THE KAGAME EXAMPLE One important factor that determines what a country achieves, when, and how, is good leadership. It has no substitute and no one becomes one without adequate preparation that births competence and good performance. Good leadership can be an elixir as poor leadership is a disaster to any country no matter its oil and foreign reserves. No nation does better than its leaders can. But, when shall Nigerians face the reality that we need a competent leader than a lucky one? I leave Nigerians to answer this. Let’s take some lessons from the outside world. Barack Obama came on board as the American president at a critical period when the US economy was in a shambles. There were no jobs and the country had just suffered a devastating attack from Osama bin Laden and his cohorts. This great orator of African descent gave Americans hope from his campaign slogan, “yes we can”. Today, Americans are not crying of unemployment as before; Osama has become history while the US is proactive to forestall any form of terrorist attack within it shores. Barack’s coasting to victory during his re-election was only a confirmation of his performance, glaring and convincing enough to woo the electorate. One example I would like to emphasise was the swift response of the American government to the Boston Marathon bombings that claimed the lives of five Americans in 2013. Coming back to Nigeria, when put side-by-side, the number of security operatives mobilised for elections in Ekiti and Osun and the response of our government to Nyanya bomb blast, Chibok girls’ abduction and Yobe school attacks would leave us with a question: do we have a government? Another visionary leader like Sheik Mohammed Bin Rahid Al Maktoun, the constitutional monarch of Dubai, envisaged global oil price fall like we are experiencing presently. He understood that oil cannot be there forever and, even if that is the case, other countries are discovering oil which brings about stiff competition in global oil market and diminishes it monetary value; therefore, diversification was vital. He embarked upon the Dubai Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) project, a real estate and tourism investment that cost just $1.5billion, far less than $20billion which Sanusi Lamido Sanusi alleged was not remitted by the NNPC to the federation’s coffers – though finance minister Okonjo-Iweala confirmed the figure to be $10billion. Of course, to save face, the ‘oga at the top’, President Goodluck Jonathan, ordered a forensic audit, but you can be sure that the result will only be released to Nigerians on Judgment Day. On Narenda Modi of India, a survey according to The Economic Times of India, revealed that, “Nearly 66 per cent of voters in a survey have expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Narendra Modi government, and 68 per cent approve of his style of functioning”. This was a leader elected just about eight months ago, Can this be said of our leader? Your response to this would reveal who you are. Paul Kagame is our African brother who became the president of war-ravaged Rwanda in April 2000, just six years after the 1994 Rwanda genocide that led to the deaths of close to one million people and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of others. Under Kagame’s watch, Rwanda’s recovery has been phenomenal. This won him re-election and several other international awards. Kagame’s achievements with the dire conditions at the time and little resources should bring to our minds a very important question: what have our leaders achieved with the huge resources at their disposal? We might be divided along religious, regional or political parties, but Nigerian masses can never deny our common point of convergence: unemployment, hunger, epileptic power supply, poverty and insecurity. This is where poor leadership has brought us and it is our choice to decide if we want the status quo to continue or nor it. Be the agent of change in your own little way.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:08:29 +0000
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