The Nation Newspaper

Tag: paradigm

  • ASUU and the power of paradigm (I)

    In 2001, a group of “investors” came together, floated a company with the sole aim of bidding and buying the Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).

    They approached a first generation bank and secured a whopping loan because of their closeness to the powers that be at that time. It was supposed to be a done deal because their cronies in government were pulling the strings to ensure the deal pulls through.

    This was however not to be as the bubble burst. In the drama that ensued thereafter, the MD/CEO of the bank lost his job and had to resort to legal means to clear his name in the botched bid. If the bid had pulled through these fraudsters’ would have bought a national treasure without putting in a dime of their money!

    About five years ago, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) – which really didn’t resonate with the people as they kept referring to it as NEPA, its former acronym – was “unbundled” and partly sold off to Distribution Companies (DISCOs). We were told that our days of darkness would be over in a matter of months as each DISCO reels out “glorious” plans for the future where darkness would be a thing of the past as Eldorado is just by the corner. Is that the situation today?

    Most electricity customers who have been burdened by the phenomenon of estimated billings now long for the “good old days of NEPA!” They pay for prepaid meters to curtail estimated billings but these meters are nonexistent. They look to the government for solution but the government says it is “helpless” because its “hands are tied” as a result of clauses’ inserted into contracts signed with the DISCOs!

    I can go on. It would appear that our system deliberately creates problems in order for our so-called elites to cash in on. This is the singular reason I commend the fight by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in its quest to ensure that our government appropriately fund the public university system. Their action may be painful, but it is a pain undergraduate have to endure. I endured such pain during my days in the university in the 90s and lost a year in the process.

    Sometimes I wonder if there isn’t a deliberate policy to underfund our public varsity system to pave the way for “privatization.” Can you imagine a group of “investors” appearing someday to “buy” a whole city like the University of Ibadan? Do not think this is impossible, it is possible and members of ASUU may have seen this hence their determination to ensure they hold successive government to the social contract they have with Nigerians.

    I spoke with a lecturer last week who told me that there are a rising number of undergraduates who are pleading for a “time out” to enable them do menial jobs to be able to pay just N12, 000 fees. If we only have private varsities would such undergraduates not be shut out from acquiring education because of excruciating poverty?

    In his book “The 8th Habit” the late Stephen Covey made this important point: “The problem is, managers today are still applying Industrial Age control model to knowledge workers. Because many in positions of authority do not see the true worth and potential of their people and do not possess a complete, accurate understanding of human nature, they manage people as they do things. This lack of understanding also prevents them from tapping into the highest motivations, talents and genius of people. What happens when you treat people like things today? It insults and alienates them, depersonalizes work, and creates low-trust, unionized, litigious cultures.” (emphasis added).

    Would it be wrong to assert that those in authority do not realise the age we are in? For the avoidance of doubt we are presently in the “knowledge economy” era. And what propels this era and age? Education does first; so why can they not see the importance of education in the mix? I am glad that despite this Nigerians are going ahead to use the knowledge era to resolve “complex” issues. However, I need to point out that education qualifications are indications of a person’s explicit knowledge and, to some extent, tacit knowledge. But, a large part of the knowledge economy comes from learning by doing and falls outside the scope of traditional education.

    For sometimes now the nation has been grappling with farmers/herders clashes which unfortunately have led to loss of precious lives of innocent Nigerians. While some in authority are romanticizing about “cattle tracks” some Nigerians have gone ahead to create mini ranches of their own – since the government proposed ranches are viewed as politically toxic – and encourage investors to invest in the business and make profits in the process. The same goes with other forms of farming. These – and other- innovations were made possible because of knowledge era we are in. This is one of the powers education bestows.

    If the mini ranch innovation catches on, and pilot projects succeed, we would have solved a critical social problem through simple knowledge. In the process we may even begin to solve the problems inherent in nomadic education in which hundreds of millions of naira have been sank in the past without visible evidence. If we succeed in keeping the nomads in one location we would kill two birds with one stone – their herds would be healthier, produce more milk and this would give them the elusive education that millions of naira has failed to provide. This is just a tip of the iceberg of how knowledge can help us resolve issues.

    In traditional models of economic activity that is being left behind, the main factors of production are Land, labour, capital, entrepreneur. A Knowledge-based economy is however important for widening the scope of labour from producing goods on an assembly line to greater flexibility in design, manufacture and implementation of business ideas. To this end, it taps into explicit knowledge through facts, figures and data. It also enhances tacit knowledge – how things work, experience, judgement, intuition and the way of dealing with people.

    Innovation and knowledge have always been important to any economy, but some economists argue that in the past few decades the modern economy is becoming more knowledge-based. This is shown by the rise in high-tech industries, the growth of the service sector, rise in self-employment and an increase in the number of patents.

    It is becoming increasing glaring now that knowledge and information are the key drivers of productivity because of growth in high technology investment and industries; this is made possible through growth in knowledge intensive service sectors such as education, communications and information. Knowledge, I must stress, is a non-finite resource. Capital gets used up but knowledge is not limited and can be shared without losing it. In fact, sharing can help boost overall knowledge.

    This era is witnessing growth in demand for higher skilled labour/university degrees which Increases the importance of tacit knowledge – the skills and ability to implement codified knowledge. Innovation is driven by both producers and users; knowledge equally spillovers from one industry to another. Knowledge economy and high-tech industry raise scope for increased automation of production processes leading to rapid changes in the labour market.

    A knowledge economy is therefore important because it has the ability to help business be more efficient, dynamic and innovative by enabling product innovation and customisation through greater role for human capital.

    Like everything in life there is an obverse side. The knowledge economy increases the gap between high skilled and low-skilled workers due to decline in well-paid manual labour. There may be other factors behind increased wage inequality but the knowledge economy is one potential reason. It may create more opportunities for those with high intellectual capacity, but those with lower skills may find work increasingly temporary and low-paid.

    But despite the rise of high-tech industries, many jobs don’t require the highest levels of qualifications. For instance, in the US in 2013, 66% of jobs did not require a university degree. If properly handled we can transit toward the knowledge economy and still find rooms for those without degrees.

  • Search for paradigm shift in law, society

    How should the legal profession respond to the age-long challenges of the rule of law, professionalism and justice delivery in a rapidly evolving digital age? A paradigm shift is needed, said members of the Bar and Bench as multi-service law firm Kenna Partners marked its silver jubilee. ROBERT EGBE writes.

    If you were not in the know, you could not have guessed who the elegant elderly lady in black dress and hat was. She walked quietly through the aisle, alongside a younger woman, who ushered her to a front table in the packed Skyline Terrace Hall of the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos.

    Soon afterwards, the Master of Ceremonies, a trim, suave fellow in a dark, fitting suit, yielded the microphone to the 86-year-old lady, who, to warm applause, walked to the lectern.

    Chief ‘Folake Solanke, the first woman Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Mrs Solanke, who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1964, was the chairperson, or “chairman” as she cheerfully insisted, at a colloquium to mark the 25th anniversary of a multi-service law firm, Kenna Partners.

    The event also featured other members of the Bar and Bench, including a Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC), Justice Amina Adamu Augie; Justices of the Court of Appeal (JCA), Justice Gabriel Kolawole; Justice Yargata Nimpar; a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia (SAN); Chairman, National Lottery Regulation Commission, Damian Dodo SAN; and Chukwuka Chukwuma, Partner and co-founder of Racecourse Capital Limited.

    Guest speaker Justice Augie, Ajumogobia, Dodo and Chukwuma interrogated the theme: “Footprints in law and society – towards a paradigm shift”.

