Nigerian Newspapers
The search for effective leadership
I have a long time ago concluded a four-part series work on the search for effective leadership different from the one you are reading now. The discourse was meant for this page, but somehow a kind of reluctance enveloped me. I began to wander what is new that I was going to say, that has not been said already. This question of lack of visionary leadership or need for effective, productive kind of leadership has been with us even before we got independence in October 1960.
After independence the concern assumed an entirely different dimension, as each tribal zone sought to define leadership from its worldview. Inability to reach a standard definition saw us go into the path of military coups with all the attendant negative consequences. The temporary triumph of jackboot politics complicated the process for the search for effective kind of leadership. Between the time of independence and now there is no kind of leadership prescriptions that have not been put forward by various personalities, groups and/or fora on this very important question of leadership.
At some points in the history of our nation, summits of various kinds had no other matter to discuss but leadership, and how we could get it right. I practiced my journalism career in one of the best news magazines ever to be published in our nation – THISWEEK magazine. Most of the cover titles in the 80s and 90s had major things, either directly or indirectly, to do with redeeming the bad leadership question. In those days we wrote and analyzed in detail the personalities, the legal frame work, the political processes and even the formation of political parties and their role in functional development of a nation, particularly countries with huge complexities like ours.
We did all that, including collating views from those who should know by virtue of the fact that they have served in strategic positions or are knowledgeable on the subject matter of leadership, and on that basis proffered workable solutions. From what I still see, those efforts registered little or not impact. The reason could be that we have already built a nation where rationalization has little or no place at all. We have allowed shallow minds to install a system that glorifies mediocrity and “ad-hocism” as pathway to seeking sustainable development.
So, taking time to think is seen as the business of fools. The task of finding a workable definition of leadership at the time was not that of the media alone. I am aware that during the period, in various universities, one could find well-researched and documented studies on what leadership is and what it should be in a nation like ours, where structures are weak and the threats of neo-imperialism are as real as the fire from a neighbour’s kitchen. But who cared about all these? Nobody! Instead, we by collaborative passivity, accepted a situation where all we did and still do is to allow a few individuals to create a process in which might and subversion become fundamental instruments for nomination (not election) of leaders to the very critical and commanding levels of leadership and authority.
They nominate through this perverted form the President and the Governors and then pass them through the charade we believe are elections here and give them the unfettered leverage to go on and replicate their negative species all over the place. This has been the trend and over time it has become the acceptable standard practice, reproduced almost always with relish in nearly all small levels of organizations such as communities, small association social bodies and even within religious circles. This is why lamentation over poor leadership is wide-spread and continuous, and may never abate soon except we decide to take the bull by the horn.
This explains partly why I have been reluctant to push those works forward. I decided to bring up this essay because of two events that took place in separate locations two weeks ago; and on those occasions, leadership question was again in focus. I was inspired (I hope that’s what it is) by statements on leadership made by two distinguished Nigerians on those occasions. The first was the late Professor Claude Ake’s leadership lecture series that took place in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
The guest speaker was Mohammed Ibn Chamber, former President of ECOWAS Commission, an international scholar, who the Master of Ceremony, Paulinus Nsirim, my good friend, disclosed was on his way to a fine job at the United Nations. The Chairman for the event was Professor George Obiozor, a well-regarded Igbo son, distinguished scholar, one-time Nigerian Ambassador to Israel and Washington and very close friend of my late distinguished cousin, Dr. Stanley Macebuh, pioneer Managing Director of The Guardian Newspapers.
The next event was General Olusegun Obasanjo’s 76th birthday celebration at Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State. Obasanjo, we know, has been two-time leader of this nation and from my point of view, the leader that wielded power most in the history of our nation, so far. I have taken time to elaborate on these personalities because of what the posturing of such great men could mean to the health of a nation, be it political, economic, and social. Now, the issues: in his magnificent opening address, Prof. Obiozor disclosed that his doctoral thesis at Columbia University nearly ran into trouble when he wrote somewhere in the work about “humanitarian considerations”.
He said the supervisory lecturer was livid at him for using such words. It got to the extent he was asked to look through the window to identify three huge blocks within the campus. He did, identifying one as economic block, another political science, and the last as school of divinity. He said he was taught that where you find “humanitarian consideration” was only in the school of divinity and not in politics. In politics what obtains is enforcement of rules, maximum use of power and authority and sometimes, he stated, abuse of power is allowed if the king’s wish and dominion must be established.
