Nigerian president slams "big man" mentality

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said on Thursday the biggest problem in Africa's most populous nation was poor leadership and rounded on public servants who abused their positions of power to gain personal wealth.

Even among follow Africans, Nigeria is seen as the home of the "big man" mentality, where "Ogas" -- bosses in pidgin -- bark commands at all and sundry and travel in convoys with blaring sirens through the chaotic traffic.

"The concept of leadership has been bastardized in Nigeria," Yar'Adua said in a statement, following a one-day symposium on "A New Leadership Culture" in the capital Abuja.

"People use leadership positions to show arrogance, oppress others and misappropriate resources meant for the generality of Nigerians, instead of serving them as directed by God," he said.

Sworn in 14 months ago pledging respect for the rule of law, Yar'Adua was seen by many as a breath of fresh air after eight years of rule by Olusegun Obasanjo, an overbearing ex-military ruler with a penchant for disregarding legal detail.

But with the national power grid on the verge of total collapse, road infrastructure crumbling and economic reforms grinding to a halt, some are wondering whether Nigeria's 140 million people were better off with an autocratic "Oga".

Yar'Adua said there was a need for "a serious national campaign on the concept of leadership" in Nigeria, ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world.

But he said he feared there may be many opponents to the campaign and gave no details on when it would begin.

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(Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Robert Hart)