- By Cliff Chima
Former United States President, George H. W. Bush in a great show of decisive political leadership in an almost bloodless military campaign, ousted Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega from power. Then when in 1990 Saddam Hussein annexed Kuwait as a possible prelude to invading Saudi Arabia, Bush put together an international political and military coalition and drove Hussein out of Kuwait in less than a month of combat and with a minimal loss of American lives.
He also presided over the end of the Cold War and seeing the collapse of the Berlin Wall. All were great political victories. In the spring of 1991, he had looked unstoppable for re-election. His approval rating hit 89 percent – the highest ever recorded by Gallup. However in his bid for re-election in November of 1991, he received only 38% of the vote – less than any incumbent since President Taft in 1912. His defeat by Bill Clinton was caused in large part by a sluggish economic growth. His downfall was, in ordinary English, down to the money in the pocket of Americans. The economy had slid into a recession on his watch and as with all modern presidents, he was held accountable by a discerning electorate for the state of the economy. Bill Clinton’s adviser, James Carville famously quipped: “It’s the economy, stupid.” They ran with this. It was the economy and it still is the economy.
In its editorial of Tuesday, May 8, 2018, The Nation newspaper stated: “In the light of the approaching general elections, we call on the opposition parties and the electorate to be vigilant and call attention to the performance of the governors. If Nigerians are truly desirous of development, the attention paid to the economy in the first term of governors seeking re-election should form the basis of the campaign in the run-up to the polls.”
How true!
Nigeria faced the great challenge of a national recession of 2016 that lashed millions harshly like the cold Harmattan dry wind and the economic cruelties and cantankerous economic weather has not fully lifted over the nation. The very best efforts and hands were seemingly not employed then in handling the economic challenges and it further compounded the situation. States became unable to perform their basic duties, such as paying their workers; 33 out of 36 states were unable to meet their obligations to their workers, thereby collapsing state economies with withered industrial bases and poor private sector capacities.
Edo State has lately being moving from a civil-service dominated state to the dream of becoming an industrial base and it is leveraging on its natural resources of crude oil, gas and other natural endowments in the state for economic renaissance. Worldwide, it has been demonstrated that government and business interests have a complementary role, the leveraging on best economic ideas from the private sector for economic progress.
What is needed in Edo State as they choose their next governor later this year is the criteria of continually creating of a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and for burgeoning investors to harness the rich business potentials of Edo State. An administration that can smoothen the relationship between the investing private sector and the regulating public sector to allow for the free flow of investment into the public sector, to engendering development for Edo State is needed.
The office of governor is not necessarily for men of words, men of oratory but of thought; sound economic thoughts. Oratory won’t put food on the table now. A candidate should come with elaborated and well-thought out economic initiatives to substitute the pretence and rhetoric of professional politicians with real solutions for the present and the future. A governor must then excel in his ability to link ideas to effective action and to link initiatives to desired results.
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Sure, men can have many ideas for governance but it will be their genius to select those ideas most relevant and productive for firm and useful economic results. Their economic initiatives must necessarily be a response to the diverse needs and to the state’s economic well-being and social order. They must show themselves to be above the typical third world professional politicians who are more impressive in oratory than in economic action and can be callous as they pursue their self-aggrandizement and comfort relentlessly while the people suffer immeasurably from pervasive wickedness.
Edo State is naturally endowed with rich resources and its people are among the world’s brightest innovators with an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit. An economy-governor, a smart business figure cum political head, to rally millions of its people who are burning with economic vivacity and an unmatched resilience with state pro-business policies and achieve public sector excellence is needed.
Shrewd business ideas always bring exceptional wealth and prosperity. A third world state’s political head ought therefore to come with a job description to compulsorily lead an economic revival. He ought not to be an economic illiterate and docile.
Edo must elect a man to act as the points-men of their economy, to drive it forward with modern ideas and bring on exhilaration and economic success. Such a governorship role will only take someone highly knowledgeable, skilled, having lots of international contacts; a business-diplomat who also knows his way around leading economic ideas and personalities around the world to do both political and economic deals. He also can actively engage Corporate Nigeria and others in oiling the wheel of economic governance.
Edo State does not lack for competent people. The era of unheralded, untested governors, who are propped up by ethnicity, religion or certain political godfathers into power and just end up stagnating the state, just enjoying perks of office and incurring huge debts for no end, should seem a regressive agenda now. In this present stark economic reality, the people of Edo need not gamble their next four years by taking a leap in the dark. This is no time to fall emotionally for choice slogans and be slack in thoroughly scrutinizing the economic and governance credentials of aspiring governorship candidates. It has to be someone with the preparation capacity and the limitless bank of ideas to run a 21st century government.
With the state’s huge population, there are opportunities for investors in so many areas: the retail industry; consumer goods; real estate for a rising middle class; information and communication technology; agriculture; power and transportation infrastructure. And investors’ confidence in the governor is the key to economic prosperity.
This concern for economic well-being of the state should be priority as Edo people chose their next governor in 2024.
