Nigeria is in desperate need of a few good men and women to rebuild a broken and severely hemorrhaging nation! This incoming administration should have the ability to inspire confidence in its citizens as they have suffered way too long under the weight of greedy and self-centered leadership. Buhari must mobilize resources to accomplish a goal that transcends individual interests and finally embrace the notion of the common good.
By Dr. Victor Ide-Okoye
When Nigeria became an independent nation in 1960, expectations were so high for this new and vibrant democracy that emerged from British colonization.
After our independence, other African countries joined the world to look up to us as their big brother; perhaps we would emerge as that beacon of hope for other Africa nations.
It wasn’t long after independence that we became plagued by turmoil; it was as if we were doomed from the start to fail or perhaps our independence might have been a bit too premature. Crisis after crisis ensued never to abate, or would it?
We have continued to take one step forward and two or sometimes four steps backward; however, the recent election in Nigeria may be a sign that we are about to turn a significant corner.
This new election is the impetus for this article that attempts to suggest what I think our new President-elect must and should do to make a true and lasting change.
Not the mouth-service kind of change past leaders had peddled but true change.
The President-elect had in the past been a true change agent and this would be his chance to re-write the course of our Nation’s destiny for good!
There is no question that he has in the past shown that he meant well for this country and yeah, I know he made some mistakes as well, but I am choosing to judge the totality of what he stood for in the past as a clear indication of what he might stand for in the future.
I for one I believe that every single leader who has governed Nigeria love our country, but I also believed that most of them betrayed the nation and the citizenry either advertently or inadvertently.
What continues to baffle me is the fact that when you discuss with some of our Nigerian leaders, they would tell you about the roads and schools they have built and all.
They will tell you that they are paying teachers and government workers salaries as if those are accomplishments.
Those are not accomplishments! At times, you question their logic and believe that perhaps they are only just kidding and cannot be serious or are they?
I really think it is time someone informs the leadership that it is the responsibility of the government to improve and protect the lives of their citizens, promote the general welfare of the society as a whole.
Government requires its citizens to pay taxes and in return it provides them with valuable services, such as well-built roads, creating employments for young men and women graduating from colleges, provide electricity, security, free public education and police-patrolled streets.
The government guarantees its citizens certain rights, such as the freedom to practice their chosen religion and protects its citizens from foreign, domestic threats, etc.
Someone must tell our leaders that diverting government money into their private bank accounts, and stealing government properties constitute pure robbery, embezzlement, etc. and must be treated as such.
What Nigeria needs now is a revolutionary leadership that has never been seen before! One that is built on the foundation of truth and transparency not one beguiled by praise-singers.
In my opinion the only way we would start the process of emerging into a new dawn, one that is focused on re-branding our badly bruised image abroad, improving our security situation, electricity problems, infrastructural deficiency, and Corruption Eradication is for President-elect Buhari to make a national televised speech and set the tone.
In the broadcast, he should inform the country that he is going to recruit men and women who are qualified to do the jobs required by their respective offices regardless of the differences in the geo-political zone of the potential candidates.
In leadership, honesty is an important virtue as leaders serve as role models for their subordinates. Honesty means integrity, truthfulness, and transparency.
These characteristics engender trust, which is critical to leaders in all positions. Honesty also implies the absence of lying, cheating, or theft.
Gen. Buhari possesses these qualities and must unleash it on the masses. The reality however is that he cannot lead Nigeria alone and if he makes the fatal mistake of surrounding himself with those who immensely contributed to the leprous state of our nation, his chances of success are definitely slim to none-existent!
Another obvious character trait of President-elect, Buhari, is his past legacy of zero tolerance to “all things corrupt”. He seems to have no interest in enriching himself as most others do while they are in office.
Yes, I said it, after all, he ruled Nigeria with a decree meaning nobody voted for him and yet he chose not to steal our money; at least the record shows that.
So now that he went through an election, I am more convinced that he has zero interest in making himself a billionaire like others before him did.
I think the man values his name more than anything else, and seems to be more interested in creating and enduring legacy more than raiding the national treasury.
I must admit here that I was one of the happiest fellows when he won. I was happy not necessary because he won but because I saw his win as a potentially new dawn for our Nation.
A nation that I love dearly and one that has bled for way too long; a nation in dire need of a new direction.
President Buhari must and should hire the best brains our country has to offer and not be too focused on zoning.
Let me repeat this for the sake of clarity! Nigerians have proven consistently to be on the top percentile of professionals around the world.
Why invest these human resources elsewhere and build up other world economies when they can be utilized at home and help transform our own nation?
Buhari must and should seriously recruit all the brains in Diaspora, USA and Europe.
The changes he must make would be top-down change from the Bottom Up, since our past experience had shown that appointing a new minister and leaving a corrupt permanent secretary is like bandaging a wound without treatment.
One of the fundamental mistakes, past Nigeria leadership have consistently made include consistently using the same corrupt people on the different positions and expecting to get different results.
The bottom line is that people can’t give what they don’t have, no matter how you push them. Someone’s background would tell you everything about them, if someone ruled a state for 8 years and has nothing to show for it, why give him another chance?
What president Buhari must do is to appoint a Czar or special adviser who would recruit for his administration the best and brightest in everywhere in the world who are Nigerians!
The same Czar would work with Nigerians abroad to attract investors, many Nigerians abroad are millionaires who would like to invest in our country if the environment is conducive.
One enduring reality is that most of Nigerians in Diaspora are experts in their various fields of endeavors; there are a slew of Nigerian doctors, Attorneys, engineers, entrepreneurs, investors and technocrats who would relocate to Nigeria at a whim if they are convinced that they would be part of the rebuilding process.
Most are willing to give back and sacrifice for the love of the country that has given them so much if given the opportunity.
President Buhari is the man to do these and these will ultimately guarantee him the most successful tenure in this nation post-independence and collectively lead us all to a new dawn; a new path, a new reality, a new nation and a new destiny.
We are long overdue for a new Nigeria, but it is never too late to begin that journey to a dynamic nationhood! We have always been the giant of this continent; it’s time to reclaim that title.
Dr. Victor Ide-Okoye is the founder of Entrepreneurs Guru Network
Path To A Successful Buhari Administration https://t.co/CR9wbJ5qYZ via @sharethis https://t.co/CR9wbJ5qYZ