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The Dictionary defines Leadership as the action of leading a group of people or an organization, or the ability to do this. The following synonyms apply: guidance, direction, authority, control, management, supervision, etc. Leadership has also been defined as a cost effective way of building synergy to achieve goals, a process of inspiring collaboration around a vision and set goals which facilitate achievement of those goals among stakeholders (Pat Utomi, 2018). It sounds simple enough. From the simplistic definition, one would have thought that leading was not complex. However, the appearance of the word, ‘people’ in the definition changes the equation, because people have minds, and in line with Biblical concept, people naturally resist control or dominion by others, hence the complexity.
In most African countries (Nigeria inclusive), and most third world countries, leadership has always been a challenge. One of the greatest needs in Africa and most third world countries is finding Effective Leadership, which according to the late Dr. Myles Munro is, Leadership that that is competent, compassionate, and that is sensitive to what is decent and good for the majority of the people. Leadership has been associated with high sounding words like vision, charisma, gift, power, intellect, integrity, spirituality, etc, yet we have had leaders who possessed the above, and still failed to deliver effective leadership. I will come back to this much later.
In Nigeria, we have had the likes of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who served as Governor General of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and as the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966, known for his oratory and charisma; late Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who was Prime Minister of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966 (when he was assassinated), known for his intelligence, oratory and advocacy; late Chief Obafemi Awolowo who served as Premier of the Western Region (from 1960 – 1966) and also as Federal Minister of Finance to the then Military Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (1967 – 1973), was reputed to be not only a visionary but also an extremely intelligent and committed leader who bagged a Law degree (from University of London – 1944) reading from home; there was also the legendary late Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello who served as the first and only Premier of Northern Nigeria from 1954 to 1966 when he was assasinated; there are many more, but for reason of brevity, I’ll limit it to these four for now. These people and the likes of late Chief Anthony Enahoro, late Mr. Herbert Macaulay, late Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, and a host of others, negotiated with the then British colonial masters, and secured independence for the country in 1960. Naturally, they assumed leadership of a country that was described then as very promising due to its vast potential not only in mineral and human resources, but also, the country had in 1958 discovered oil in commercial quantity in the Niger Delta, and by independence in 1960, had started exporting the commodity to the western world, thus raking in petro-dollars. This was in addition to the monies coming in from the famous groundnut pyramids in the North, the cocoa in the West, the rubber and Palm oil in the Midwest, and the Rice and other cash crops in the East. The country elected for the parliamentary democracy (which was what the British colonial government practiced and still practices till today).
Among the leadership styles (Theocracy, Autocracy, Communism, Welfarism, Democracy, Socialism, etc), democracy, which was introduced in Ancient Greece around 507 B.C by the Athenian leader, Cleisthenes, defined as “the rule of the people by the people for the people”, was judged by most people and countries, as the ‘best’ form of government. So with this style of government, and the crop of intelligent, visionary, committed, etc, leaders, one would have thought that the country in no time would find its place in the comity of developed nations. That was not to be, because in approximately six years, precisely in January 1966, the Military kicked out the democratic government in a coup detat, espousing failed leadership emanating from corruption, nepotism, etc, as the reason. The Military ruled the country from 1966 all the way till 1999, with civilian interregnums (President Alhaji Shehu Shagari – 1979 to 1983); (Mr. Ernest Shonekan, Head of Interim Government – August to November 1993). The military rulers that held sway this period came in all forms and sizes. From the young and charismatic war time Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; the brave and radical late General Murtala Mohammed, the visionary and foxy General Olusegun Obasanjo, the upright and lanky General Muhammadu Buhari, the ‘evil’ genius General Ibrahim Babangida, the brave and no-nonsense late General Sani Abacha and the gentleman General Abdusalami Abubakar, all admonished various leadership styles and acumen in a quest to solve the leadership question in the country. Most of these military generals, if not all of them recorded notable achievements while they held sway over this beloved country. For example, General Yakubu Gowon it was, during the Nigerian civil war (1967 -1970) in a speech he made, said the following, ‘to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done’. With that, he with his compatriots in the