A former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, has declared that Nigeria’s persistent problems cannot be resolved without the deliberate nurturing of quality leadership.
Speaking in Kaduna on Friday at the 2025 reunion of the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF), themed “Leading from the Front: The Role of Christian Elders”, Gana said the absence of visionary and competent leaders has remained the nation’s greatest undoing.
The founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) noted that leadership is not accidental but cultivated through mentorship, training and deliberate investment in character building.
“Leaders don’t just emerge; they are deliberately raised,” Gana said. “Nowhere in the world do leaders appear by chance. They are trained, mentored and prepared to give good leadership. If Nigeria fails to raise leaders of quality, we will continue to experience maladministration.”
He urged both political institutions and faith-based organisations to take responsibility in identifying individuals with integrity and grooming them to serve. According to him, Nigeria’s future depends on leaders who combine competence with character and a genuine commitment to national development.
Gana further stressed that the role of Christian elders extends beyond spiritual guidance, insisting that they must actively support the process of raising credible leaders for the country.
