I suppose this debate will go on and on and the protagonists will likely not accept the other side of the argument. A brief look world-wide in the 20th and 21st centuries at the success of leaders tells us that we should not hold any hard and fast views. China and Japan post 1945 had a history of very old people managing the affairs of these two great oriental economies. Mao Zedong and Chou En-Lai in their mid-to late seventies laid the foundation for their successor, Deng Xiao Ping to bring one billion people out of poverty into self-sufficiency in food supply and an economy second only to the United States. For several decades after World War ll, Japanese politics restricted the position of prime minister to those between 75 and 80 years old! Considering the Japanese economic miracle it wasn’t such a bad idea. German post-war recovery and prosperity was led and guided by two old people: Konrad Adenauer who became W. German Chancellor at the age of 73 and his Economics minister, G. Erhard. Another 70+ General Charles de Gaulle led French resurgence after the war. In Britain three old men Churchill, MacMillan and R.A. Butler managed Britain recovery through 1950s and 1960s. In Saudi Arabia the last three kings ascended the throne in their 70s and 80s and see what transformation Saudi Arabians have enjoyed in the last 40 years. If you think that this achievement is solely due to oil resources take a look at Nigeria and consider what poor use we made of our resources. Looking at the other side of the argument consider the remarkable achievement of Lee Kuan Yew a young man in his 30s when he assumed the premiership of Singapore. Today Singapore is a beacon of efficiency, growth discipline and prosperity. Or the case of General Suharto of Indonesia whose administration lifted one hundred million of his people from stark poverty to reasonable level of income and employment. A miracle, if ever there was one. Consider also the impact of another young man, John F. Kennedy. In 1961 he galvanized and kick-started American technological achievement by inspiring oratory which led to landing a man on the moon and satellite communications which has transformed the whole world. Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, These cursory recollections from history teach us, I submit one thing. Ability, competence and skill in politics does not reside in one particular age group. The ideal is to have a mixture of experienced people who will bring their wisdom to bear and young men and women with energy and vigor to cooperatively run an administration. A happy mixture of young and old would be the ideal, but I am anxiously waiting to hear the submission of our Guest Lecturer, today Dr Shettima Mustapha. Thank you for listening, ladies and gentlemen. -General Muhammadu Buhari
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:23:21 +0000
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