“I have no regrets. I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got?
A successful Singapore.
What have I given up?
My life”
-Lee Kuan Yew
First of all, congratulations are in order. So, I congratulate President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on his victory. I also congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan for his statesmanship in conceding defeat and congratulating General Buhari. Both leaders and the Nigerian people are the makers of the new democratic Nigeria. The unprecedented feat of an incumbent president losing re-election in a free, fair and peaceful poll, and then promptly congratulating the winner has suddenly earned Nigeria a universal acclaim as a beacon of hope in Africa. President Jonathan’s remarkable statement affirming his belief that “nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian”, and that “the unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else”, has set the tone and the bar for future election contests in Nigeria. History will be kind to Jonathan. Unpopular in office, he will shine out of it. He is certainly a strong contender for the Mo Ibrahim African Leadership prize!
This is also a personal victory for General Buhari. Removed from power as a military head of state in 1985 by General Ibrahim Babangida for being too tough in his fight against corruption and indiscipline, it’s ironically the same personal characteristics that have now won him the presidency! His doggedness must be an inspiration to all Nigerians. But the expectations are very high, and, no ifs no buts, Buhari must deliver on his promises. I was critical of both leading parties in the election, but my main concern about the APC was its unfunded manifesto commitments, which looked too ambitious and unrealistic in the current dire economic climate. However, President-elect Buhari is now stuck with the election promises. He must honour his covenant with Nigerians. Nothing undermines public trust in politics more than broken promises, and this election has shown that Nigerians will not reward an underperforming government with re-election. General Buhari must create the new Nigeria that he and his party promised.
I have anchored this intervention on Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who died on March 23, 2015, aged 91, precisely because the transformational change that Buhari promised to bring about in Nigeria is very similar to what Lee achieved for his country. Indeed, the allure of Lee’s accomplishments is very strong among APC’s intellectual elite, who frequently cite him as an inspiration. And who wouldn’t? Lee took a sleepy port town 50 years ago and transformed it into one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Singapore, a small island, with unstable and vulnerable beginnings, became, under Lee, a stable and cohesive state, and one of the world’s most dynamic and prosperous nations. In 1960, Singapore’s GDP per capita was a meagre US$443, but by the mid-1980s, Lee had raised it to US$6,634. Today, it’s US$55, 182. By contrast, Nigeria’s GDP per capita is still languishing at US$3005 (2013) from about US$400 in the mid-1980s. Population alone can’t explain this wide gap; productivity growth is among other factors. As a British journalist recently said, “In Singapore, it’s not just the escalators that work, it’s everything”. But in Nigeria, very few things work!
So, what lessons can President-elect Buhari learn from Lee’s approach to development? For me, there are five lessons he must embrace if he wants to transform Nigeria in any way near what Lee did in Singapore. These are (1) visionary and purposeful leadership, (2)zero tolerance for corruption, (3) human development, (4)government effectiveness, and (5) outward looking approach. Let’s discuss them briefly.
Purposeful leadership
Lee Kuan Yew’s strongest weapon was his vision and purposeful leadership. He had a vision for his country and pursued it vigorously. For instance, from the start, he recognised that Singapore was blighted by racial, religious and language divisions, and set out to single-mindedly fashion a new nation with a single identity and sense of patriotism. Of course, Nigeria is also a divided country, as evident in this election in which Nigerians voted broadly along ethnic and religious lines. But can Buhari help create a political settlement and unity in Nigeria? That was a major achievement of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore.
Lee also identified three main challenges facing Singapore: corruption, unemployment and housing shortages. Again, with doggedness, he set about solving them. For instance, he turned slums into public housing and created jobs. Today, Singapore has one of the best housing systems, and enjoys some of the best living standards, in the world. Lee also recognised his country faced security threats, and so built up a strong military.
Zero tolerance for corruption
Lee systematically clamped down on corruption. As he put it himself: “We have succeeded in keeping Singapore clean and corruption free. This requires strong political will, constant vigilance and ruthless effort to follow up every complaint and every clue of wrong doing”. But he also said, “Citizens won’t make sacrifices when leaders steal”. So, fighting corruption in Nigeria must be systematic, dogged and start from the top. Can Buhari succeed here? The world will judge him on results, not just efforts!
Human development
At the heart of the Singapore model is human development. Lee believed that, “The quality of a nation’s manpower resources is the most important factor determining national competitiveness”. So, he prioritised education and healthcare. Today, Singapore has better healthcare than many Western countries, and one of the best education systems in the world, with school results that regularly top international rankings. By contrast, Nigeria has several bog standard universities that produce students who can’t compete globally. Like Lee, Buhari must prioritise human development.
Effective government
Another jewel in Singapore’s crown is its first-class civil service. Lee built one of the most efficient government machines in the world, with a small and ruthlessly meritocratic but well-paid bureaucracy. Unfortunately, Nigeria has one of the worst bureaucracies in Africa. Yet Nigerians will expect Buhari’s government to deliver critical services effectively. However, whatever his vision, a broken bureaucracy will undermine it. So, he must ensure effective government by rebuilding the public service.
Outward looking
The final critical lesson from Lee’s approach to development is his outward looking mind-set. Lee was interested in what worked, and would borrow innovative ideas from anywhere in the world. Benchmarking promotes improvement by learning from others. Lee perfected this art. But Nigeria’s leaders and institutions are too insular and self-referential. Buhari must promote outward-looking policy-making environment.
Limits of Leeism
Of course, no human being is perfect, and Lee had weaknesses that any leader should avoid. One was his intolerance of opposition and media criticism. Another was his heavy-handedness. For instance, a fierce disciplinarian, Lee imposed the death sentence on armed burglars and drug traffickers, and caned petty criminals and drug addicts. As Lee said himself, “I did some nasty things”. Is that familiar?General Buhari, of course, did similar “nasty things” as military head of state. But he says he is now a “converted democrat”. We must believe him.
President-elect Buhari certainly has the hand of history on his shoulder, but can he, at the end of the day, echo Lee Kuan Yew’s words quoted at the beginning of this piece? Can he create a new, successful Nigeria? Well, Lee’s achievements should inspire him. My best wishes
