By Emeka Mamah

Kaduna— Former Head of State and presidential aspirant of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the scheduled 2011 general election, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said Nigerians should not dissipate energy discussing presidential zoning even as he described it as outdated.

According to him, “in my view, the right way to prosperity is for this country to get credible leadership; leadership that will provide good governance, transparency and accountability in the handling of the public affairs; leadership that will rule with the fear of God and be fair and just to all.”

Buhari

He also hinged the nation’s prosperity to the conduct of free and fair elections which he explained will bring about credible leadership.

Buhari spoke yesterday in Kaduna at the launch of a book, The Sixteen Sins of General Muhammadu Buhari, written by a former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West.

“This country has suffered so much from the art and science of deceit, corruption, evils of sectional, ethnic and religious sentiments.

“Let us for once address issues on how to repair our decayed infrastructure, provide energy, good education, healthcare, security and generate employment.

“I, therefore, challenge the people especially the media, organised labour, the academia and the civil society to evaluate us, the politicians, on these rather than engage the nation on unnecessary and selfish distractions.

“The Nigeria of this era should be made of a community that tasks its leaders on their past performance and how they will improve upon that.

“I think it is out of date to bore the people of where one comes from, the language he speaks or his mode of worship.

“We should ask: can we trust him? Can he put our country right? This is what Nigeria requires today: Leaders of character, achievement and accomplishment.

“In the end, getting credible leadership and the conduct of free and fair election is not the responsibility of anybody but that of Nigerians.

“If Nigerians choose to remain where they are or even want to go backwards, it is their choice; if they choose to make the country better, it is also their choice.”

Prof. Tam David-West, in his remarks, asked Nigerians to give Buhari another chance to rule Nigeria saying, “Buhari performed a feat that no country has ever achieved as no one country has been selected to be given increase in oil quota.

“Nigeria made over $20 billion. Yet, here is a man that Nigeria is suppressing. His enemies are vocal, but he is not vocal, he is a very humble man. He will not challenge them.

“So, I have to stand up for Buhari. I have to shout from the Niger Delta creeks to the Sahara, that here is a good man that Nigeria is suppressing. Please God, let him lead us.”