Nigerians’ recovery from the consequences of the elimination of subsidies is expected to take six years, according to Dr. Ralphs Okey Nwosu, National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Speaking on Monday at the ADC-hosted leadership conference in Abuja, Nwosu labelled the first year of the present administration as dramatic and uncoordinated. He blamed the president’s misguided policy decisions and lack of heed to public opinion for these problems.
Effective leadership, according to Nwosu, is about satisfying the demands of the people, not just the elite. The president’s decision to raise fuel prices by 400 percent as soon as he took office, he noted, severely damaged the confidence of the population and jeopardized the stability of the economy.
“It will take more than six years to address the problems caused by this decision,” Nwosu said. “By increasing prices so drastically, the administration has demoralized the people needed to revive the economy.”
After the retreat, the ADC sent out a communiqué encouraging political parties to start planning for elections early rather than waiting until election season. Voter education and continuous leadership development are priorities for the party.
The ADC vowed to step up voter education initiatives and emphasized the significance of changing the election process from the ground up. The party hopes to be close to the people and feels that reforming the present, broken political system requires methodical work. The retreat also decided to embrace the idea of transformative leadership. In order to improve mobilization and promote change at all electoral levels—local, state, and federal—ADC members decided to draw inspiration from Senegalese youth and leverage their youthful membership.
