Dialogues: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: ||NaijaObserver|| RE: NigerianID

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rex Marinus <rexmarinus@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 4:15 PM
Subject: ||NaijaObserver|| RE: NigerianID | Does Nigeria really have a leader ?

"Who and where are the leaders of this nation? As simple as this question may sound, it is really important. It is important because the country has not had a genuine leader since August 27, 1985."
- Sabella Abidde

Does Nigeria really need A LEADER? Leadership exists at every spectrum of occupation. It is the product essentially of (a) the nature of the society that propels the individual towards uncommon service (b) the ideas that animate such service and such a society (c) the goals set by a collective will. I will argue that Nigeria's search for A LEADER is extremely inconsistent with a society seeking a democratic spirit. Perhaps we should stop looking for A LEADER, and concentrate on creating a network of conscious citizens who assume reponsibility for pushing the collective goal for a well organized and prosperous society. In the end A LEADER fits a pyramidal scale, while the idea of EQUAL citizenship that makes everyone capable of leading and following at the same time accepts the vertical and horizontal idea that at the core of all national endeavors are individuals with unique talents and interests, who must cede parts of these talents and interests to the commonwealth. You can not have A LEADER in Nigeria, you can have LEADERS who come together to press home the shared dreams of nation. I doubt that we need A LEADER. I think we need LEADERS - intellectual leadership; political leadership, entepreuneurial leadership, which fused together creates a NATIONAL LEADERSHIP base that is regenerated institutionally. We need an alert and empowered citizenship capable of recruiting and sanctioning those they choose to MINISTER to their interests. Until the Nigerian citizens, by acts of collective will empower themselves, to REGULATE and SANCTION her servants, Nigeria will continue to suffer from the scourge and perfidy of STRONG men and women, whom Sabella apparently thinks reflects leadership. Leaderhip is not philantrophy: it is not merely to "accept" public office as an act charity; it is to be part of a newtork of ideas and structure capable of delivering the highest ideals of a state, a society, a nation, or a community. It is not the individual who will to lead. It is the ideas that govern a society that leads, that selects, that permits the oversight of self-interested citizens, who then demand the highest quality of service and accountability from anybody with public responsibility. A docile and emasculated citizenship produces and empowers a tyrannical and corrupt leadership. Perhaps what Nigeria should be looking forward today is not A LEADER - some character ordained at the head of the food chain - but a well-informed, highly conscious, self-confident, free, equal, and well-organized CITIZENSHIP who could ENFORCE and compel the neccessary public action to REGULATE, GUIDE, and INSPIRE national leadership at its full spectrum. That is what is currently lacking in Nigeria.
Obi Nwakanma

To: naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com; NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com; omoodua@yahoogroups.com; yanarewa@yahoogroups.com; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com; naijaobserver@yahoogroups.com
From: yod2011@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 13:17:00 +0100
Subject: NigerianID | Does Nigeria really have a leader ?

Does Nigeria really have a leader?

DECEMBER 5, 2012 BY SABELLA ABIDDE (SABIDDE@YAHOO.COM) 14 COMMENTS

Who and where are the leaders of this nation? As simple as this question may sound, it is really important. It is important because the country has not had a genuine leader since August 27, 1985. While it is true that there were Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar'Adua at the helm of affairs within this period, it is apposite to ask, what type of governance did they provide? And what type of leadership has the current President, Goodluck Jonathan, provided? In my opinion, and in the estimation of many discerning Nigerians, 1985 was the year Nigeria embarked on the steady slope to anarchy. It was the year Nigeria became rudderless: a country lacking in direction, purpose and aspiration.

Thirty years is a long time for a country – any country – to be without meaningful leadership. Many leaders across the world were able to transform their countries in less time. And in many other places, leaders were able to firmly put their countries on the path of transformation and growth in less than three decades. Examples are Malaysia and Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia. In South America, we can look to countries such as Brazil and Argentina. And then there are the oil states of the Middle East where Nigerians now flock to. And even within sub-Saharan Africa, there are rays of hope in places like Ghana, Malawi and Botswana.