    Other dignitaries included top business leaders such  as the chairman of MTN Nigeria and pro-chancellor of the Pan-Atlantic University, Mr. Pascal Dozie, CON, and the founding chairman of Zenith Bank. Mr. Jim Ovia.

     

    ‘Footprints in law, society ’

     

    Solanke said the theme challenged the Bar and Bench “…to consider our present footprints in law and society, and contemplate where the legal profession is going to in order to have a paradigm shift to ensure the efficacy of the law and society”. “Judges and lawyers should relate to that shift,”she said.

    Her advice: A comprehensive review of the Rules of Professional conduct in order to reduce or check “embarrassing” incidents of corruption in the profession.

    She said: “In that context, we urgently need a paradigm shift. Words are now insufficient.

    “The new national leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) under the presidency of our learned friend of the Silk, Paul Usoro SAN, should establish a ”Focus Group”,  call it what you will, to interrogate this national scandal. Lawyers must engage in a conversation to help the nation tackle this hydra- headed monster.

    “The Focus Group should invite as Guest Speaker, our learned friend of the Silk and Vice – President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN, who recently expressed his dilemma about the “grand corruption“, to address the Focus Group’s inaugural event.

    “I make bold to say that offenders are impostors, not lawyers. I can declare whether or not on oath, that I am not corrupt. The country needs an instantaneous paradigm swift shift from gross iniquity with impunity being perpetrated on the nation by fraudsters.”

    She noted other areas in which a paradigm shift is needed to include rescuing the falling standard of professional practice.

    Solanke said: “Currently, there is unanimity on the poor standard of professional practice, particularly of some new wigs. Recently, I discovered one of the reasons for the poor quality of some graduates in our beloved country. This is it- educational authorities now descend to the low, sub- standard of the indolent students in the universities and the Law School, by fixing the pass marks in examination below 50 per cent.”

    According to her, there must be a paradigm swift shift to the digital age. “Lawyers and Judges must be trained to use electronic tools such as e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, WhatsApp.

    “Familiarity with the digital platforms is a must for legal practice. Indeed, candidates for judicial and SAN positions may soon be tested on answers to question on e-line before appointments! I believe that the Supreme Court is already leading in the IT system of e-filing processes. We must not be frozen in time so that we can have global relevance.”

     

    ‘Adapt or be left behind’

     

    Justice Augie encouraged members of the Bar and Bench to adapt to modern trends or risk falling behind in the profession.

    She noted that every generation of legal practitioners must leave distinctive footprints behind as the society evolves and adapts to modern trends, particularly in the field of law in relation to the society.

    According to her, the traditional ways of practicing law are bound to evolve with time. She added that Attorney-Client communication, client acquisition, analysis of legal documents and most importantly, conduct of proceedings in court, are various aspects where law practice  is bound to take a totally different shape in the future, and technology is the driving force behind this evolution.

    Justice Augie noted that lawyers now have to  contend with technological advancements that threaten to render obsolete the ways that previously characterised law practice.

    She added: “There has been an apparent shift, change and increase in the pace of legal practice and client expectations, which has compelled lawyers in every clime to shape up or shape out.”

     

    ‘Lawyers must reassess their role’

     

    Ajumogobia observed that there seems to be far too much abuse of process in Nigeria’s courts and as long as costs are not cost reflective such abuse in the form of frivolous objections and interlocutory appeals, especially on jurisdiction for purposes of delay, will persist.

    He noted that the rule of law is fundamental to the development of a transparent, accountable and effective society/legal system, adding that without it, real inclusive development and growth will continue to elude the country.

    According to him, unless there is a paradigm shift in the way lawyers perceive their role in the legal profession, Nigeria will inevitably fail, and is failing.

    He added: “The fundamental question that we must ask ourselves is this: Given what I have posited, is it enough for us as lawyers to accept the status quo, and simply seek to act properly and in accordance with our stipulated ethical standards (which sadly are also in free fall), or is more required of the current generation of our profession – i.e. a collective and concerted properly harnessed effort to serve a greater and higher national purpose?”

     

    Areas of reform

     

    On his part, Dodo urged the Bar and Bench to shed certain attitudes which hinder justice delivery.

    Such attitudes on lawyers’ part, according to him, include “all sorts of delay tactics, preliminary objections as standard operating procedure (SOP), appeal on every point/or ruling, stay proceedings for as long as possible, petition the trial judge or the panel, etc”

    For the Bench, Dodo harped on the need for punctuality of the courts, noting in particular, “the commendable example of the Supreme Court”. He emphasised the need for simple courtesies to the Bar, the lack of reciprocal respect by some judges, enormous challenge in arbitration proceedings, frustration of the recognition and enforcement of awards among others.

     

    From the outside looking in

     

    Chukwuma, a United States-trained financial strategist, highlighted instances where a fundamental paradigm shift occurred in the country’s socio-economic profile and fortunes, thanks to the role of law firms such as Kenna Partners.

    Citing the dramatic increase in the number of infrastructural projects, shopping malls and other important landmarks across Lagos and the rest of Nigeria, Chukwuma attributed this growth in the number and scale of big-ticket public projects in recent years to the dexterity with which law firms negotiated the terms under which funding were obtained for them from local and foreign sources. Law firms, he said, have shown greater dexterity in their ability to handle global transactions–not just in real estate, but also in oil and gas, high finance, transportation, etc. It was a trend which, according to him, is expected to continue and expand in scope.

     

    Book presentation

     

    The climax of the silver jubilee celebration was the public presentation of a book titled: “Brief Insights: a selection of Milestone Cases”, which chronicles some notable decisions of Nigerian Courts.

    According to Kenna’s Principal Partner, Prof. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, the book is a careful selection of cases, which celebrate matters brought by litigants before the courts, the persuasive arguments of lawyers and the decisions, which have enriched legal practice and modern legal history in recent times.

    Earlier, Ajogwu recounted the firm’s humble beginnings in May 1993, after which the audience was shown a short documentary on the firm’s evolution in the quarter-century of its operations, and its engagement with the people, communities and interests it has served in that time.

  • Wanted: Paradigm shift to grow tourism

    Major stakeholders in tourism have converged on Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac, Lagos for the third Tourism World International Conference to examine the role of commercial and agro-tourism entrepreneurship, Chinyere Elizabeth Okoroafor reports.

    For an all-inclusive tourism development and its sustainability, the yearly Tourism World International Commercial/Agro-Tourism conference gathered stakeholders in the industry to chart a new path.

    The third edition of the conference, which held penultimate Thursday, with the theme Turning insights into actions – The crucial role of commercial and agro-tourism entrepreneurship, provided solutions to major challenges facing tourism and agro-business growth in the country.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Mr. Steve Ayorinde, through his representative, Mr Omosanya Gbolahan, an Assistant Director in the ministry, said the ministry is interested in partnering practitioners and stakeholders in tourism, adding that the ministry appreciates the efforts and role of stakeholders in the sector.

    Ayorinde said the ministry encourages tourism fora, such as this, as it is strategic in bringing together players in the industry to share input.

    He said the role of the government is regulatory, as it is not expected to do the business of promoting and marketing. He added that the ministry uses various stakeholders and practitioners to promote some of the products that Lagos has, which is why the ministry wants to get closer to practitioners and stakeholders.

    “As a government, we want to get closer to you, generate a data and plan for your business development. For tourism, we partner practitioners to promote what they are doing. Some don’t know what we have in Lagos in terms of the assets and potential, but what we do is we use some of these platforms to educate them on what we have in Lagos. We support initiatives to grow small enterprises and make Lagos a preferred destination. It is not only about regulatory, if you have an idea, come to us. We are very open at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture,” he said.

