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Sani laments low intellectual capacity of political leaders

By Anote Ajeluorou
29 October 2016   |   3:30 am
Unlike First Republic politicians who brought a measure of intellectual rigour to debates and quoted extensively from books and philosophers to advance their arguments, Sen. Shehu Sani has lamented the low intellectual capacity of...
 Senator Shehu Sani

Senator Shehu Sani

Unlike First Republic politicians who brought a measure of intellectual rigour to debates and quoted extensively from books and philosophers to advance their arguments, Sen. Shehu Sani has lamented the low intellectual capacity of current breed of Nigerian political leaders at all levels. He also said politicians who have libraries in their homes consider the books as mere part of the architecture rather them serious resource materials to be consulted to advance democratic values.

Sen. Sani, who represents Kaduna Central, made this declaration at the opening of the 35th International Convention of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) yesterday in Abuja, which he hosted.

According to Sani, “I’ve said it also that one of the basic problems we face today is the declining level of our intellectual potency and value of our national discourse. If you go through the conversations of the politicians of the First Republic, when they speak, you see them quoting Socrates, Pluto and other philosophers. You see them making references to renowned authors. But that seems forbidden in what we have now. When politicians have libraries in their houses, they are simply part of the architecture of those houses. So, I think the challenge before us at this anniversary convention is that our submissions should add value, should add weight, and should add substance to our multifaceted problems”.

He then advised the gathering of notable Nigerian writers that included Professors Femi Osofisan, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Jerry Agada, Isidore Diala, who delivered the keynote; Dr. Wale Okediran, Barclays Ayakoroma, Richard Ali and a host of younger writers to remain relevant so they could impact on political leaders positively.

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