generation in Nigeria’.
Adeyemi criticized the country’s approach to leadership, highlighting issues among leaders and in the educational curriculum.
He called on older generations, including political and religious leaders, to take action and improve the country, as the younger generation will soon demand accountability.
The man of God comments come as Nigeria’s current administration prepares to celebrate its first anniversary, with President Bola Tinubu commissioning nationwide projects on May 29.
He said, “Honestly, I’ll tell you that what I’m waiting to hear is a national discussion on where Nigeria is going long-term.”
The pastor recognized that addressing the nation’s challenges requires a futuristic approach that extends beyond the typical four- or eight-year government term, which he referred to as “short-term vision.”
“Anybody working only for what they can do in four years may have a short-term vision, or maybe what they can do in eight years—that’s still a short-term vision.
“In the life of a nation, if you’re going to build development in the nation, you’ve got to be thinking decades and centuries,” he explained.
In 2023, he proposed a weekly practice of addressing constituents if he were in a leadership role as President of Nigeria or the governor of a state.
The cleric added that all hands must be on the deck to get things right in the nation.
“So, to that extent, I put the responsibility on all of us. I put it on those in government. I put it on the citizens. To me, it looks like we’ve not even started the journey.
“I’m waiting to hear any leader describe what a developed Nigeria would look like in five years: milestone; 10 years; 20 years; 30; 40; and even beyond. It is then that such a leader will get my attention.”
When questioned about the focus-driven nature of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, he replied, “I don’t think so. The country is currently very divided, and I say this with even more caution.”
“Because, as I said, when you discuss leadership, most Africans think about personalities, not in terms of issues or principles.
“So even though I’m trying to discuss principles, some people are already prejudiced or biased. They will think, Oh, I’m attacking this party or that party, and I am not.
“I’m just saying collectively as a nation, now when you come down to the subgovernments—for example, the ministerial level—you would see some ministers demonstrating good visions.
“The big issue is some of the things they’re doing when they’ve left office; the likelihood is somebody’s going to reverse those good visions and policies. The same is applied at the state level with governors too.
“In Africa, the community dominates the individual, so at the end of the day, what they are doing is not going to count because they’re going to be out of office before you know it.”
He attributed poor continuity to changes in government. He further stated that while some leaders may be good at individual levels, they may not function effectively collectively.
“So, I want to say that at the individual level, some people are showing good signs. There are few, though, but they are showing good signs.
“I was on a flight with an ex-governor someday, and I said to him that you did some things when you were in office that showed me that you have a vision.
“However, the sad thing though is that the person who came after you has neutralised everything you did, so I said that sadly, most of your colleagues in government don’t have vision like you.
“And he said, ‘Sam, Nigeria is like an aircraft that is being flown by people that did not go to flying school, and when they crash the aeroplane, everybody will be screaming.”
Adeyemi expressed skepticism about expecting much from Nigerian leaders, questioning their leadership skills, education, characteristics, and inclusion in the Nigerian curriculum.
“I can’t apportion blame but to ask if we’re expecting so much from leaders—where did they learn the leadership from?
“Is leadership in our curriculum at the school? Did they attend the seminar? How many books have they read on leadership?” he asked.
Adeyemi urged elected leaders who are already on the job should learn more from leadership programmes and retreats.
“My advice is that if you’re on the job already, what leaders do all over the world right now, both in government and in the private sector and nonprofits, is get leadership coaching.
“This is because they have loads of advisers, so get an advisor on the issue of leadership just to help you see that the leadership pact is the people pact.
“And this is how to impact and bring about improvement in the quality of the people and the quality of their lives right.
“So, I would say at the individual level, there are some good signs, but they are few and far between.”
