Nasir El-Rufai

A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that leadership in the country should be based on merit and not entitlement basis.

According to the APC chieftain, Tinubu’s administration is on the right path to make Nigeria work with the decisions made so far.

El-Rufai stated this on Sunday at the launch of an autobiography and retirement programme of Professor Ishaq Akintola, who recently retired from the Lagos State University (LASU), having attained the statutory retirement age of 70.

He noted that the sound footing with which the administration started had deflated the ranks of those that did not see any good in the same faith ticket.

He said: “As a people, the earlier we distil ourselves from the primordial ethnoreligious perception of things, especially as it concerns national leadership, the better for us.

“The way with which the present administration at the centre is changing things for the common good of the Nigerian people within a short period shows that leadership should be hinged on merit and not entitlement basis.

“We must de-emphasise religion and ethnic colouration for us to build a society where no one should be discriminated against on the basis of ethnic nationality, religion or political leaning.

“As members of the two major religious groups in the country, if we find ourselves in public positions, we should ensure we practice the basic principles of leadership as encapsulated in both Christian and Islamic religions.

“Both religions espouse the culture of good leadership, but some individual persons tend to do that which is at variance with the scriptures.”