Armed Forces, successfully prosecuted the war and the country is still together today. He was just 32 in 1966 when he took over the reigns of power in a military coup, and ruled the country till 1975, when he was overthrown by late General Murtala Mohammed. Apart from his rare bravery and exploits as General Officer 2 Mechanised Brigade during the civil war, the charismatic and no-nonsense General Murtala Mohammed, as brief as his rulership of the country was (1975 – 1976), went down in history as one of the most popular leaders of Nigeria. He expanded the structure of Nigeria from 12 states to 19 states, fought corruption which was then rampant, and also constituted a 50-man Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) headed by the late Justice Rotimi Williams as a mark of his sincerity to return the country to civilian rule. The current 1979 Nigeria constitution emanated from this action. General Olusegun Obasanjo is reputed for his intelligence and foresight. As military Head of State (1976-1979), to demonstrate his conviction that steel was a gateway to technological growth and development, he established the only two steel plants the country can boast of today – the Ajaokuta and Aladja steel plants, howbeit they are comatose today. General Muhammadu Buhari (1983 – 1985) as Head of State was reputed not only to have fought corruption, but also sanitized the citizenry that was almost slipping into lawlessness, with his no-nonsense style of governance. Whilst the cancelation of the June 12, 1993 election which was believed to have been won by the late Moshood Abiola remains General Ibrahim Babangida’s (1985 -1993) albatross, some positives like the construction of the 11.8km third mainland bridge in Lagos, the establishment of the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the relocation of the country’s capital from Lagos to Abuja, to name a few are credited to him. This long standing injustice was on June 6, 2018 righted by President Muhammadu Buhari, when he posthumously awarded the highest Honour in the land, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) to the presumed winner of the 1993 Presidential election, thereby recognizing him formally as the winner of that election (Punch, June 2018). I can go on and on, but the point being established here is that whilst the military style of governance may have been least favored, it however recorded some very strong points, which underscored the fact that it is not so much as the style of leadership, but more of the personae in the leadership.
Nigeria returned to the most sought after civilian rule (presidential democracy) since 1999, which still subsists till date – 19 years uninterrupted. Former military ruler, Olusegun Obasanjo took the first eight years, then came the late Alhaji Musa Yar’ Adua (2007 -2010), Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from the south south had his opportunity from 2010 till 2015, and another former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari currently sits on the saddle from 2015.
The Presidential democracy system of governance which by the way we copied from the United States of America that has practiced it since 1787 following the Connecticut Convention, and seem to have worked for them, in my view, is yet to provide the much sought answers to the Nigeria leadership question. Here are my reasons. Nigeria gained independence since 1960, after 58 years of nationhood, with vast deposits of crude oil and gas, marble, clay, dolomite, lead/zinc, gold, limestone, kaolin, gypsum, iron-ore, manganese, tin, coal, bentonite, lignite, glass-sand, salt, etc, over 82 million hectares of arable land (representing over 37% of the country’s land area), a youthful (under 30 years) population of over 61 million (Bloomberg, 2016), and the artistry of all the visionary, charismatic, intelligent, brave, etc, leaders enumerated above, where are we as a nation? This is where we are today. We are a country that lacks standard infrastructure (our highways are mostly death traps – 2,598 deaths from road accidents between October 2017 and March 2018 according to National Bureau of Statistics), a population in excess of 150 million, but with less than 7,000 megawatts of electricity, unemployment rate of 14.2% (NBS, 2017), the import of which becomes alarming when compared to that of countries like China and India with population in excess of a billion, recording 3.95% and 3.52% respectively (Reuters, 2017), exports an average of 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day, yet spends N2.07 trillion on fuel import in nine months (January – September 2017), (NBS, 2017), a deeply religious country, but paradoxically with one of the highest crime rates in the world, alarming level of insecurity (just before the advent of the current administration in 2015, insurgents i.e Boko Haram, were in control of 14 Local Government Areas in the North Eastern zone), corruption is pervasive despite deliberate efforts by the current administration at fighting the official one (as it thrives in the family, church, communities, etc,), as at 2010, 61% of Nigerians were living in “absolute poverty”, (NBS, 2012); recent report by Sahara Reporters indicates that Nigeria had overtaken India in respect to number of poor people living therein (the uncrowned poverty capital of the world), our education is dwindling with graduates that cannot even speak or write good English coming out of so called ivory towers that beg for attention, with over 17 million housing deficit (Guardian, 2018). The list is endless.
