Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has identified leadership formation failure rather than governance as the root cause of Africa's problems, calling on the political class to reimagine leadership across the continent.

Speaking at a Rotary Club gathering in Anambra State on the theme "You cannot give what you don't have: the imperative of transformational leadership in Africa," Chidoka highlighted how Africa expects transformational outcomes from individuals shaped by broken systems.

"Across Africa, we suffer not just from poor governance but from a failure of leadership formation. We keep expecting transformational outcomes from individuals shaped by broken systems. But how can they offer equity when they were raised on exclusion? How can they deliver fairness when their rise comes through favours? How can they pursue the public good when loyalty is owed not to the people but to power?" Chidoka said.

According to a statement by his media adviser, Aliyu Jalal, Chidoka traced Africa's governance crisis to its colonial roots, noting that the continent inherited "the machinery of domination, a state designed to extract, not to serve" from colonialism.

Africa at a Crossroads

The former minister argued that Africa stands at a crossroads, pursuing development through material symbols like highways, skyscrapers, and oil refineries while neglecting society's moral and institutional foundations.

"We have built states without societies, governments without guardianship, economies without embracing inclusion, and cities without citizens," he emphasized.

Chidoka called on national leadership and the ruling class to address this foundational crisis through three key institutions: the family, the community, and the country.

He described the family as "the first institution where power is introduced, values transmitted, and moral compasses set – or shattered," adding that "too many leaders were broken at home before they ever assumed office."

On communities, Chidoka noted they are more than just geographical spaces defined by ethnicity, religion, and patronage, but rather "where shared values, mutual support, and collective aspirations come to life."

Regarding the country, he distinguished between geographical boundaries and shared moral contracts: "A country is a geographical idea; a nation is a shared moral contract. Nigeria's motto, Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress, is hollow without equity, justice, and truth."

Chidoka concluded that a strong family raises a principled citizen, a strong community nurtures and tests the citizen, while a just country provides the platform for leadership.