My head boiled badly and my body shook when I heard that from a man who had for years walked through inner recesses of power in this nation. Now to Obasanjo, he said two things that became a source of worry for me. The first: our nation has a huge population but short in supply of effective leadership materials. The second: those in power should never expect acclaim from the people. Those who do would live in frustration. Is this true? From the above statements one can gain insight into the minds of our leaders. We can also see part of the reasons why leaders always turned out to be what we see all the time; poor performers and wicked rulers.
Our revered former President said we don’t appreciate leadership. Is this true? Obiozor said the leader should lack compassion; can this be said to be true? Is it the right orientation? Certainly not! Europeans, including their leaders are symbols of compassion and care. American nation grew from the desire for freedom for the individual person. This is why till the present all their leaders irrespective of political leaning or persuasion must talk passionately about education, health care, feel extremely concerned about unemployment figures, including general comfort of citizens. Acclaimed Presidents in that nation are those whose policies and actions contained the highest degree of compassion, which Dr. Obiozor described as humanitarian care.
Humanitarian care, if I got it right, is not only about the displaced or refugees; it is also about those who for any reason can’t cope with the vagaries in a system. Lincoln is loved because of his position on race and particularly on the slave/master issue. For this issue, he was ready to fight the American Civil War to a decisive end. Kennedy was another example of a leader with the right human soul. A more recent example is Bill Clinton. He had a huge humanitarian disposition to the running of government compared to George W. Bush Jnr., whose philosophy was the use of power maximally irrespective of any hanging moral question. Today, compare Bush Jnr’s acceptance rating with that of Clinton and tell me what you see. Today, touch one European anywhere and see how the home government reacts.
It is true in international politics that these nations tend to throw away compassion and its twin brother, morality, yet, the truth is that the relegation of these vital instruments have contributed a great deal to a world without peace that we have. Features of good leadership should include vision, courage, decisiveness, and of course, full load of humanitarian considerations. When all these are in place, the people without prompting would acknowledge and acclaim good leadership (as Venezuela just displayed for Hugo Chavez).
That is the truth! Our people no longer clap and cheer, because over a long time the people have come to know that our rulers supplant their illusions for development. Beginning from the national level to the smallest unit, our rulers depend on outside advices for ventures that have little or no relevance here. The consequences are huge dislocations and attendant massive sufferings. Look at what “austerity” measures are doing to developed economies and then imagine what we have passed through since the 80s when our rulers began singing the austerity mantra as the only path to full development.
Today, we vote trillions of naira to build official quarters for public officers, but hardly feel any sense of responsibility in devoting same amount towards providing shelter, achieve food security, create an invention-oriented economy, build our roads to the highest standard and provide affordable modern transport system. Our rulers never do these, yet, they expect the dehumanized citizens to applaud them for muscling themselves into public offices to waste the years, shorten life-span and wallow in corruption. Finally, as I conclude this discourse, this nation is not in short supply of persons with high leadership quotient. We have capable men and women with great leadership qualities.
The trouble with our nation is bad electoral process as against bad leadership that has always been chorused. The problem has much to do with negative politics, which is entrenched, which makes the emergence of decent and credible leadership materials a very difficult venture. These are our real problems. When 10 years ahead of any electoral contest, evil men and women gang up to select those who would rule at different levels and go ahead without the people to use state apparatus to subvert whatever is left of sane rules to achieve that objective, what do we expect would be the outcome? Good governance? Never! It is even worst this time, when each successive leader desires to “plant” somebody worse than himself. If we look well, our problem may not actually be corruption as many think; but could well be lack of the right vision and ability, made so by the kind of process we have in place.
The question now is; when will we allow the people to state in a very unambiguous manner what they want? I am aware the people know their sons better than we think. I am eagerly looking forward to the period when our search for effective leaders would be on the cherished pillars of what they know, what they have done in the past, how their past achievements shape their visions of our nation. I am very keen to see emerging leaders who would speak about our troubles in details and give ample evidence to show they have solutions to apply.
In addition, I am of the opinion that time has come when our attention should focus on internal democracy within the political parties and the processes during national elections. I am praying for that era when politicians after playing their dirty games behind the scene would allow the citizens through fair, credible and transparent poll say what they think of the whole situation. Until we get this aspect right: the talk about progressive and productive governance would remain a dream.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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