    President LaCampagne Tropicana Resort, Lekki, Lagos, Ambassador Wale Akinboboye, who spoke on Continent building-Our Collective Responsibility, believes that Africans should tap from the resources they have and develop it for the benefit of its people.

    Akinboboye, represented byManager LaCampagne Tropicana, Mr. Oduoye Ayodeji, said: “Many Africans spend millions of dollars to travel outside the shores of Africa. Most of such could actually be channeled and used to develop the continent.You can travel outside the shores of Africa but don’t travel because you can’t make it in Africa. Africans should look into the challenges that Africans have and think of ways to solve them. In these challenges lie opportunities for people who can think and see to the future. No country in the world today can beat its chest and say that it doesn’t have challenges. The most important thing is what we are going to do to overcome those challenges and to better the lives of the citizens.”

    He urged Africans to embrace their culture and heritage by patronising her products and activities. He also noted that many Africans don’t believe that travelling to Ghana is actually an international travel.

    “We don’t really value our own, but when it is from the UK or US we put them first against our own. So, there must be a paradigm shift in the sense that we must be proud of who we are. Africans must be proud that they are Africans. Before now, the colonial masters actually took a concerted effort to remove from Africans the sense of pride in their culture and heritage by making us believe that we are second class and they made us subservient.

    “That’s why we see their own as primary and ours as secondary. And because of that African values and culture have been relegated to the back bench. We are not saying we should be doing the things we did in 1920s and so on, but there must be a concerted effort to improve ours and not forgetting the value that Africans have. We should be able to preserve that,” he said.

    Akinboboye urged stakeholders not to wait for government if they want to contribute to the growth of the sector, saying: ‘Start small, stay consistent and dream big’.

    Tourism World International Executive Director and convener of the conference, Mr Solomon Uwakwe, identified some opportunities in commercial or agro-tourism in Nigeria, urging them to begin to turn insights into action.

    He stated that tourism is wide and it is a purview through which other sections of tourism rotate such as restaurant, transportation, entertainment, hotel, leisure, cultural ware sales, among others.

    On agro-tourism, he said it is about food production and sight-seeing, adding that greenhouse and farmsteads are the new ways to go as far as agro-tourism is concerned. “Agro-tourism is the branch of tourism that has two good things in one; food production and sight-seeing. In the recent past,we found out that subsistent farming is no longer viable. In most villages, the soil can no longer give you the right produce and so what do you do? Our parents have been in the business of farming and they have little or nothing to show for it; so, we must move with time. It means that we should think of the kind of agriculture that we can invest in to give us food as well promote sight-seeing. That is why we talk about greenhouse and farmsteads,” he said.

    Uwakwe charged participants to take home what they learnt at the conference, saying: ‘’It will go a long way for us to contribute our quota to social economic development.’’ He noted that through such platforms stakeholders can alleviate poverty through such means.

    In his presentation tagged Entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, former Group Managing Director Access Bank Plc and an agricultural entrepreneur, Mr Obinna Nwosu said Nigerians should embrace entrepreneurship, not take chances and but rather take action in creating economic activities no matter how little without waiting for any government.

    According to him, Nigeria needs more people to be job creators while mind sets of Nigerian youths need to be changed from not believing that because they have an education, the next thing is to be employed by someone else.

    “It doesn’t have to be that way because education enhances your ability to get something done. So, it could as well be that your entrepreneurship has been enhanced. So education is not just to enhance your ability to take a job and take instructions and obey those instructions and collect a salary at the end of the month. The government has responsibility to provide jobs, but who is really suffering the effects of not having means of livelihood? The person has the highest duty to get into the issue in whichever way he can. There are so many opportunities that can get us money while we wait or look for bigger opportunities. Once there is an entrepreneurship, there is going to be one or two jobs following it,” he said.

    He observed that accessing fund in banks is not easy as there are no authentic ways of identifying people except that BVN is trying to address the situation. He added that although, if organisations or individuals are organised and transparent they are likely to attract funds without any collateral.

    “To attract finance you have to sell yourself as someone that could be trusted, whatever little thing you are doing organised it well. You can hire an accountant or you can keep good records of your sales and profits. This is the biggest issue about attracting finance. More than that, the reason you find security lending is for banks to see what to hold because there is no reliable way of identifying people and nobody actually have a unique identity that is tied to that person in Nigeria, but BVN is trying to address that.

    ‘’We need a comprehensive national identity. In the absence of that, banks want to see an immovable object that they can hold. This is the burden in the finance industry,” he said.

    Nwosu believed that there should be entrepreneur growth in agriculture sector because Africa has 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and yet has a hungry population.  “If we want to be a nation that will stand on its own, we must be able to feed ourselves, provide much of the food and it might not be 100%. Decent nations produce 90 to 95 percent of their food because food security makes you less vulnerable to control by other nations. I believe that industry of focus should be agriculture, as it is like a mother industry. By the time you are succeeding in agriculture it normally gives birth to several other industries such as food processing, food packing, logistics, and exports etc.

    “Also, it can correct our balance of payment problems because much of what we even import that causes balance of payment problems and makes the dollar to rise and naira to fall, also much of it is food. So, if we grow food, that will gradually begin to correct the naira situation. The youth has to get involved,” he stressed.

    SAS Business Solutions Worldwide Managing Director, Supriya Sharma, who spoke on Sustainable domestic tourism development in Nigeria, said Nigerians should bring out the innate entrepreneurship in them, which doesn’t need to be developed for the sustenance of tourism potential, which lurk everywhere in the country.

    ‘’In Nigeria, you see a woman who is selling fruit carrying her wares on her head and her baby is striped at her back. I don’t know how much she earns in doing that, but it is not easy. It shows that entrepreneurship zeal is already there in Nigerians, it doesn’t need to be developed, please bring it out. The people already have it. If she could do that under the scorching sun and still face the hardship of life, then entrepreneurship is already within her. Nigerians will have full time employment and still have side businesses.’’

    She advised that tourism practitioners  should try to have authentic digital presence where travellers can access viable information about natural attraction sites in Nigeria as that could affect tourism patronage.

    Charles Mbindo, International Hospitality/Leisure networking expert, spoke about Hospitality and leisure: the synergy that works. He said there is a new travel application, which has changed the way people travel. It is called Blue Trip and practitioners could  tap into it, adding that the application is like Uber.

    On Significance of digital marketing in tourism and hospitality business, Rukevwe Adjekughele, Hospitality Digital Marketing Specialist and Consultant, said hospitality business owners should leverage building a sophisticated digital site for their business before other enhancement.   The conference also witnessed presentation of awards to Ayorinde for Tourism World Socio-economic and sustainable tourism development meritorious award.

    Others were Mr. Akinlabe Arowobusoye, Business Development Consultant (Infrastructure Development award), Chief Nnamdi Iroegbu, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mavico Group of Companies Limited (Tourism World socioeconomic development and agribusiness meritorious award) and Oluwole Oyebade, Chairman, Wotting Group (Strategic investment in socioeconomic development and entrepreneurship promotion award).