The above dire statistics are a confirmation that we do not only have a problem with our leadership – the leadership challenge, but also a follower-ship challenge. I must however point out that it is not much as the failure of the current leadership alone, but a result of cumulative failures over the years. The havoc have been committed by all and sundry. In choosing our leaders over the years, our considerations have been driven more by primordial sentiments rather than by logic, performance and will. We have sacrificed competence at the alter of ethnicity, religion (creed), and immediate gains. Also, our leaders over the years have brought in ethnicity, religion, primordial sentiments and greed into leadership decision making at the expense of right and wrong. Remember, greed is the ingredient that makes governance, decision making, and administration seem like rocket science. Remove greed, and all the above become simple and even pleasurable. Greed is like drinking salty water, the more you drink, the more you want. It is greed that births corruption.
Criminals have been allowed to walk, and in some cases even rewarded, while law abiding citizens have been sanctioned, in some cases, citizens who ought to be rewarded have been punished as a result of these faulty considerations. Incompetent people have been appointed to oversee big offices, not because there are no competent ones, but just because, someone loyal or a fellow church member, brother, friend, etc, has to be appointed. Nationhood cannot come about this way. In 1999, the then two major political parties zoned their presidential slot to the south west zone of the country not necessarily because the best candidates were from that geographical zone, but more because of the sentimental consideration of placating the zone because of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election annulment by former President Ibrahim Babangida.
Many argue that democracy is one of the most advanced forms of governance, because not only is it a government of the people by the people, but also promotes freedom of speech, human rights, etc. I however believe differently, especially as it pertains to Nigeria. Where we are today as a country after 19 years of uninterrupted practice of democracy corroborate my conviction. Human Rights, freedom of speech, etc, are meaningful to one that is aware, but when dealing with a country like Nigeria where over 75 million of its 160 million population is illiterate, according to the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu (Vanguard of September 21, 2017), the focus must be different. Nigeria is diverse in several respects; multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual with over 500 languages (Quora.com), and multi religious, a situation which we ought to draw strength from, but paradoxically has been the foundation of the primordial sentiments that have not only fanned the embers of division, but also worked against our democracy. The Presidential democracy may have worked for the United States of America because of its high level of literacy (over 75% of the population are literate – Quora.com), western culture, robust economy (highest in the world – USD18 trillion), and strict adherence to the Rule of Law, but definitely not for Nigeria because of reasons espoused earlier. Common sense dictates that a country that spends 70% of its budget on recurrent expenditure should practice a less expensive form of governance.
Drawing a parallax from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which gained independence from Great Britain in 1971, and in 47 years managed to transform its 83,000 square kilometers desert land consisting of seven (7) Emirates dependent on pearl industry, fishing and subsistence farming, to today one of the most sought after tourists destinations in the world, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD407 billion, zero unemployment, etc, but yet practices “dynastic rulership”, underscores the fact that leadership goes beyond style. The UAE, since it gained independence, has been ruled by mainly one family till date – the family of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
My Prescription
So, effective leadership goes beyond the style, and has more to do with the personae in that leadership like I said earlier. In Nigeria, as I espoused earlier, due to primordial sentiments, greed, and short term gains, leadership over the years have been anything but effective, as it has serially failed to turn in the expected outcomes. Over the past nineteen years, we have practiced the Presidential democracy that we copied line, hook and sinker, from the United States of America without one day stopping to think whether we could afford it in the first place, not even customizing it to suit our USD405 billion economy, as against the USD18 trillion economy that it came from. We had laid unusual emphasis on the style of governance rather than on the character of the personae in government.