No one can say that Nigerians are incapable of first class leadership. Oh no! During the colonial and post-colonial periods, we saw many men and women who devoted their lives to the service of our country. For instance, Between October 1, 1954 and October 1, 1960, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the Premier of Western Nigeria. Fifty-two years later, his accomplishments and character and vision continue to be the gold standard of leadership. And of course, there were others: Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Mobolaji Johnson, Lateef Jakande, Samuel Ogbemudia, Muhammadu Buhari, Abubakar Rimi, Balarabe Musa and others – leaders who thought of country before self.

These men were not saints. That's not the point. The point is that they provided healthy and enriching leadership. They understood what it meant to provide for the people; and they planned for rainy days by their prudent use of public funds. These types of leaders are no longer common in the country, unfortunately though. Instead, governors and commissioners and ministers are becoming millionaires in an instant. We have men who ascend(ed) public offices with the equivalent of less than $5,000 in their bank accounts, but leave/left office as stupendously wealthy individuals. Even their children and grandchildren and wives and concubines become fabulously rich!

In 1966, Chief Awolowo opined that "a truly public-spirited person should accept public office not for what he can get for himself — such as the profit and glamour of office — but for the opportunity which it offers him of serving his people to the best of his ability, by promoting their welfare and happiness." From the 1950s through, perhaps, 1985, that was the dominant belief. In the years since, the thinking has changed. Today, you go into public service not because you want to serve, but because you want to enrich yourself and your friends and family. You go into politics, not because you want to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the needy, but because you want to oppress the people and loot the treasury.

When it comes to leadership, Nigeria is in a mess. It really is! There are no ways of sugar-coating it. In more recent times, especially since 1999, every single political party and its flag-bearers, who promised to be agents of change or responders to change at the state and local levels, have been a disappointment. If leadership is wanting at the state and local levels, it has been a colossal failure at the federal level. None of our last three presidents bothered to protect the dignity of the average Nigerian. None bothered to speak on behalf of the people. And none attempted to enhance the fortunes of the people. It was/is all about self-interest and the interest of the criminal syndicate that defrauds the treasury and our other resources.

Consider these: Even though Bola Tinubu had more resources at his disposal during his eight-year reign in Lagos State, his achievements pale in comparison to that of Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande. Alfred Diete-Spiff was the first Governor of Rivers State (May 1967 – July 1975). Bayelsa State was created out of the old Rivers State in 1996. Between July 1975 and December 2012, both states had between them 22 or so governors. Yet, their combined accomplishments are wishy-washy when compared to that of Governor Spiff. How could this be? The same scenario is true in virtually all the 36 states of the nation. And for that matter, the same is true at the federal level.

Speaking of the federal level, President Obasanjo did not even bother, to a reasonable extent, with the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, or with the Lagos-Benin Expressway. Jonathan, on his own, has not built a single first class hospital or first-rate medical clinic anywhere in the country, or improved our educational system since his assumption of office in 2010. Between Obasanjo and Yar'Adua, what did they do for the country? What in the world has Jonathan done for Nigeria, for the Niger Delta, and for the Ijaw where he comes from, other than the introduction of aloofness and incompetence? What has been his contribution to the global community? Essentially, the last several decades have been wasted decades made possible by a forgetful round of mediocre leadership in the country. What a fraud!

Outside of formal governance, we had a cadre of great minds and patriotic citizens. Ayodele Awojobi and Tai Solarin were there. We had Bala Usman and Aminu Kano. M.C.K. Ajuluchukwu and Michael Okpara were alive. Segun Okeowo and Segun Osoba were present. The list is long. Today, religious leaders have taken over the public and private space. And many, like their political counterparts, are leeches — sucking the people's and the nation's blood marrow. The absence of first class leadership made it possible for Nigeria to be one of the most fraudulent nations in the world, as a recent study by KPMG said; it made Nigeria the worst place for a baby to be born in 2013, according to a new study by the Economist Intelligence Unit; and while yet another report by Gallup Poll only recently certified Nigeria as the second most corrupt place on the face of the earth. Damn, who are the leaders of Nigeria?