  • Edo: Paradigm for prosperity

    A new economic and political reality is rapidly emerging in Edo State. The people have incontestably proved that citizens’ action, peoples’ power and determination are the most durable and powerful catalysts for societal change.  Edo electorate was unquestionably far-sighted in their decision to ensure the fatal termination of the aspiration of the PDP in the September 28,  2016 governorship election. It is perceivable that the voters still bear bleeding wounds from the squandered decade of opportunities and progress under the previous directionless, clueless and ‘do nothing’ PDP government –the memory of the prominent but ignominious role of, Ize Iyamu, as the former Chief of Staff and subsequently Secretary to the State Government under ex-Governor Lucky Igbinedion remains indelibly repugnant to considerable size of Edo people. Thus in resoundingly rejecting Ize-Iyamu as the 2016 PDP governorship candidate, the people wanted to edify a new chronicle  for Edo State in the spring years of the 21st Century. Edo people wanted a responsive and responsible government and therefore embraced the vision and phenomenon  that was advanced by Godwin Obaseki of APC. One could say by every metric of progress that Governor Obaseki has duly reciprocated the trust that was invested in him by the people-he has responded with gusto and dedication to the call of service without any loss of time.

    In fact, Governor Obaseki commenced the construction of tracks for the actualization of the electoral promises on which he campaigned immediately following his inauguration in November.  It was evident from some of the initial executive decision of the governor that his (Obaseki) professional experience in the world of finance and economics, political background and premium of character were crucial capacitors  for the activation of the engine of prosperity in Edo State. These were some of the real and intangible capital that the governor brought along with him to Dennis Osadebey House from inception.   There was an unmistakable cohesive theme in the paradigm of societal advancement that was projected by the governor from the genesis of the administration; Obaseki seem to have embodied a vision of vibrant development that was nurtured in the tried and tested understanding of micro policies simultaneously secured within formidable macro foundations. Unlike the unconscionable era of PDP impunity, the citizenry is watching a healthy political process of governance with inclusive and transparent intentions and institutions. This is a new arena where profound ideas and major policy initiatives are adopted only after the question, qui bono, for whose benefit, has been selflessly examined and honestly answered.

    Hence for instance, it was not surprising that the administration’s 2017 overall economic plan reads like a study in contemporary classics of stimulating a besieged, quasi autonomous economy in a developing world. Obaseki’s entire agenda is thoughtfully enhanced with metrics for gauging progress-the blueprints for Edo’s progress is highly commendable for its people-centered feature in its overall outcome. There are clearly measured short, mid and long term timelines in the comprehensive Obaseki’s budgetary guidelines for 2017. Among other remarkable features in the document were the six key pillars, or the hexagonal engine of prosperity –the six areas included institutional revolution, new township developments, environmental revolution, social welfare revolution, infrastructure revolution and economic revolution. In the past few months, all the six engines of Obaseki’s governing visions are being simultaneously activated and synchronized for the cherished and anticipated goals. Indeed, since the unfolding of the fiscal plan of action, Obaseki has engendered the vital momentum to accelerate the scientific maturation of the fruits of political and economic democracy for the benefit of Edo humanity.

    The government has remained faithfully active in pursing the implementation of its cherished agenda despite the continuing obstruction and obstacles being erected by the PDP through endless electoral litigations. Fortunately the people of Edo State are realistically enthusiastic and responding positively to the administration as the sociology of solidarity between the governor and the citizenry flourished remarkably even through the proceeding at the election tribunal.

    From job creation to infrastructural development and reforming education to agricultural revolution, Obaseki is widening the horizon of opportunities for the evolvement of a more prosperous Edo State; the governor is systematically laying today’s foundation for the architecture of the future- the rainbow of a rapidly rising economic power house in the South-South of Nigeria is becoming endearingly apparent.

    Quite remarkably, along with various other angles within the orbit of the hexagon of prosperity, the governor continues to courageously pursue the agenda of job creation-this was an idea that Obaseki’s political opponent said was impossible during the campaign. Thus far, the strategic layout in variety of the participatory technical forums initiated by the governor shows a secured road map towards achieving the objective of creating 150,000 jobs within Obaseki’s first term. Every impartial assessment indicate that the envisaged  clusters of public/private  agricultural and agribusiness  enterprises of the government  will generate about 60-thousand good decent paying jobs- this is the conservative statistical estimate from this single sector alone. The contemplation that was endowed by Obaseki in the agricultural policy arena is emblematic of the technocratic quality and visionary leadership of the governor in all areas of policy initiatives.

    Understandably, the skeptics and opponents of the governor during the campaign are lacking even the rudimentary capacity to even fathom such job generating potentials-their forte in politics has never included growing the economy and expanding the base for the welfare of the people. The cruel fate of ravenous pillage suffered by such profit-making and employment generating agencies like Bendel Brewery, Bendel Line and Okpilla Cement Factory under the PDP administration is an irreversible indictment in the annals of our history.

    Edo State is being steadily awakened from stupor and from what was previously described as a vegetating civil service state-the geo-political entity is rapidly rising to become a vibrant and formidable agribusiness, industrial and mid-level technological skills exporting region in West Africa. The aggregate potentials of the Gelege seaport blueprint, the rejuvenation of Benin Technical College, the maximization and commercialization of the areas of comparative advantages in agriculture and progressive reforms in education are indestructible foundations for a more prosperous Edo State. A new and historic journey has begun in the geographical heart of Nigeria,this is an opportunity that must not be squandered through diversionary and frivolous electoral litigations of the opposing PDP.

     

    • Adams, a political commentator writes from Benin City, Edo State.

  • Key Drivers of Change: New National Productivity Paradigm

    Recently, in a national daily, former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, intruded into the national consciousness again with a distinct political metaphor that is meant to provide some fundamental insight into Nigeria’s development and democratic predicament. According to him, Nigeria is essentially a vehicle whose engine has packed up. There is therefore no sense in merely wasting precious energies in changing the driver. “Even if you bring in the best driver in the world, he is not going to move the car.” As a public service reformer, I am not a stranger to the vehicular metaphor applied to Nigeria. In fact it is one of the major diagnostic metaphors of the civil service. R. A. Butler considers the public service as an administrative Rolls Royce, a functional tool for driving good governance. But in Nigeria, the civil service has become a Rolls Royce whose efficiency we are familiar with, but we are at a loss what direction to take it.

    Governor Obi’s metaphor is therefore a fundamental premise which I agree with. What I disagree with is the conclusion. A driver does not just drive the car; s/he makes fundamental decisions on the state and status of that car, where and how to drive it when it is in good condition, and what to do with it when its condition is bad. Thus, it takes a good driver to know when the car’s engine is giving a bad sound and requires attention. It also takes a good driver to know it is time to get a new engine that will adequately refurbish the car and make it functional again. The key drivers of change series I commenced recently therefore becomes quite apposite as an intervention in the decisional dynamics which such a good driver of national transformation in Nigeria requires to put the car on the road again, and in the right direction for a truly empowering democratic governance. In this fourth instalment, I will be dealing with a fundamental issue—Nigeria’s productivity profile, and the urgent need for a paradigm change.

    A nation’s national productivity framework serves as the key indicator of the nation’s growth and development. Generally, productivity can be thought of as the ability to produce outputs, such as goods or services, taking into consideration the amount of inputs, such as raw materials, capital and labour, used to produce them. Applying this to national productivity, it essentially implies ensuring that the public service achieves an effective and efficient service delivery that would lead to a prompt and responsive relationship with citizens. The objective of national productivity is simple: In technical terms, it is the constant need to achieve a high volume of qualitative output with least expenditure of resources. In democratic terms, national productivity is defined by the objective of a constant improvement in the production of those goods and services needed and demanded by the citizenry.

    Nigeria’s productivity profile is a very dismal one. Take two general indicators: The first is that we consume what we do not produce and produce what we do not consume. The second is that Nigeria multiplies institutional redundancies across the federal and state levels. These two instances generate cost of governance that cripples productivity. Specifically, the most visible demonstration of Nigeria’s productivity deficit is found in the non-optimal productivity of the public service. The efficient and effective productive capacity of the public service is critical for measuring the economic performance of the nation. For instance, the public service provision of business services and social services affect cost of inputs and labour quality respectively. This is apart from the significant fact that the public service is a major employer of labour in Nigeria. While the public service in Nigeria is overwhelmed by a fundamental problem of achieving a capacity readiness that will ensure a democratic service delivery that is efficient, public service productivity is further compounded by several severe challenges conditioned by Nigeria’s economic framework.