Former United States President, George H. W. Bush in a great show of decisive political leadership in an almost bloodless military campaign, ousted Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega from power. Then when in 1990 Saddam Hussein annexed Kuwait as a possible prelude to invading Saudi Arabia, Bush put together an international political and military coalition and drove Hussein out of Kuwait in less than a month of combat and with a minimal loss of American lives.
He also presided over the end of the Cold War and seeing the collapse of the Berlin Wall. All were great political victories. In the spring of 1991, he had looked unstoppable for re-election. His approval rating hit 89 percent – the highest ever recorded by Gallup. However in his bid for re-election in November of 1991, he received only 38% of the vote – less than any incumbent since President Taft in 1912. His defeat by Bill Clinton was caused in large part by a sluggish economic growth. His downfall was, in ordinary English, down to the money in the pocket of Americans. The economy had slid into a recession on his watch and as with all modern presidents, he was held accountable by a discerning electorate for the state of the economy. Bill Clinton’s adviser, James Carville famously quipped: “It’s the economy, stupid.” They ran with this. It was the economy and it still is the economy.
In its editorial of Tuesday, May 8, 2018, The Nation newspaper stated: “In the light of the approaching general elections, we call on the opposition parties and the electorate to be vigilant and call attention to the performance of the governors. If Nigerians are truly desirous of development, the attention paid to the economy in the first term of governors seeking re-election should form the basis of the campaign in the run-up to the polls.”
How true!
Nigeria faced the great challenge of a national recession of 2016 that lashed millions harshly like the cold Harmattan dry wind and the economic cruelties and cantankerous economic weather has not fully lifted over the nation. The very best efforts and hands were seemingly not employed then in handling the economic challenges and it further compounded the situation. States became unable to perform their basic duties, such as paying their workers; 33 out of 36 states were unable to meet their obligations to their workers, thereby collapsing state economies with withered industrial bases and poor private sector capacities.
Edo State has lately being moving from a civil-service dominated state to the dream of becoming an industrial base and it is leveraging on its natural resources of crude oil, gas and other natural endowments in the state for economic renaissance. Worldwide, it has been demonstrated that government and business interests have a complementary role, the leveraging on best economic ideas from the private sector for economic progress.
What is needed in Edo State as they choose their next governor later this year is the criteria of continually creating of a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and for burgeoning investors to harness the rich business potentials of Edo State. An administration that can smoothen the relationship between the investing private sector and the regulating public sector to allow for the free flow of investment into the public sector, to engendering development for Edo State is needed.
The office of governor is not necessarily for men of words, men of oratory but of thought; sound economic thoughts. Oratory won’t put food on the table now. A candidate should come with elaborated and well-thought out economic initiatives to substitute the pretence and rhetoric of professional politicians with real solutions for the present and the future. A governor must then excel in his ability to link ideas to effective action and to link initiatives to desired results.
Sure, men can have many ideas for governance but it will be their genius to select those ideas most relevant and productive for firm and useful economic results. Their economic initiatives must necessarily be a response to the diverse needs and to the state’s economic well-being and social order. They must show themselves to be above the typical third world professional politicians who are more impressive in oratory than in economic action and can be callous as they pursue their self-aggrandizement and comfort relentlessly while the people suffer immeasurably from pervasive wickedness.
Edo State is naturally endowed with rich resources and its people are among the world’s brightest innovators with an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit. An economy-governor, a smart business figure cum political head, to rally millions of its people who are burning with economic vivacity and an unmatched resilience with state pro-business policies and achieve public sector excellence is needed.
Shrewd business ideas always bring exceptional wealth and prosperity. A third world state’s political head ought therefore to come with a job description to compulsorily lead an economic revival. He ought not to be an economic illiterate and docile.
Edo must elect a man to act as the points-men of their economy, to drive it forward with modern ideas and bring on exhilaration and economic success. Such a governorship role will only take someone highly knowledgeable, skilled, having lots of international contacts; a business-diplomat who also knows his way around leading economic ideas and personalities around the world to do both political and economic deals. He also can actively engage Corporate Nigeria and others in oiling the wheel of economic governance.
Edo State does not lack for competent people. The era of unheralded, untested governors, who are propped up by ethnicity, religion or certain political godfathers into power and just end up stagnating the state, just enjoying perks of office and incurring huge debts for no end, should seem a regressive agenda now. In this present stark economic reality, the people of Edo need not gamble their next four years by taking a leap in the dark. This is no time to fall emotionally for choice slogans and be slack in thoroughly scrutinizing the economic and governance credentials of aspiring governorship candidates. It has to be someone with the preparation capacity and the limitless bank of ideas to run a 21st century government.
With the state’s huge population, there are opportunities for investors in so many areas: the retail industry; consumer goods; real estate for a rising middle class; information and communication technology; agriculture; power and transportation infrastructure. And investors’ confidence in the governor is the key to economic prosperity.
This concern for economic well-being of the state should be priority as Edo people chose their next governor in 2024.
- Chima Esq, a strategic communications practitioner writes via chimacliffchima@gmail.com
