Mallam Shaani Bashiru, Lecturer at Accra Polytechnic, says politics, with its associated acts of intolerance, conflicts, deception and corruption has destabilised the country.

Mallam Bashiru said these acts have pulled the country backwards in terms of structural and functional development.

He mentioned moral degeneration, non-payment of taxes, preaching of virtue and practicing vice, and illogical interests put on loans as elements that contribute to the slow development of the nation.

Mallam Bashiru, who is also a Research Fellow at Ghana Muslim Academy (GMA), was speaking at the third session of the 17th M. A. Mujahid Annual Ramadan lecture of the GMA.

Speaking on leadership, he said, although most politicians present themselves to the public as willing to serve when giving the mandate, they do the opposite after being elected into power.

“Being a servant leader is the commonest talk of most position seekers, yet their deeds disprove it when they are given the mandate,” he said.

He noted the types of leadership as; charismatic, transformational, and transactional.

The Research Fellow explained that a charismatic leader attracts the attention of people, is incapable of pretending and give citizens the opportunity to share ideas towards reaching a common goal.

He said transformational leaders are visionaries who believe in a common goal that makes them put resources together to achieve it.

He also described transactional leaders as those who are hardly appeased unless a task is achieved extremely well, stressing that, “if one positively achieves an aim by 80 per cent, such a leader will not appreciate it and still find fault with the 20 per cent”.

Mallam Bashiru advised the public to read wide, be sociable, alert, insightful, responsible, visionary, humble, courageous and have integrity if they want to become leaders in the future.