    Let us outline a few critical ones. First, there is the protracted challenge of inadequate economic diversification away from a limiting mono-cultural framework. Diversified national economies ensures resource efficiency that are necessary condition for accelerating economic growth and development. Second, there is the frustrating poor quality of fiscal spending. A productive fiscal spending that promotes balance between the rate of investment and return on investment is likely to be more productivity enhancing compared to a lopsided investment that favours consumption vis-à-vis capital spending. Third, we have a huge constraint occasioned by the low marginal productivity of labour that stunts the country’s advancement around the capability and productivity of its public service. Fourth, there is a low national skills equilibrium, poor skills pricing and insufficiently motivating labour rewards system. This is followed in the fifth place by the dearth of national culture of training and retraining operated within national human resource development policy and benchmarks. There are more—issues of productivity measurement, lack of an adequate maintenance culture that occasion immense resource waste, weak regulatory framework and policies. The list is endless, frightening and depressing. It essentially tells a story of why development in Nigeria has remained a narrative grounded on infrastructural deficit and manpower incapacitation.

    To move away from rhetorical posturing on Nigeria’s desire to become a global economic player to a more concrete and deliberately focused attention to making that vision work requires a productivity paradigm shift. This is because the speed at which we engineer desired shifts to reverse the trajectory in the dynamics that limits national productivity indices will determine how sure-footed we are in the drive towards sustainable national economic transformation. This paradigm shift requires a combination of institutional and policy rearticulation that places the issue of productivity on the front burner of national discourse and governmental actions. The institution that must be brought up to speed in terms of reform is the public service, and the policy that requires urgent implementation is the national policy on productivity. I have been an active participant at these two levels of instituting a paradigm shift in Nigeria’s productivity framework. I am therefore aware of the difficulties involved as well as the many institutional impediments to ensuring that the policy is matched to the institutional requirements that will power the MDAs into an effective and efficient service delivery mode for the sake of an empowering democratic governance in Nigeria. There is no doubt about it—Nigeria’s democracy is ineffectual without a sustainable productivity dynamics backstopping it.

    There is a new national policy on productivity in place, approved in 2012. That is a sincere and cogent first step that must be applauded. I was right in the midst of its evolution and I know what it took in terms of policy agitation to get it out. But a policy on its own is just some words on paper. It does not achieve its intent until the letter and the spirit of that policy are given implementational teeth. And this can only be done through institutional empowerment. Nigeria’s productivity predicament requires a multi-pronged resolution approach that includes, for instance, industrial relations and skill development programs. I will address the industrial relation angle in the next part. But while those cogent issues are receiving attention, there are specific institutional realignments that must be attended to. At the first level, there is the urgent need to integrate national productivity plans into the national planning strategy. This will ensure that specific targets are outlined for implementation in a way that is coherent with overall national objectives.

  • Failed ‘gods’ and need for alternative paradigm

    SIR: We are enacting the Chinese curse and living in interesting times. A chronology of recent events provides clear evidence that we have slipped once again from the age of certainty. Eerily, it is like plus ca change….

    The end of a period of fixed orthodoxy, even hegemony, makes one to recall a similar period of disequilibrium when the landmark collection of six essays, “The God that failed” was published after the Second World War in 1949. Edited by the British parliamentarian and later on cabinet minister RHS Crossman, the book expressed the disillusionment of the contributors who included the African -American writer Richard Wright with, and the abandonment of communism. All the contributors were famous ex- communists who were noted writers.

    The intellectual honesty displayed in accepting that a “false god” had been naively worshipped, is commendable and worthy of emulation. It is actually very relevant today. For Brexit, the rise of the alt and far right in Europe and the unexpected election of Donald Trump in the USA, has shown that the old certainties and the hitherto established hegemony is no longer tenable.

    The United States presidential election result was quite telling. Although the admirable superbly prepared Hillary Clinton won the popular votes, the Electoral College system went against her. The revolt in the rustbelt of the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania etc was to cost Clinton a much deserved presidency. The voters had clearly had enough of what had been pushed down their throats under the prevailing ‘terms and conditions applies’ of neo – liberal policies and Globalisation!

    The similarities between the situation and that prevailing in Nigeria are instructive. In our country, the initiation of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986 has also turned out to be the worship of a deity with feet of clay. The end result of this failed experiment is that well known- industrial estates have become increasingly places of worship, mass unemployment and under employment, increasing misery, plunging living standards and a currency perennially losing value.

    The chickens came home to roost too in Michigan, Wisconsin and many other places in Europe. It has turned out that what is sauce for the Abuja/Lagos/Kano/Port Harcourt geese is certainly not palatable to the gander in Michigan. The time has come to face the present reality.

    The unravelling of neo – liberalism is a cautionary tale about the dangers entailed in the worship of false gods. It has to be noted that there have always been centres of opposition to the prevailing orthodoxy. Outside of the intellectual circles and academia, the very far from orthodox governor of Osun Stat, Rauf Aregbesola, has from the beginning induced what is now referred to as an “alternative perspective”.

    The narrative here is straightforward: in a situation of weak capital formation and what is in effect stagflation, the fiscal levers of the state must be deployed to act as a stimulus. The state has clearly weathered the storm and emerged stronger. The thrust in Osun proceeds on the premise that the welfare of the citizen is the primary function of government.  Streamlining of the costs of the machinery of government has resulted in a re – direction of funds into the social and physical infrastructure. There have been commendable social thrusts and advances.

    A good example is the free school meals programme. Now to be incorporated as a federal government programme, it has led to a great increase in school enrolment and also revitalised the rural economy by increasing agricultural production. For Aregbesola to have swam against the tide in a difficult fiscal climate to successfully implement an alternative perspective is audacious and portrays great managerial skills.

    As we enter the post neo- liberal world the alternative perspective must be placed on the front burner. Emphasis must be placed on production with the state vitally re- directing capital in this direction. There must be a clear industrial strategy, agriculture must be modernised and the rural economy revitalised using mechanisms such as guaranteed minimum farm gate prices, commodities exchanges (vital due to the characteristically ill – thought out neo – liberal destruction of the commodities boards) investments in irrigation and so forth.

    Overall, the alternative perspective must go back to the old fashioned social democratic framework best associated with Chief Obafemi Awolowo here as – macro- economic stability as the pathway  to achieving social justice and a better life for all.

     

    • Ayo Badmus,

    Lagos.

  • Buhari needs new ethos and paradigm

    Buhari needs new ethos and paradigm

    In its response to accusations of sectionalism and even nepotism in determining federal appointments so far, the Buhari presidency has confidently indicated that balance would soon be restored, itself an admission  of existing disequilibrium. Presidential aides went on further to reassure the country that President Muhammadu Buhari, a changed and firm leader and democrat, harboured no sectional agenda, whether hidden or open. They also added that all the appointments made so far were done on merit, without explaining why merit can’t seem to be widespread, or why it seems to the government expediently localised. There is no statistical proof of how many people are persuaded by the president’s response, but there is at least evidence that most Nigerians, assured by the government’s overwhelming response to the anti-graft war and other laudable steps taken so far, are prepared to give the president the benefit of the doubt.

