I started this piece last week by stating that Nigeria’s inability to use knowledge economy to pursue domestic and international goals of national interests in the 21st century is due to inability of leadership in Nigeria to lead reforms and improve governance.
With effect from 29 May, 2015, the APC government must be prepared to reconcile campaign promises with crude oil price drop of about 50 percent in the last one year. It is time for those who have been elected to change Nigeria for better to formulate policies that will improve Nigerian’s quality of life, standard of living, literacy level, health care, and education. The president-elect and other elected government officials at state and federal levels will have to create a new kind of economy while trying new methods and schemes not tried in any part of the world.
They must demonstrate the capacity and willpower to do all of these. Success has its challenges but the president-elect and his skilfully selected team should not yield to political pressures beyond their capacity to deliver. Importantly, APC governments at federal and state levels should not waste this newly gained trust by perpetrating mismanagement of our scarce resources and corruption. The president-elect and his team must begin to work out what the nation will benefit from the remaining resources left by the outgoing PDP government. The president-elect knows that Nigerians are hardworking people, thrifty and eager to learn despite varying cultural backgrounds. That is why Nigerians are anxiously waiting to see rational cabinet members in this dispensation who will weigh all possible consequences before embarking on a policy that will leave the treasury almost empty. Security of lives and property must be the concern of the
APC government in order to persuade investors to invest in businesses. Further, the insecurity brought about by the infamous Boko Haram has to be reversed immediately.
The only way available for the survival of about 173 million people is for Nigeria to industrialize because the country’s crude oil may not invoke the desired economic development. A review of the nation’s industrial and infrastructural plans is imperative. The overarching philosophy of General Buhari’s regime must be to encourage Nigerians to produce goods and services cheaper and better but 4000 MW of electricity is grossly inadequate to help. Nigeria has enormous natural resources, hardworking people, but lacks basic infrastructure and committed government.
The national grid cannot accommodate more than 4000 MW of electricity and thus, a review of the power sector reform is expedient.
The president-elect has a real-life problem to solve with respect to power supply and he cannot afford to be slowed down by any flawed theories or dogmas. The president-elect and his team must review the power sector reform and find ways of improving the national grid to accommodate more than 4,000 MW. Oil theft has to be stopped decisively. The president-elect and all governors-elect must be committed and their word must be their honour. This will attract foreign investors to the country as industries will provide jobs and not make the nation depend perpetually on aids. Reactivation of industries will solve the problem of unemployment which has plagued the nation for several years. The manufacturing industry needs urgent attention to increase capacity utilization and productivity.
Nigerian civil servants in many states are owed salary arrears. The president-elect has to intervene in this matter. It is most disturbing and nonsensical for any state government not to pay salaries of workers only to complain that allocations from Federal Government have reduced. In spite of reduction in monthly allocation to states, no state governor has left office. State governors and those aspiring to be governors have always struggled and will continue to struggle to occupy government offices. Irregular payment of salaries may be responsible for display of ineptitude and nonchalance by civil servants across the nation. As a matter of priority, Nigerian workers must be given a sense of belonging, while re-establishing supervision and working norms in order to get efficiency.
Nigerians need to be educated and entrepreneurially equipped to provide first-world standard of service. This is possible as efforts have to be made to re-educate and re-orientate our people with the help of sound education. All Nigerians including politicians need to display positive attitude, while performance is rewarded. In Nigeria, rewards and salaries are often based on luck and political connections of individuals. This is not sustainable as it demoralizes and discourages talents.
Good leadership is essential to development of the country. This is because leadership sets the vision and ensures that an achievable economic agenda is embraced. The role the president-elect in the new era will include:
a.) Providing strategic guidance and direction which covers national mission, vision, and goals in consonance with the nation’s national interests.
b.) Defining the nation’s grand strategy that guides how Nigeria will employ all of the instruments of national power to shape sub-regional and regional events in order to achieve specific national security objectives. It is the nation’s grand strategy that will provide a broad direction for all the elements of national power towards achieving a more secure and prosperous future for the nation.
c.) Empowering people though education and re-orientation to enable them apply resources efficiently and effectively.
d.) Sustaining good governance and demonstrating respect for the rule of law.
e.) Developing leaders and strengthening institutions as it will take one generation of committed Nigerians to build a great nation.
No individual can lead a nation as leadership is often associated with responsible individuals who are desirous of building a great nation. Imagine a cabinet made up of 36 ministers representing each state but not selected through state political contraptions. This may help because when ministers are selected by political parties at state level, they are often briefed by ‘godfathers’ and their briefs most times are not conterminous with national interest.
As soon as they take oath of office, some ministers establish a mechanism of official deception, tell lies in public office, manipulate figures and mislead Nigerians to achieve their personal agenda. Imagine the nation having distinguished Nigerians who are ‘thoughtful doers’ like the late Dora Akunyili, Nuhu Ribadu and Akinwunmi Adesina take charge of strategic ministries in the new dispensation.
Is it also possible to have Nigerians at home and in the diaspora who do not belong to any political party applying to become ministers? Whatever the mode of selection of cabinet members, Nigerians deserve the best, competent and fittest to run our affairs. The president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, and his team have a responsibility of creating the kind of leadership that will set up strong pillars associated with knowledge economy, develop its competitiveness, construct world-class infrastructure, develop and nurture our youths for leadership, display accountability and transparency, and show respect for the rule of law.
It is better late than never and now that the electorates have got the change of government demanded, they cannot sit on the fringes. Nigerians must ensure that the culture of impunity and wastage is destroyed in our society, while perpetrators of electoral violence should be arrested, investigated and prosecuted. Attaining the status of an industrialized nation does not come cheap. We all need to change our attitude for good and relegate the culture of wastage to the background. [Concluded]
MA JOHNSON
