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Governance: What Way for Yar’adua?
Whether we like it or not, the 2007 general elections have come and gone. Although controversies of high electoral malpractices trail the exercise, I think it’s relatively peaceful compared to past elections.
What still gives me nightmares though is the role the INEC boss, Professor Maurice Iwu, played in the whole saga. If a person of his standing could choose to be the grand machinery that a political party would adopt for massive rigging of polls, one wonders the kind of picture our elites are painting for future generations in this country.
Indeed, many “professors” have come up during President Obasanjo’s administration to prove to Nigerians that we should look beyond academic attainments in appointing men and women for national assignments. Some professors rocked themselves with bribery scandals. Others simply failed from one ministerial appointment to the other, causing the loss of many lives. My only fear is: If so-called professors are committing these blunders, how do we prevent examination malpractices among students or frauds, bribery and corruption within the working class?
Specifically, what happened in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Oyo and some other states shows clearly that the elections were far from being credible. In many cases, candidates were imposed on the electorates. As for the presidential election, I believe no better person would have emerged than Yar’adua judging from the antecedents of those that contested from the various parties.
However, I think we should be charting a way forward and leave the resolution of the election imperfections to the Tribunals hoping they will do a good job this time around. I only pray that subsequently, Nigerians will witness true and plausible elections; that the will of the people will one day prevail in the choice of people to positions of power; that elections will cease to claim innocent and already suffering, poverty-battered lives; that Nigerians would be wise enough to give their mandates on the basis of candidates’ strength to perform rather than who shared cash or rice.
That said, my duty here is to point out to our post-May 29 President, Umar Musa Yar’adua, that in governance, he would need to listen to the Nigerian masses rather than some selected, self-seeking few. I cannot be telling Yar’adua that Nigeria is sick in all ramifications; I am sure he already knows that.
In fact, the BBC indicated at the announcement of Yar’adua’s victory that he would be the first well-educated president Nigeria has ever had. Well, I think that’s to his credit and he need to ensure he does not disappoint the whole world. The president-elect has been a one-time associate of a true democrat (Shehu Musa Yar’adua), a former university lecturer and a state governor for eight years. One therefore expects that he will be vastly acquainted with the myriads of problems that plague our nation and that the causes of our perpetual failings would be at his fingertips.
Moreover, I feel all Nigerians should rally round the president-elect to ensure that he is not carried away so soon. Already, we hear that Aguda House, where Yar’adua has been relocated since his victory, has been continuously flooded with “visitors.” This is not strange at all. Nigerians are adept opportunists. They don’t take chances when it comes to clamouring for appointments and juicy contracts to the detriment of our economic progress. Well, that has been the trend – very unfortunate!
Our president-elect may want to tread the path of caution here. The vanguards of the third-term agenda of 2006 are here again. They have constituted themselves into fresh political cronies, thronging Aguda House to “congratulate” Yar’adua. Some are planning a One-Million Youths for Yar’adua, the type organized by the notorious Daniel Kanu of Abacha days. Others have disguised themselves with masks of “economic intelligent groups,” sensing that Yar’adua may want to question their genuineness. The same people were drafted as all sorts of advisers – senior advisers, special advisers and corporate advisers – in the present administration without ever making any mark. Yar’adua will definitely need to avoid these opportunists and select his men and women on the basis of their track records of performance.
No doubt, a very strategic indicator of performance for Yar’adua’s government post-May 29, would be the calibre of men and women he appoints into leading positions and the criteria he employs in selecting them. Clearly, an economy can never be better than those who lead it. Unfortunately, our nation has only been blessed with few cases of round pegs in round holes.
In the current administration, Nigerians have experienced few good leaders interspersed with many bad and ugly ones. Some appointees made us proud as a nation; others woefully threw us down and pulled us back. With the efforts of the good ones, huge foreign debts were forgiven, Nigerians got access to telephones and internet services, the war against fake drugs was significantly won, the hugger-mugger in the banking industry was curtailed, the Federal Capital Territory caught a better look and the nation gained fresh reputation globally. Obviously, one could see the impacts of these laudable achievements on employment opportunities, inflow of foreign direct investments, fairly stable value of the Naira and global expansion of indigenous businesses. Perhaps the ugly incidences occasioned by bad leadership are inexhaustible. It is disheartening to recall the scenarios that led to the loss of thousands of Nigerians including the Sultan of Sokoto, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya and those Loyola Jesuit talents. Unknown and yet-to-be-detected assassins have claimed lives of men and women of great pedigrees including Chief Bola Ige, Alaba Joseph, Marshall Harry, A.K. Dikibo, Funso Williams, Godwin Agbroko of Thisday Newspapers and a host of others. Up till now, lives and properties are in jeopardy as banks are continuously plundered by dare-devils killing ill-equipped policemen and innocent civilians. These are just few instances among many incidences of our nation’s overwhelming failings due principally to incompetent and corrupt leadership.