    Why the president did not deem the controversy weighty enough to merit his direct intervention and explanation is hard to fathom. Last week, given the intensity of the migration crisis inundating Europe, not to say the evocative and iconic images of distressed, dying or dead migrants, some of them infants, the British prime minister, David Cameron, felt compelled to urgently and directly respond to accusations of British lukewarmness on the plight of refugees. Germany foresaw the scale of the disaster early enough and indicated preparedness to accommodate more than its fair share of refugees. Britain reacted a little late, but at least Mr Cameron finally stirred himself. A leader cannot react to everything, but he must have the judgement or at least the intuition to know matters weighty enough to require his direct intervention.

    President Buhari’s governing machine may just be revving up, as he and his aides have generously asserted. But he has an urgent responsibility to define that machine and open the understanding of the public to its fundamental attributes. Other than his travels to assemble a coalition against Boko Haram, and a few words now and again on his anti-corruption war, he has not made either concrete or symbolic trips to the geopolitical zones of the South to deliver a few great messages about himself, his government, and his country. There is nothing on the ethos of the country, those ennobling characteristics of the nation that manifest in the cumulation of national attitudes and goals. Nor is there anything yet on his governing paradigm, that indispensable fulcrum of policies. But perhaps he is still in deep contemplation.

    One hundred days in the life of a government may be an arbitrary figure advertised by unreflective and populist military governments. But it is not so short a period for the public to begin to have a feel of the fundamental direction of the Buhari government in terms of a political manifesto, social charter and economic philosophy. These charters go far deeper than the anti-corruption war he appears besotted to, than his platitudes on the rule of law and other liberties, and than his promises of the good life for everyone, especially the poor. What, in short, these times call for is the enunciation of a new ethos and paradigm for Nigeria. These are the two fundamentals required to drive his vision in the next four years. These are the fundamentals that will define him as a leader and sculpt an image of him in the public mind. These are the fundamentals that will shape and refine the country, and give it a personality in the world, in the same way an individual is defined and shaped by intrinsic ideas and inscrutable personal responses to experiences.

    Recruiting advisers and presidential aides, and making other key appointments into his cabinet, are not an end in themselves. They are just a part of the building block. What should engage the president is the kind of building he wants to construct and the use it would be put to. When critics assailed him over the 30 or so appointments he had made so far, accusing him of insensitivity and insularity, it was not because they already dismissed his government. The enlightened among the critics were only alarmed that the appointments did not give an indication of the change and future Nigerians want to see, or that President Buhari possessed the depth and innovation needed to remake the society on a scale that rivals great countries in other parts of the world.

    This column advocated this point a few weeks ago. Who are we? What do we stand for? How costly is the life of a Nigerian? What is the leitmotif of our existence? Do we have a leader who embodies the ambition and worldview of Nigeria? This column’s engagement with these issues, especially the recent presidential appointments, is anchored on historical facts. As far back as 6th – 5th century BC, Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, recognised the importance of widening his empire’s leadership recruitment base by casting his net far and wide to include promising captives of his many wars. The empire boasted of a template to sieve and assess talents from far and wide, a function he obviously placed great emphasis on. It was in that process that Daniel the Jewish captive was discovered. He would later become Prime Minister of Babylon.

    President Buhari must possess an acute sense of history, particularly Nigerian history, in order to function above the common mediocrity and self-created restraints that past leaders had entangled themselves with. World history is important to him to the extent that the lives and achievements of great world leaders and countries can ennoble his own actions and inspire him with great and incomparable examples. But to him, Nigerian history must be indispensable to the extent that in one sweeping and wholesome breath he would personify the life and ambitions of Nigeria.

    Once a Nigerian leader reaches that esoteric level, he becomes inured to the giant obstacles and barricades — some of them ethnic, and others religious — that create artificial divides between the people. He will then aspire to produce a definition of Nigeria within which he can situate a definition of himself, making the two inextricable, the one personifying the other. He will go on to synthesise the concepts of citizenship and individual rights without which Nigeria can never be great, not even if everyone achieved sainthood in a corruption-free country. Nigeria’s past leaders struggled with depth, unable to do more than enunciate a code of superficial and artificial behaviours for the country, and at various times devote either a department or a ministry to champion what they described as a reorientation movement. But their ethical revolution and national reorientation were nothing but sentimental and wasteful drivel.

    A cursory study of Roman history would have shown these leaders how to develop a new ethos, and nurture it. Roman Empire citizenship was so valuable that it was not even lawful for anyone, no matter how highly placed, to strike a Roman without a trial. (A Roman citizen could not be tortured or whipped, nor could he receive the death penalty, unless he was found guilty of treason. If accused of treason, a Roman citizen had the right to be tried in Rome, and even if sentenced to death, no Roman citizen could be sentenced to die on the cross). Paul the Christian missionary had reasons to remonstrate this point with Roman officials during his illustrious proselytising career. But more than two centuries later, Nigerian leaders have been unable to formulate an inspiring, practicable and disciplined concept of Nigerian citizenship, and have consistently sought to hide their incompetence and mediocrity behind the mask of bureaucratic and political skullduggery. Nigerian leaders and their security forces, nearly all of which cannot draw a line between private security interest and national security interest, possess probably one of the worst and most contemptible views of citizenship. Without a revolutionary conception and enforcement of the rights of the Nigerian, it is impossible to harness the country’s energies for national redefinition, growth and greatness, let alone to mobilise the people behind the government for country and glory. Two centuries ago, it meant a whole lot to be a Roman citizen. Today, it means virtually nothing to be a Nigerian.

    President Buhari was elected against the wishes of millions of sceptics who never really believed he had changed for the better or was capable of changing. He will be president for the next four years. So, it may be imprudent to give up on him until he gives up on himself. He will of course be criticised, counseled, admonished and reproved until he becomes a much better man and leader, even at 72. If he wants to mobilise the people behind himself, he will need to do more than just fighting corruption, remoulding the economy and instilling discipline. He must fundamentally rethink many national concepts, using a study of historical examples as a stepping stone. He must take contributions from his brilliant aides or his own private readings on how the concept of the German, American, British, French, Russian, and Chinese persons, among others, evolved and were nurtured over the centuries. He can learn from them if he wishes to leave the country a changed nation, far better than he met it.

    In a Sunday Times of London extract from his new revelatory and shocking book, The Outsider, due for release this week, the author Frederick Forsyth disclosed how he spied for Britain during the Nigerian civil war. His spying was not much different from the pushy but guileful manner many Western countries’ diplomats ferret information out of top Nigerian business, cultural and political leaders. The disturbing fact is that nearly all Nigerian leaders dissolve into molecules in the presence of white leaders, especially of the industrialised democracies. Though he has not started well, given his hasty visit to the United States even before he had time to recognise his own soul, President Buhari must begin to find ways of hardening his resolve against foreign interferences, and carving out a brave and independent idea of his country and unleashing and propelling the sublime geniuses of its peoples, whether they are writers, artists or musicians. That a leader does not grovel at the feet of white leaders does not mean that, like late Gen Murtala Ramat Mohammed, he is rebellious or defiant. His independent posture can also be interpreted as confident and self-reliant. If Nelson Mandela could do it, other African leaders can also do it, even if not on the same scale.

    Eight years of Olusegun Obasanjo was a gross national waste and misadventure. He had the opportunity to lay a solid foundation for Nigerian democracy, albeit a minor component of the needed national ethos. If that was all he was capable of, the country would today be grateful for that modest contribution. But he lacked the intellect and the discipline to fulfill that great and noble mission. Umaru Yar’Adua was a painful, emasculative hiatus. And six years of Goodluck Jonathan proved more than enough to purge Nigerians of any great hope for the future and infuse them with the most enervating pessimism ever. Between the three former leaders, not counting the about 40 years before them, Nigeria has managed to waste 16 whole years.

