Challenges Before Nigeria's Newly Elected Leaders By
Adebayo Adejare
“The labour of
our heroes past shall never be in vain” – Nigerian National Anthem
For
What is however indisputable is that none
is satisfied with the state of affairs in contemporary
The public sector is in a state of near
anarchy. Those who resist the known beneficiaries of this state of
things or expose and criticize are liable to loss of office livelihood
or life. How does a society hope to meaningfully fight corruption when
there is no protection for whistleblowers?
When disaster occurs (including
electricity power outage) a few are poised to take advantage of the
event politically or economically. Government has failed to guarantee
security of life and property yet it complains of lack of foreign and
domestic investments. There is massive unchecked abuse and misuse of
corporate and personal confidential information. Military Rule, which
has profited other nations was an unmitigated disaster to
These are great challenges indeed but all
is not lost. They would task every nerve, every fibre, every cell of
anybody aspiring to leadership. The excuse that “We did not know the
magnitude of the Problems” would avail no leader. Leaders at every level
will henceforth be evaluated by the followership. Dwelling on the past
will only complicate issues, hence we just have to get over it and
ignore the rapists, as in the past eight years, to move on.
Do not also appeal to citizens for
patience for their patience ran out since June 12, 1993. Time does not
by itself bring bread to table nor solve any serious problem. There is a
place for jaw-jaw and another for action but action speaks louder than
words. These issues cannot be confronted with kid gloves for it is the
destiny of Millions of people involved. Fortunately, we are not short of
precedents even Biblical ones.
Of course, not everyone will catch the
vision immediately. There are bound to be distractions even sabotage. It
is up to the leadership to stay focused on its task to salvage our
nation. The resources are there, all that is needed is to harness them.
With over 150 Million people and abundant availability of Minerals
Resources failure cannot be an option. The train of liberation has taken
off.
An administration unable to give hope to a
hopeless people is not worth its name. The 2007 Election marks a
threshold in our journey to nationhood. It is the first time we have
successfully transited from a Civilian to another Civilian
Administration. I hope our leaders in Government have not underrated the
enormity of the challenges as reviewed above. We need a clean break from
the travails of our recent past. I also hope they appreciate the
nitty-gritty of Nigerians’ demand of their compatriots who are Public
Officials. I hope they will be facilitators rather than cogs in the
wheel of progress. Public Office is a sacred trust. In our peculiar
under-developed state the destiny of much of the populace rests on that
trust. To them failure is death. Therefore, our hopes are high and
nothing, absolutely nothing but tangible achievements, can transform it
to reality. These challenges provide opportunity for leadership and
achievement. Nigerians do not demand magic but something drastic needs
to happen to ameliorate the present hunger poverty and disease in the
land. This indeed is the challenge to public Officials elected in the
2007 Elections.
But we must first see light at the end of
the tunnel. Our challenges are not insurmountable or peculiar. The
future is bright, fellow Nigerians but all hands must be on deck. Our
Nehemiah task of building a new
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