Again, we are at the threshold of another era. It cannot be overstressed that our nation is in dire need of committed, self-less leaders with impeccable past records; leaders that will serve Nigerians rather than sap them. Meanwhile, whether these appointments will again be used to compensate those who helped in campaigning and rigging elections as usual remains a significant source of public concern.
No doubt, our nation is blessed with capable technocrats who can turn things around within unimaginable lengths of time. Who ever heard of people like Ernest Ndukwe, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Dora Akunyili, Chukwuma Soludo, Nasir El-Rufai before they were brought to limelight by the current administration?
Particularly, I will like to mention that, to start with, the president-elect should accord priority to the leadership of some critical sectors of our economy. While almost all our sectors are unhealthy, some need immediate attention owing to the ripple effect they can have in jumpstarting the growth of the entire economy. Meanwhile, the arrangement here does not in any way depict their order of importance. First, Nigerians need stable electricity supply. Billions of Naira has been pumped into this project by past administrations without any visible result. I recommend that all the three tiers of government should combine efforts and resources with the big guns in the corporate arena (under their social corporate responsibility scheme) to accomplish whatever is required to give all Nigerians stable electricity supply 24/7. In every economy, stable electricity supply has served as a veritable engine of growth. It springs up huge job opportunities. It stimulates huge inflow of foreign investments. It triggers unprecedented business growth and actively supports start-ups.
Second, Nigerians need a corrupt-free, adequately equipped yet friendly and intelligent police force. The current structure needs complete overhaul. The modalities for recruitment, remuneration and equipment in this sector must be critically appraised and restructured. I think what the nation needs is competence rather than number. A highly skilled police force is a strong foundation for the security of lives and properties in any well-meaning economy; a veritable bedrock of justice, equity and human rights.
Third, Nigerians need a value-driven education system. Though a significant index of economic growth, the value of our education system has been eroded over the years. Our schools are currently dominated by ham-fisted workforce, dangerous cult activities and curriculums that are not relevant to the real world. Besides, research activities are non-existent in our tertiary institutions of learning. Our schools are merely churning out “graduates” who cannot meet the requirements of the modern workplace. A major bottleneck in the whole process is the role of the examination bodies like WAEC, NECO and JAMB which needs to be critically reviewed. Perhaps the rebirth required here will be better understood by the President-elect and his deputy who were once prominent players in the sector.
Last on my list is the ever-lingering octopus of corruption. Despite the efforts of the current administration to tackle it, our nation is still corrupt to its bones and marrows. The crusades so far have been tainted with insincerity, inequality and high-level bureaucracy. Because this evil has been ingrained in the fabrics of our economy, any commitment to its eradication must be pursued with clean hands and without any provision for sacred cows. If the much-avowed immunity of public officials is their insurance for perpetrating the sins they claim to be fighting in others, then the immunity clause should be removed from our constitution so that the soul that trespasses can be held responsible for his or her sins. Moreover, corruption should not be limited to monetary theft alone. Subversion of judgment, electoral malpractices and using political appointments to favour cronies and relations should be viewed as grave acts of corruption.
In any emerging economy like ours, growth and development is hinged principally on upsurge and stability of companies, active capital markets and emancipation of citizens to acquiring property rights. Obviously, when an economy is vibrant, unemployment will be significantly reduced and general per capita income will swell up. As a corollary, the multiplier effect of economic growth on health, education and equitable distribution of income is usually unquantifiable.
The point is: only capable, competent leaders with commendable track record appointed into leadership positions at all levels of governance can guarantee meaningful and strategic growth for our economy. Selecting such leaders is a huge task but I am sure Yar’adua can do it.
Sam Abdulazeez , an Economist, writes from Lagos.
Samuel Abdulazeez |