    If the next four years will not be another needless waste, President Buhari must take counsel far beyond his inner, and sometimes limited, reaches. He and his party enthuse about how well he has started. It is not clear what kind of measures they are using. But he needs to conceive and implement fundamental policies that will touch every nerve and organ and hidden crevices in the body politic. He has neither conceived nor implemented anything substantially evocative of the ethos and paradigm his government and this country sorely need. Even the anti-graft battle he is waging has not taken cognisance of the political economy of corruption, let alone devising formulae to ensure a lasting impact on the society, economy and polity.

    It is time Nigeria stopped frolicking with the peripherals of politics and government. President Buhari must dig deeper, with the help of his aides and advisers, into the purpose of government to bring out the ethos and paradigm Nigeria needs to fulfill its manifest destiny. Much of the little good Chief Obasanjo did in his eight years in office were quickly reversed because they were neither substantial nor impactful of the lives of the people in an unchangeable, unalterable way. President Buhari will undoubtedly do some good, but whatever things he does seem fated to become meretricious rather than consequential and ramifying — an obsession with provision of milk and bread, etc. rather than life- and destiny-changing ideas and policies in a way no one can dismantle for hundreds of years, not even with a succession of incompetent rulers, such as the Ottoman Empire endured after Suleiman, and Rome fitfully experienced after Julius and Augustus Caesar.

  • Imperative of new national paradigm

    “Only he deserves power who every day justifies it.” – Dag Hammarskjold 1905-61.

    Where is a sweltering Harmattan of expectation; a deluge of hope; a mountain of anticipation; and the profound euphoria that underscores the faith that the Nigerian people have in the change movement must determine the thrust of the present watch; yes the masses believe that with President Mohammadu Buhari and the APC comes a new paradigm that must redefine leadership and governance in this clime. It is believed and rightly so that it will no longer be business as usual.

    To hit the ground running we must realize the urgency of now, we must be conscious of the fact that when Nigerians chose change over continuity what happened in actual fact was a ballot-based revolution. We cannot assume that it was a mere political contestation that saw the APC taking the spoils, no it wasn’t. Nigerians voted for change against an era that turned governance to a Bazaar and liberalized corruption. Nigerians voted against corruption, such is the incontrovertible challenge on our hands, we must deal with corruption.

    We must create monuments of deterrence and monuments of reference across the Nigerian space. We must repudiate corruption, sleaze and fleece at all levels of governance and teach our countrymen and women the primacy of service to fatherland. We must overhaul the moral margins of state and national honours, if need be we must revoke all honours conferred on individuals who have been convicted for a crime, and refuse to honour Nigerians whose propensities are manifestly corrupt and egocentric. We must teach our children the nobility of hard-work and set a new praxis that repudiates corruption and corruptive proclivities.

    We must redefine our Federal Character normative such that at all times our enterprise must encourage excellence over mediocrity. It must always be the best man for the job irrespective of state, zone or region. We cannot lower the bar because State A or B doesn’t meet the criteria, Nigeria must be treated as a huge canvass on which only the best should paint. Our country must be treated as a huge national theatre where only the very best must perform; such is the minimum quid pro quo for greatness and progress.

    I know that we are a people with undying resolve to reach great heights. I know that we are resilient specie. I know that we are kindred of the Great Zik of Africa; scions of the sage Awo; kith of the pragmatic Sarduana; kin of the dogged Isaac Adaka Boro; and offshoot of the many greats that berthed this nation, so before us is the inviolable challenge to make Nigeria great again.

    The Green-White-Green must be seen beyond the fabric and treated as our collective identity. We must locate the path to the Isle of Peace, Unity and Good-Hope through a deliberate and conscious effort at thinning down the walls of creed and clan. We must raise our interactive bar to no less an estate where religion becomes a personal affair, and on our national stage make the second stanza of the National Anthem our national prayer.

    A Nigerian child doesn’t need to know if I am a Christian or a Muslim or perhaps a Traditional worshipper, the child wants to see a leader who cares, a leader that creates jobs, a man who doesn’t steal and a leader that empathizes. If you must know the truth our people are tired of rulers who profess one religion or another but whose daily regimen vitiates even the least expectations of their faith. The linchpin of the new national orientation paradigm must be service delivery, patriotism and commitment to the good of Fatherland; yes it must be country first.

    We must review the cost of governance vis-à-vis the emolument of public office holders; we cannot pay political office holders so much salary and allowance in a country so economically rudderless, bare-chested and anaemic and yet lay claim to seeking economic recovery and national growth, no, we must change the way things are done. The urgency of now is the imperativeness of a new paradigm, we must begin a massive rework of values in governance such that leadership must become responsive and responsible to the people, and such is the only permissible minimum.

    Those who see partisan loyalty as the first course in the national buffet must realize that without Nigeria the dining table will be scant or perhaps non-existent. We must therefore make the praxis of our three course meal; yes our full course, Patriotism, Service and True Brotherhood. A nation of patriots thinks more of the good of nation and its people. Service to nation is service to all, and above all true brotherhood devolves on both, when governance delivers on the promises of democracy beyond the banal bounds of partisan, religious, regional, ethnic and parochial prejudices, true brotherhood fosters.

    Like the prized dietary three course meal normative, our nation is a cord of three; yes we are a nation of three major tribes divided providentially by the waters of the River Niger and the Benue into three main regions, the North, the West and the East, we are a people of three major faiths, Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion; and remember how the Christian Holy Book put it, ‘the cord of two is strong, the cord of three who can break?’. Need I remind that the Muslim object of prayer the ‘Tesbiu’ is an unbreakable cord of three, and traditionally three represents the unison of spirit, soul and body not despising the other elements.

    Countrymen and women, please be mindful of this reality that no nation that is a cord of three major peoples and tendencies has ever broken up, most have survived gruesome wars, segregation and internecine conflagrations to weave the great nations they became, Britain, USA, Australia, South Africa et al are lucid mementoes; tell it therefore to those preaching the message of separation and to those drumming the gongs of self-determination that we are a great nation woven by an infallible God.

    The urgency of now compels a huge cross on this generation of Nigerians, it is much too profound now that Nigerians voted for change in the status quo ante bellum, before May 29, many infractions may pass unnoticed but today the margins are different and expectations mountainous, we must not only deliver concrete democracy dividends but we must unite the masses of our people and make the good of Nigerian the summum bonum.

    We must aggregate at no greater pedestal but that which must prize excellence over mediocrity, and make the greatness of Nigeria our collective primacy.We must congregate, Christians, Muslims, Animists, Traditionalists and the likes at the altar where nothing counts but the good of fellow countrymen and women. And we must assemble at the place where ‘though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand’; such is the basic practical minimum sine qua non for growth and progress.

    In the final analysis, we must seize the moment and make Nigeria the pride of all, citizens and foreigners alike. We must begin a massive overhaul of our collective morality and etch hard-work as prime on our corporate canvass. We must passionately rework the margins of leadership such that egocentrics would flee the political turf. We must rejig our economy by exploring other sources of revenue outside this sickening monolithic dependence on oil. We must reawaken the time tested values of patriotism as key to national growth and encourage discipline and discretion across the various strata of state and society.

    We must work so that in the end posterity will say of this generation of Nigerians, when the moment of change came, a vibrant people came at it, took it, and transformed their nation such that it never remained the same, nay this must indeed be done in the positive as the contrary is manifestly unthinkable, morally impermissible and divinely unpardonable.

