DEVELOPING A NEW LEADERSHIP: AN IMPERATIVE FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA (III)
Some might have meant well but somehow on getting there, they allowed themselves to be swallowed by the system because they were not adequately prepared or did not prepare themselves for power, the way Awolowo, Zik and Ahmadu Bello did before assuming power. They were not able to swim against the tide. Leadership in Nigeria […]
Some might have meant well but somehow on getting there, they allowed themselves to be swallowed by the system because they were not adequately prepared or did not prepare themselves for power, the way Awolowo, Zik and Ahmadu Bello did before assuming power. They were not able to swim against the tide. Leadership in Nigeria is characterized by corruption and incoherence in the character and the conduct of statecraft. Many of these leaders are consumed by greed, corruption and primitive accumulation of wealth. The hallmark of a visionary leader is to be able to rise above the mundane; to be beyond the prevailing history. Great leaders are far ahead of their time. Such leaders are in short supply in Nigeria and the current challenges we are experiencing in the nation presents a great opportunity for great leaders to emerge. In the midst of leadership decadence in our nation, I have a strong faith and hope that new leaders can emerge that will take Nigeria to the next level of development.
Developing New Leadership for National Development
Given the state of leadership and national development in Nigeria, what then should be our concern? Certainly, we desire a nation with fundamental economic and political transformations that will make us stand high among the comity of nations in the global arena. There is the need for a new leadership in all strata of our society that will translate the aspiration, agitations, dreams and visions of the people into reality. On the concept of national development, little light ought to be shed. National development generally concerns the qualitative and quantitative transformation of the life and living conditions of the people in a nation. It regards the ‘collective effort of a people in harnessing the its collective resources towards the improvement of the hunan condition of the people.’ (Kuna; 2013) This involves the building of social infrastructure, security of lives and property, expansion of human and social capital, energy, transportation and so on but essentially the translation of economic growth in terms of Gross national Product to Gross National Happiness.
I will just mention a few areas in which any one aspiring to be a new leader in Nigeria can make a remarkable difference.
1. Visionary. The Christian scripture says “Where there is no vision the people perish”. The founding fathers of Nigeria had vision and fought and died to keep Nigeria together. A leader must have a clear vision of the type of country he/she wants to build and have a mental picture of her destination. He/she must believe in and be sold to the vision. Followers cannot follow someone who is rudderless and adrift. No follower would wish to ferry in a sinking ship. It is the vision that keeps the leader alive and focused in the midst of opposition. We need new leaders with new vision for a new Nigeria.
2. A new leader who can be nationally and genuinely acclaimed to have risen above ethnicity, not a Hausa-Fulani, an Igbo, a Yoruba, an Ijaw, and an Efik. Nigerians are now imbued with appreciable level of consciousness and are apprehensive of the manipulative strategies of their leaders. We need leaders who are patriotic and genuine about the national ideal and project – national integration and rapid development.
3. A national leader, not a sectional leader, is what we need to catapult the nation to a desirable global structure. We need national leaders who are able, not only to accurately identify our numerous challenges but also face them squarely to build strong institutions and a viable nation.
4. Courageous Leadership – courage is an essential quality in leadership. Considering the present political predicament of our country, Nigeria needs a courageous leadership that will forge a new direction toward socio-economic breakthrough. A courageous leadership that will challenge the status quo, change what ought to be changed and one that is willing to pay the price for a just cause – a leadership that finds it ‘strange why men should fear knowing that death is an honourable thing’ , to borrow a Shakespeare’s quotable, when encountered for redemptive purposes.
5. Clarity in Decision Making. There are times when the leader is confronted with uncertainty concerning decision making. The new leadership we need in our nation is that which is able to rise above uncertainties when it comes to taking tough decisions on behalf of the nation. We need leaders who are able to traverse uncertain terrains confidently and bravely. We need leaders who would not feign monopoly of wisdom but would consult with others for perceptiveness and clarity rather than wallow in occultism and insecurity. In this regard, therefore, Nigeria needs:
a. A new leadership that will able to motivate, mobilise and unite the citizens towards achieving national goals and objectives.
b. Selfless leaders that would be committed to transforming the lives of the generality of the people.
c. Leaders with sound character and tested integrity. Leaders who would not only preach but live what they preach.
d. Leaders who have the genuine consent of the people to lead them with accountability, transparency and responsibility.
e. Leaders who would engage the people in governance and in the decision-making process. Wise leaders that would always listen to the voice of the people.
f. Leaders who would be engaged in building bridges across all kinds of divides amongst the people and fostering harmony for the common good of all.
g. Leaders who have prepared themselves for governance, armed with democratic credentials and sound-mindedness.
Conclusion
These are just bullet points which I propose and suppose that the rest of this important Colloquium in honour of the man whose life, politics and experience substantially reflect aspects of the new leadership drive of our future aspirations for a developed and transformed nation would rigorously mediate. In a contribution to a mammoth study with collective authorship, I advanced that “no nation can attain greatness without dreams, without visions. It is vision that transforms small societies into economic, industrial and technological giants”.
Where did Nigeria get it wrong? Behold a Nigeria in which great visions are backed by correct strategies, good government and of course, dynamic leadership! This is the premise from which we can begin to establish the way forward for our country after five decades of tottering, of running only at the margins of our national possibilities.
I thank you.
Being excerpts of a paper delivered on the occasion of 75th birthday of Chief Bisi Akande, Acting Chairman of the All Progressive Congress