Going forward, for a start, if we must continue to practice this Presidential system of democracy, then we as a people, possibly through a referendum, MUST customize the system to not only fit our culture, but our pocket. For instance, I am yet to see the benefits of the bi-cameral legislature, other than the personal benefits of the legislators. Better still, we can opt for the Parliamentary system, which will at least guarantee lower cost of campaigns and elections. Leaders in all spheres (politics, judiciary, civil service, armed forces, private sector, church, mosque, etc,) must deliberately reduce the cost of governance or leadership. It is fatal for a country to operate a budget where 70% of its resources is spent on recurrent expenditure. I am sure most of us can add to the volumes of panaceas to the Nigerian leadership question, which are not in short supply. Some have argued that restructuring is the answer, some believe in State policing, while to some, going back to the regions is the way to go. However, for all of that to happen, we need leaders who go beyond vision, charisma, intelligence, youthfulness, oratory, bravery, etc. I am not impressed by the argument that leadership failure in Nigeria has to do with the so called ‘old age’ of some of our leaders. Lee Kuan Yu of Singapore and Nelson Mandela of South Africa were not exactly young men when they led their countries. James Ibori, Joshua Dariye, Lucky Igbenedion, etc, who were convicted for one failure or the other while they led, were not exactly old people. I return to the words of late Dr. Myles Munro, and simply put, we need leadership across all spheres, “that is competent, compassionate, and that is sensitive to what is decent and good for the majority of the people”.
Nigeria does not lack people in leadership, but lack leadership in the people that are in leadership. Government is only as effective as the leaders in it. Therefore no Government is better than the people in it. Government or organizations themselves cannot be corrupt, it is the people in government or organizations that are corrupt. Reminds me of a conversation I had with a close friend and a brother, Engr. Matthew Edevbie, Managing Director / CEO of one of the leading power supply companies in Nigeria, years ago. He had just teamed up with some other investors to acquire the Port Harcourt DISCO – the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), and were in the process of taking over from the then Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Port Harcourt. He walks into my office this blistering Thursday afternoon and thunders, “I have never seen an organization as corrupt as NEPA”, using the old acronym of PHCN. I corrected him by telling him that the organization in itself is inanimate, and thus couldn’t be corrupt. “It is the staffers that are corrupt”. Of course he agreed with me. For Nigeria to have the competent, compassionate and sensitive leadership that Myles Munro talks about, we the people have to ensure we chose, elect, or appoint leaders not only with charisma, but with character, not only gifted but with conviction, not only powerful but with principles, not only intelligent but with morals, not only visionary but with values, and not just spiritual but with purity. This is in my view, is the missing link.
Over the years, in choosing our leaders we have sacrificed character at the alter of reputation. Character is deep. It goes beyond the opinion and beliefs of people about you. That is simply reputation. Character is not only a commitment to a set of values, dedication to those values without compromise, but also a self imposed discipline. It is in fact the foundation of leadership (George Ambler, 2012). We have elected men with flawed character but with intimidating reputation, to leadership positions, convicted criminals as governors, senators from prison, people who ran banks into liquidation have been appointed to very high governmental offices and moved from there to become governors and senators, phrases like, “he is our thief” have become norm in our society. It has become normal to leave the logs in our eyes and point at the specks in the eyes of others. We have pointed fingers at the centre, yet our Local Government chairmen, legislators, public and civil servants living next door, governors, etc, that we know personally, fragrantly wasted our common wealth, without any word or reprimand from us. It was convenient to turn the other eye.
To conclude, if those very negative statistics enumerated earlier in this piece are to change, if Nigeria must find herself among the comity of developed and prosperous nations, then we, the people must commit to choosing, electing, appointing leaders with character, and go the extra mile of holding them accountable. Leaders with character that is founded on values, leaders with philosophies. Don’t forget that philosophy, which is the most powerful component of leadership, is simply our belief system. Belief creates values, which produce morals, which in turn inform ethics, which birth character. Character controls our lives (Myles Munro, 2014). A Director in a Federal Government or State agency, will not cook books, or pad a Bill of Engineering Measurements and Evaluation (BEME) to favor a particular contractor, if he believes morally that it is wrong to forge. A governor with character founded on values will make appointments based on competence, and not necessarily sentiments or loyalty. It is only through this, that through change can come to us as a people, and I find congruence on this philosophy of change with President Buhari when he says, “real change must start with you”. The failure in us as a nation, does not lie only with the leadership, but equally with us as the people. We must take personal responsibility in institutionalizing a leadership that is composed of these three key elements across all spheres of our society; purpose (vision), potential (ability), and principles (values).
Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua (FNSE, PMP)
The author currently serves as a Director at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)