    • Prof. Nwaokobia Jnr, Director General Change Ambassadors of Nigeria (CAN) writes from Lagos.

  • Youths need paradigm shift

    IR: The thin line between the old and new is not just the age, looks or taste; it is a clear departure from those features that stunted the growth and wellbeing of the old. Youths of today must take their destinies in their hands and decide to have a future or be damned by their elders. This has become a recurrent decimal as the youths are perennially neglected by successive leadership perpetuated and dominated by gerontocrats.

    In this fight, one must be able to distinguish between the venial and the venal, ordinary and outsized wrongdoing. Make no mistake; hardship brings out the best in no one. The elders have created monsters out of the youths of today and they can no longer sleep or enjoy their privileged access to the commanding height of power.

    The visionless youths being used today by those selfish ruling class in control of power are no doubt hampered by filial or blind loyalty. They pretend blind loyalty, though intelligent loyalty is an admirable quality, but sometimes loyalty could blind you to the truth.

    The January 2011 subsidy protest and the place of Nigerian youths marked a turning point in the history of mass protest in Nigeria. This declaration is incontestable given the active participation (covert or overt) of the Nigerian youths especially the Lagos axis. When in future such mass action is sustained nationwide, then the revolution may have begun.

    In retrospect, we should with knowledge of hindsight analyze the benefits and lesson inherent in that momentous action; the government was put on its toe, forced to be more accountable, responsive to the yearnings of the people and respect the will of the people. The invaluable lessons embedded in the mass action will remain indelible in our memories. The Nigerian people have solidarity, that common pains unite a people across the divide. That social media is a catalyst in mass action. That synergy between organized labour, civil society coalition and well-organized masses is a bulwark that can bring any unpopular government down.

    Furthermore, that sovereignty is truly in the hands of the people when they believe and accept it. The mass action also generated topical debates on national issues that hitherto were latent and suppressed by prolonged military regime, subsequently exacerbated by recalcitrant and irresponsible governments over time.

    Finally, that corruption has been unanimously identified as the bane of the Nigerian state. That singular epochal mass action has been the redeeming feature of the Nigerian youths from untimely systemic extinction by a state where youths are not leaders of tomorrow.

    • Comrade Ogbu Ameh Alex

    Abuja

  • Riding on the wings of fresh paradigm

    Riding on the wings of fresh paradigm

    Rev. Chris Okotie’s initial forays into elective politics which started dramatically in 2002 caught my attention, and like most Nigerians, I was taken aback. I’d questioned the rationale behind his audacious bid to contest the presidential election, wondering how he’d combine tending his flock at his Household of God Church, Oregun, Lagos with the rough and tumble politics of Nigeria.

    I had reasoned like millions of others that it would be difficult to combine running his pace-setting teaching ministry with politics. So, I concluded that the whole thing was probably a joke or some publicity stunt. But more than ten years down the line, especially with his sensational court victory which voided the deregistration of his party, FRESH Democratic Party, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the man of God has literally shifted the governance paradigm, and millions of mockers like me have become admirers or followers. He has brought politics of issues, rather than persons to national discourse.

    Well, if you accuse me of being a turn-coat or cross-carpeter, that is your problem; after all, failure is an orphan, but success has many fathers. We learned this game of riding on the wings of success from our political godfathers and governing elite who cross over to winning parties once they lose nominations or elections. Simply put, it is in our genes.

    Political in-fighting is always going on in all the parties, in our embattled country where the plight of impoverished 112 million Nigerians is ignored by the governing elite, led by Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who is in office, but yet to prove beyond reasonable doubts that he’s in power, except because he is President and lives in the Aso Rock with his gutsy wife, Dame Patience, otherwise called “mother” of Mr. Rotimi Ameachi, Governor of Rivers State.

    Amaechi himself is a “rebellious” son who has teamed up with six under-employed, over ambitious northern Governors, to try and unseat his “mother” and her husband from the presidential villa, when father Jonathan had, through stealthy maneuverings and deft political calculations, planned to renew his mandate in 2015. What kind of a son is that who rebels against his father on the throne? Ameachi is a Christian, at least, by all indications, so he must have been inspired by Absalom in the Bible. Let us pray he does not end up like King David’s rebellious son. According to Rev. Okotie in one of his articles: “Provision of basic amenities ought to be the subject of political discourse not the ongoing skirmishes between presidential aspirants. Almost on a daily basis, the headlines are dominated by new attack lines and mudslinging between feuding politicians who are jostling for power, while little is said about the dividends of democracy”. Good talk!

    In legal terms, President Jonathan can run in 2015, if he so decides because the constitution gives him that right. Any of the seven rebel Governors can run. Any Nigerian who meets the constitutional requirements can run for any office. So the present drums of war beating in the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, is uncalled for.

    But let us get it straight. The Nigerian presidency is not a chieftaincy, academic or religious title which could be conferred honoris causa on the highest bidder. It is a serious business to govern a nation of 160 million people with great potential as one of the world’s emerging economies. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Nigeria’s GDP at Purchasing Power Parity, PPP, nearly doubled under President Olusegun Obasanjo, from $170.7 billion dollars in 2005 to $ 292.6 billion in 2007. The GDP per head also jumped from $692 per person in 2006 to $1,754 per person in 2007. That was six long years ago, and inspite of the ineptitude of the PDP-led administration, the current economic indicators are even better.

    Now, having already yielded our initial target of being one of the world’s 20 emerging economies by 2020 to oil-rich gulf kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, according to experts, may become one of the 30 top economies by 2030. That projection is based on the assumption that our rulers will change the governance paradigm and focus on the business of managing the nation’s economy rather than looting the treasury.

    So, in real terms, the leadership of Nigeria is not a tea party. It should be handed over to someone who has a workable, realistic and transformative vision with proven leadership skills and a firm commitment to arrest the present slide to the abyss. This is not a time to bicker over cake sharing or who gets what, or what zone is next to produce the president. These are archaic concepts.

    In the academic world, you get a PhD degree not by zoning, tribal, racial or religious consideration, but by writing an academic thesis. If you pass, you then qualify to be called Dr. Jack or Jill. So must the presidency. A contestant must convince us with his thesis which in this case is the manifesto or blueprint by which he hopes to govern. Elections in this country must be contested by such standard rules of engagement, not primordial sentiments as is the case currently.

    Again, this is why I agree with Rev. Chris Okotie who has been promoting the concept of paradigm shift as a way of rebranding, repositioning and repackaging our governance apparatus and personnel after more than 52 years of movement without motion. The first thing to do in achieving this all-important change is to jettison the geriatric propensity in our polity. Look at the statistics of our leadership faculty. The average age of those who control the levers of power in the ruling PDP is 70. In the states, the average age of Governors is 50 which should be what ought to obtain among the presidential aspirants. A 50-65 age bracket is still not bad for a presidential aspirant.

    However, like India’s Mamohan Singh showed, if a head of government is over 70 and is performing well, he earns himself the right to be in power and even renew his mandate, if his health permits. Zimbabwe on the other hand, where Robert Mugabe (89) is in power is a typical example of how inept old leaders could stagnate a potentially great nation. What was called Rhodesia in the pre-liberation days under racist Prime Minister Ian Smith was labelled as the “Pearl of Africa” because of its thriving economy, despite global sanctions imposed because of its apartheid policy. Smith ruled a nation that almost achieved parity with developed economies in terms of the excellent state of infrastructures and standard of living. All that has given way to poverty in Mugabe’s black-ruled Zimbabwe after 28 years of monumental mismanagement.

    When faced with this predicament, it is time to try a fresh governance template; or what do you think?

    •Okey wrote from Lagos.