- By Ibrahim Mustapha
Sir: Nigeria will tomorrow mark 64 years of independence. At 64, it has been one lamentation to other from Nigerians. India which attained political independence the same date with Nigeria has developed economically and politically, while Nigeria is still lagging behind in all aspects of human development.
After Nigeria obtained independence on October 1, 1960, it adopted parliamentary democracy with regional governments. It is trite to say that the country’s road to political and socio-economic development was built by first generation leaders who despite their political differences put their people and the country at the front burner.
After 64 years of independence, Nigerians are still celebrating and reflecting the exemplary leadership qualities displayed by the likes of Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto), Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Tafawa Balewa of blessed memory. All the four regions under their purposeful leadership witnessed massive socioeconomic development, ranging from infrastructure development, agricultural revolution to educational rebirth. There was an intense competition between the regions with each one tried to outshine one another in a competitive manner.
Until the military incursion in 1966 which terminated the First Republic, ruined and shattered the dream of better Nigeria, the country looked promising with all sign of greatness attached to it. Added to the catalogue of Nigeria’s woes was the civil war that dragged the country into murky water of uncertainty and deep suspicion. Today, the evil spirit of 1966 coup d’état and civil war is still haunting the country. Though, successive military regimes had put various measures to heal the wound arising from the ashes of past mistakes through creation of states and other programmes to promote national unity and cohesion, Nigeria is still battling with lack of unity, ethnic baiting and deep suspicion among its diverse ethnic religious composition. In recent time, there have been subtly moves by some ethnic or regional warriors to agitate for separatism. At 64, Nigeria’s peace, unity and development are being threatened by some dark forces.
Nigeria’s 64 years of independence coincides with 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country. It is still debatable, whether our 25 years democratic journey has positively impacted the lives of over 220 million Nigerians or not. For instance, World Poverty Clock estimated that over 133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensional poor. The numbers may have increased with the twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and floating of naira.
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Despite the facts, Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources, it’s pace of development has remained low due to corruption entrenched by our political leaders. These leaders across the three levels of government have been accused for mismanagement of resources meant for development. In the last 64 years of independence, billions of dollars that have accrued to the country as revenues have been squandered. It is sad to note that the leadership recruitment process is riddled with lack of transparency leading to the emergence of unprepared and corrupt leaders.
For the country to catch up with other developed countries, it needs to redefine its leadership recruitment process and improve governance by adopting a transformational leadership approach, which prioritizes the nation’s interests over personal gains. This style of leadership focuses on inspiring and empowering citizens to work towards a common goal. It seeks to strengthen institutions and ensuring they are independent and effective in checking corruption and promote good governance. That leadership style seeks to implement measures to increase transparency and accountability, such as open budgets and regular audits, encouraging active citizen participation in governance through education and inclusive decision-making processes and above all implementing policies that promote economic growth, reduce poverty, and address inequality.
By consciously adopting these strategies, Nigeria’s leadership can improve governance, promote economic growth, and enhance the well-being of its citizens.
• Ibrahim Mustapha,
Pambegua, Kaduna State.