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N.V Daramola December 5, 2012 at 3:15 am

Nigeria's leaders are on their way… Afterall, the beautiful ones are not yet born!

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Razaq lalas December 5, 2012 at 5:40 am

I am opportune to have been to many part of African country and anytime i visit there, the expression i give is Africa has a long way to go and what are the past leaders and the present leaders are doing?I weep for my unborn child future.

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JMAES LAR December 5, 2012 at 6:33 am

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Abdullahi hassan shams shama December 5, 2012 at 6:45 am

We really need leadership by example in our psyche nationhood,

The spirit of "we" is no longer obtainable . Every human is on his own. People now built making provision for borehore water in their houses, electric light is overtaken by Stand by generator that ordinary will suppy an entire village instead it is for only one house benefitting…

How can we have a genuine leader who have d down trodden at heart.

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Akapo December 5, 2012 at 6:50 am

Indeed,"The BeautYful Ones Are Not Yet Born"

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oliman December 5, 2012 at 7:43 am

we must hold the hausa fulanis and the yorubas responsible for running this country down no more no less.

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Mr president December 5, 2012 at 8:27 am

JONATHAN HAVE TAKEN THE COUNTRY TO A RECORD HEIGHT OF BEING THE SECOND MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.CONGRATULATION JONATHAN.

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BSY December 5, 2012 at 10:31 am

What are the parameters used in rating Nigeria as the second most currupt in the world? This is the hand work of charlattans!

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steve December 5, 2012 at 10:16 am

To my own perspectives everybody is a good leader, but the problems we are having in ths country is selfishnes and reasoning all fingers to be equal and thereby make the poor become more poorer and the rich become more richest. Good example is the governor of centeral bank Lamido who raised the suggestion of dismising workers i wonder why the gov't did not start from him and his family to correct our economy,those people are the leader that are cousing problems to the Nigeria economy taking a wrong decision onbehalf of the masses thinking what will favour him or them to inconvinience people and make life unbearable for people and the farmer whom they alway discourage from farming everyday by depreciating their farm produce everyday and making life measerable and unbearable for the masses using their public position in conflict for their own advantage infact our fortunate leaders who are not administrator neither a politician but fortunate to be in a position need to be warned and lecture also we are having the problem of Injustice in this country it also constitute to the poor leadership in this country.

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Olaekan December 5, 2012 at 10:44 am

what a big question, but as for me i dont believe we have a leader ,the man who coud have take us through is idiagbon but they poison him,well everybody has his or her own opinion but as for me we never have a good leadre.

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Bosco F. Nwosu December 5, 2012 at 10:47 am

All that we call Leaders in this Country are fake. They lack all the attributes of Leadership. Leaders are role models, and you can see the quality of our Leaders through the prevailing criminal activities in the Country, from corruption, robbery, kidnapping, rituals etc, all aimed at accumulating stupendous wealth. Abidde got it right to say that they get into Office (political/public) with #5.00 and come out with billions of naira after few years. OBJ is a typical example, who is now stupendously rich with less than #5000.00 at the time of his entry into Office. GEJ is only improving on the legacy left behind by his predecessor. God save our Nation from Criminals that parade themselves as Leaders.

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Pressidoo December 5, 2012 at 10:59 am

Nig has no leader becos of corruption there care for themselves and not for the masses using billions to build and furnish houses why civil servant cannot take their monthly stipen of #18000.what a shame.

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Clement December 5, 2012 at 11:15 am

There are leaders in Nigeria but whether Nigeria is been led by leaders is another question all together. If we had leaders in decision making positions Nigeria would have truely assumed the arrogated position as the 'Giant of Africa" not only in size but in our politics,infrastructural development,education,health, standard of living of the people,etc.

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Iso Iso 44444 December 5, 2012 at 12:44 pm

@Olaekan, the head of Idiagbon is still alive. Buhari is that man of integrity that made Tunde Idiagbon who he was at that time. The few good ones won't be allow at the head because armed robbers & thieves have a great power and they dictate who rules nigera.

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USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: ||NaijaObserver|| RE: NigerianID | Does Nigeria really have a leader ?

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