2022 Committee Mobilising Nigerians for Quality Leadership

•Building consensus for country’s rebirth

Emmanuel Addeh

The 2022 Committee has resolved to mobilise Nigerians across party lines and social strata for quality leadership of the country at all levels as the elections to choose new leaders in 2023 draw near. The Conveners of a meeting of 100 leading business, political, civil society, and thought leaders, which held last week in Lagos, yesterday explained that the gathering should not be linked to the 2023 presidential election but a platform to chat a new consensus for national rebirth.

In a statement jointly signed by the coordinators of the group, Chairman of THISDAY/Arise Media Group, Nduka Obaigbena, and former Presidential Liaison Officer to the Senate, Kashim Imam, the eminent persons noted that the gathering was meant to build consensus towards national rebirth.

The meeting, which held from February 4 to 6 under the aegis of “The 2022 Committee”, the conveners pointed out, remained non- partisan. They said the retreat to chart a new consensus for national rebirth was attended by 14 incumbent governors, 13 former governors, and three former senate presidents.

“The 2022 Committee” conveners stated, “Whilst the 2022 committee is interested in the quality of leadership that will emerge in Nigeria at all levels, we consider attempts to link the committee with candidates or political parties for the 2023 elections as an unwarranted and unnecessary distraction. Candidates are only chosen by political parties and we are not a political party.”

In addition, the group stressed that participants, working in three sub-committees, namely: national security, the economy, and Nigeria in transition, recognised that there was an urgent need to seek common ground and irreducible minimum actions to stabilise the polity at this critical time of transition.

The statement came against the backdrop of speculations that the well-attended event was to select a presidential candidate among the attendees.

But the coordinators of the meeting stated that although all the 100 leading lights of the 2022 committee had the capacity for national leadership, it should not be linked to the politics of 2023.

The conveners said among the active participants in the work of the committee were over seven persons, from three or more political parties, who had already publicly declared their aspirations to lead the country but were desirous of working with other patriots for non-partisan greater national goals.

“We must have a secure, peaceful and united nation before we can have candidates for political offices,” it added.

The statement further said the committee was of the view that what Nigeria needed today was for all patriots to come together to rescue the country from all political, economic and security threats, and promote the unity of the country.

“The meetings will continue as we work with federal and state governments, current and future political leaders of all political persuasions, as well as other eminent patriotic citizens, for the greater good of the Nigerian people,” the group maintained.

The group of eminent Nigerians called on all patriotic volunteers, willing and able, to join the collective effort to stabilise the country so that a new Nigeria that all could be proud of, could be built.