Omoyele Sowore has said the praise being given to Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, is partly because Nigerians have become used to low standards of leadership.
Sowore made the statement during an interview from 26:18 on Arise TV while discussing the performance of Otti and the level of expectations Nigerians have for their leaders.
According to him, the reason Otti’s performance attracts so much attention is that the standard for judging leadership in Nigeria has been lowered.
Sowore compared the situation with his township in New Jersey, United States, saying it has about 3,000 residents, which he said is similar to the population of his village in Kiribo.
He argued that based on the level of performance required there, Otti would not be qualified to serve as a mayor in the township.
Sowore said he had visited Abia State and described his position as controversial because many Nigerians have very low expectations of their leaders.
He also disagreed with the idea that progress must always happen gradually. According to him, while some people believe in incremental development, Nigeria has the capacity to achieve rapid and significant progress.
In his words, “In my own township in New Jersey, where there are 3000 people, equivalent to the number of people in my village in Kiribo, the same number of residents. The governor of Abia State cannot be a mayor there, in terms of performance.”