THERE IS NEED FOR IMPROVED LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA

GREAT IMO JONATHAN

This morning I observed a discussion on one WhatsApp group between two great intellectuals who are PMB supporters. One of them posted a picture of Kigali the Rewandan capital and he talked about the tremendous progress that the country is making; including the ease of doing business in the once war ravaged nation. He is not happy with the way things are going in Nigeria.

The other person countered him, pointing out some of the progress that has been made under the Buhari administration; including the rise in our foreign reserve.

In my modest opinion, it is good that we are having such discussions amongst ourselves and trying to point out what we have done well and where we have failed.

I like the courage and the passion with which they engaged in issues. Such boldness is required to put government on its toes. As much as some people disagreed with some of the comparative analogies, I see sense in what they are saying.

The truth is that beyond God’s natural endowment, Nigerian government have nothing to glory in, in this 21st century. I arrived Abuja on Thursday evening and I discovered that sincerely things are not improving in our capital. I lived in the city for a year plus before returning to Lagos. Today things have deteriorated further. Driving in Abuja at night is a major risk. Street lights are breaking down everyday and they are not being replaced. Many far areas within the city don’t even have street lights at all. Thursday night night alone I saw over 5 major car accidents around Wuse and Maitama; God bear me witness.

The last time I travelled to Port Harcourt, the airport there that has been under repairs for over 6 years and is still not completed. And so it is with so many other cities in Nigeria and projects.

We are simply lucky that God has blessed us with abundant mineral resources. Otherwise we would have been worst than many poor countries in Africa.

As much as we have to commend PMB for his modest effort and thank those pointing us to some of our successes in order to encourage us all, it is still obvious that we have not made the expected progress.

I still believe that our great party the APC will make greater impact as PMB is obviously laying the foundation for the sustainable development of our country.

But beyond all that and partisan politics, Nigeria has not lived up to her potentials. The Rewandan example is not to say that we are not potentially a great nation. But it reminds us of many failed expectations that the world have had of us.

Sincerely there is perpetual failed leadership across the strata. What we have applauded as quality leadership is in comparison with our low benchmark. As a young man who is hardly as much educated, experienced and exposed as many of those who had occupied and still occupies positions of leadership in Nigeria, I can tell you that I am highly disappointed.

As much as I know that it is not easy to govern in a country like Nigeria, I still believe that we have had abysmal sense of of judgement regarding the quality of leadership we require.

It is disheartening to see Nigeria being run in the most archaic manner in the 21st century where statecraftship requires social creativity. The speed at which we are travelling is still too dangerous for the geometric population growth we will be experiencing in the next ten years. At the average growth rate of 3.8 percent per annum and with 14 million plus kids out of school we have a magnificent crisis waiting for our nation if we don’t run fast.

But you can imagine that we are not even talking about that for now. We are yet arguing about whether the life of a cow is equal to that of a human. We are yet not sure of how many we are. We don’t even have proper identification system. We don’t even know how many entry and exit points our country have.

This country is badly run and that is the truth. Unfortunately not much have changed under our party’s regime. Governors are still spending more on themselves than they are spending on infrastructures in their states. The kind of education and the general quality that we are giving to our children is only good for 21st century slaves. The cost of government projects are still very indefensible. Less than 500 persons in the National Assembly are still getting over 100 billion as budget allocation when over 300, 000 police workforce are getting less than 10 billion in budget releases. Government officials and civil servants are still driving expensive cars to the detriment of national investment in infrastructures. Government agencies are still spending hugely on foreign goods that could be sourced locally. There are still cabals. Government officials are still doing contract racketing. Police is still taking bribe in broad daylight. Justice is still not for the poor. Files are still being delayed and bribery is still rift in ministries. Government officials and civil servants are still lacklustre. Recurrent expenditures are still very unbelievable, whiles return on investment in government workers is either not measurable or are abysmally poor. And so are many other vexing issues still happening in our administration.

Generally, beyond PMB and partisan politics, our leaders sense of purpose and understanding of nationhood is appalling. This truth should not be misconstrued as insult on leaders or a disapproval of our great party. It is just truth which is self evident.

With the comparison drawn with Rewanda, we are reminded that society rises and falls on the alter of leadership. Whatever that country is today is a testament to Paul Kiagama’s leadership ability. Their country is not yet heaven on earth but everyone can attest to their steady growth and the world is moving there to invest.

Hence, the point is that in competitive global economy we cannot afford to pretend that perception is nothing. Investment will continue to flow in the direction that world investors believe are conducive. It is time to properly re-engineer Nigeria. This old fashion kind of leadership cannot change much.