Traditional ruler tasks presidential candidates on citizens’ welfare

The Oku Ibom Ibibio, Nteyen Solomon Etuk, has urged presidential candidates of all political parties to prioritise the welfare of citizens in their respective manifestoes.

Etuk, who is the leader of Ibibio nation, said this in his palace during a chat with newsmen on Tuesday.

He said that it would be absurd for political leaders to distance themselves from the citizens they were aspiring to govern.

According to him, those aspiring for the office of the president should be compassionate and show interest in the welfare of the people they want to lead.

“The major leadership problem in Nigeria is the way some of those aspiring to lead us have removed themselves from what is happening in our environment.

“When you pay attention to the problems being encountered by the citizens, you will proffer solutions to them and ensure that everyone is positively impacted. This is the hallmark of a leader,” he said.

Etuk, also the Chairman, Akwa Ibom Traditional Rulers’ Council, said that a good leader should be concerned about conditions of things within his environment so that he would be able to have positive impacts on the lives of the citizens.

He said that for Nigeria to be stable, peaceful and develop optimally, citizens should not be neglected by their leaders.

The royal father, therefore, called on presidential candidates of various political parties to carry the citizens along, show empathy and promote peaceful co-existence, in the interest of the country’s unity.