Nigeria won't survive if the next president is like Buhari - Northern elder

The national director of publicity and advocacy of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has stated that Nigeria's next leader must deviate from President Muhammadu Buhari's style of governance if the country must survive.

Dr Baba-Ahmed made the comment in an interview with the Punch newspaper published on Sunday, October 9.

His words: “If we don’t get it right in 2023, I am afraid that we cannot just hope that in another four or eight years we will be lucky enough to survive this decline in every index of national life.

“I don’t think we can survive another decade together if we continue to go the same way we have been under Buhari.”

Asked if age should be a factor when Nigerians consider who to vote for in the next presidential contest, Dr Baba-Ahmed stated:

“Age is a double-edged sword. There is an advantage in wisdom and also an advantage in usefulness and youthfulness. We are not putting a premium on health alone. We are putting a premium on other things.

“One can be young and do nothing, and one can be old and still not understand what change is. Take a look at the president. He has never changed anything in this country from 2015 to date. So, we don’t want to put too much emphasis on age, although it has its values.”