Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to lead by example because leaders cannot ask people to make sacrifices if they don’t lead by example.
Odinkalu while speaking with journalists at the induction of the 27 new Associate Fellows of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative in Lagos said “We have done the inauguration and whatever the views of people may or may not be, the fact is that the inauguration was also a celebration of our country.
“Everybody has come to appreciate what we achieved in the March 28 election; the telephone call of March 31 by President Goodluck Jonathan in which he congratulated Buhari; the result announcement of April 1; and the inauguration of May 29.
“These are great developments, most people didn’t give us a chance, but we did it. We did it in a way that gave the country credit. We got a new President inaugurated with tremendous political capital and goodwill.
“There are difficult decisions to be made and there is enough political capital. We hope that President Buhari will spend it well. The tone of government is very critical. People need to know that leadership is a very solemn calling.
“In this era of the petrol scarcity, where we are asking people to make sacrifices, things like the long convoys can go. We need to see leaders who know that their examples are important.
“When leaders lead by example it becomes easier to ask the people to make sacrifices whether it is about removing or keeping the fuel subsidy; shrinking the size of the civil service or reducing the benefits in the civil service.”