Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Nigeria will continue to face developmental challenges unless it abandons what he described as primitive methods of selecting political leaders based on religion, ethnicity, language and other narrow considerations.

Jonathan said the country must prioritise competence and merit in choosing those entrusted with public responsibilities, noting that even highly qualified individuals could be overlooked under a system driven by religious and ethnic affiliations.

He made the remarks on Saturday at the Herbert Macaulay Colloquium in Lagos, organised to commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the birth of the Nigerian nationalist, who was born on November 14, 1864.

The former president lamented that political leadership recruitment in Nigeria remained influenced by religious denominations and other divisive factors, which he said undermined the country's prospects for meaningful development.

He cited an unnamed state in southern Nigeria where, according to him, an individual must belong to a particular Christian denomination to become governor, despite the overwhelming Christian population.

Jonathan argued that such practices prevented capable people from emerging as leaders, regardless of their qualifications and abilities.

He also identified weak institutions, corruption, inconsistent policies, inadequate infrastructure and insecurity as major obstacles to Nigeria's development.

On the country's democratic system, the former president called for comprehensive reforms, describing the existing structure as opaque and amorphous.

He said Nigeria needed a democracy that guaranteed broader public participation, respect for the rule of law and human rights, judicial independence, accountability, political pluralism and an active civil society.

Jonathan further emphasised the importance of strengthening the education sector, urging the government to invest in functional education and establish research-oriented universities capable of driving technological advancement and innovation.

Citing India, Singapore and South Korea as examples, he noted that the countries had made significant progress by investing in quality education and developing their human capital.

He stressed that Nigeria could not achieve meaningful development with weak educational institutions, adding that the country must deliberately invest in its brightest minds and build world-class universities to compete internationally.

Paying tribute to Macaulay and other founding nationalists, Jonathan said the most meaningful way to honour their contributions was to build a country that reflected the ideals and aspirations for which they struggled.

He maintained that celebrating the sacrifices of the country's founding figures should go beyond commemorative events to include concrete efforts towards national development.