African leaders should be under 50 — Jonathan

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – Former President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, called for a generational shift in governance across Africa, urging countries to deliberately promote leaders between the ages of 25 and 50, whom he said are better equipped to cope with the physical and mental demands of modern leadership.

Jonathan spoke in Abuja at the International Memorial Lecture and Leadership Conference marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of former Head of State, Gen. Murtala Muhammed.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also addressed the gathering, speaking on economic policy consistency and agricultural development.

Dignitaries present include former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife, Dolapo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II; Hajia Ajoke Muhammed, widow of the late Head of State; and Dr. Isha Oyebade, daughter of the late leader.

International participants include former Malawian President Joyce Banda, former Ghanaian President John Kufuor, and former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, alongside members of the diplomatic corps, academia and industry leaders.
“Why do we begin to think that you must be 100 years old before you can rule your country?” Jonathan asked.

Reflecting on the demands of public office, the former president said leadership requires stamina and resilience, recalling that while in office, he sometimes slept for less than two hours in a day.

“If they need to stay awake for 24 hours, they can stay awake for 24 hours. When I was in office, some days, I did not sleep up to two hours. If you subject an older person to that kind of stress, the person will spend 50 percent of the time in hospital.

“Young people must see leadership as service, not entitlement. Leaders must see governance as stewardship, not a right,” he said.

Earlier, Obasanjo warned that inconsistent policy decisions had weakened Nigeria’s economic progress, particularly in agriculture, blaming the country’s continued dependence on rice imports on the 1979 removal of an import ban introduced by his administration shortly before the transition to civilian rule.

“Since the lifting of the rice import ban in 1979, we have not recovered from it. That is why we are still importing rice today,” Obasanjo said.

He added that Africa’s long-term development depends on sustained reforms, increased production and strong economic growth, arguing that the continent must achieve annual GDP growth rates of between nine and 10 percent to realise its full potential.

“What we need to do is reform and produce. Reform and produce,” he stressed.

Other leaders paid tribute to the legacy of Gen. Muhammed, describing him as a decisive and patriotic leader whose brief tenure left a lasting impact on Nigeria’s governance history, and urged present-day leaders to draw lessons from history in shaping the continent’s future.

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