By Rotimi Fasan
THERE are few qualities to define a purposeful, goal-oriented leadership as clear-thinking, careful planning and execution. The amount of these qualities a leader and/or government possesses should at most times be indicative of their/its preparedness or otherwise for leadership.
These qualities can be employed in examining the diverse approaches of the Yar’Adua and Fashola administrations to governance. While one is not by this comparison equalising the enormity of work involved in governing a federation and a state within that federation, there is no doubt that the qualities required in running one is what is required in running the other.
This is not even considering the enormity of work necessary for managing a complex state like Lagos which could be a good testing ground for anyone wanting to be president of Nigeria. When the Yar’Adua administration came into office in May 2007, it took it a couple of months to settle down to work.
After one or two appointments of principal officers of the administration, it would be many weeks later before the cabinet would be constituted.
The government in due course would start talking of a 7-Point Agenda that administration officials were quick to hold up as the blueprint guiding its activities when Nigerians started to worry and give voice to their worry about how the pace of governance had been greatly slowed, almost halted.
At the same time the government mouthed its 7-Point Agenda, it sought to explain away its non-performance by its desire to move Nigeria in the direction of “due process” and “rule of law”, a good enough reason in its estimation for bringing the country’s development to an unnatural halt.
The government would continue in its ad-hoc ways, drunkenly drifting from one point to another until it stumbled upon its “Nigeria: good people, great nation” rebranding programme, two years into its presidency. When that programme was launched in March this year, the government sought to make Nigerians and the world believe that our problem was one of poor image.
If we are to accept this kind of thinking, then our state of infrastructure collapse, energy crisis and the situation in which we now find ourselves where nearly all sectors of the society is on strike is also a problem of image. That PHCN does not provide more than a few minutes of electricity to many parts of Nigeria in weeks is also a matter of poor image requiring rebranding.
This despite government’s claims to increase power generation from a paltry 1000 megawatts or less to 6000 megawatts in five months.
Contrast the Yar’Adua approach, however, to that of Raji Fashola whose government also runs a rebranding programme anchored on the slogan, “Eko o ni baje”. That the Fashola approach was not an afterthought is clear from the fact that the government had adopted the “Eko o ni baje” slogan right from the campaigns.
Like Obama’s “Yes we can” slogan, Fashola didn’t wait to be elected before adopting a plank on which to run his administration.
The government hit the ground running, making it clear to Lagosians that their state needed rebranding, not in the fashion of empty sloganeering, but as a mnemonic mantra to remind the forgetful that things needed to change from the Lagos of the immediate past where roads were blocked for merrymakers; a Lagos in the desperate hold of dirt, unplanned and environmentally polluted to one nursing the hopes of a twenty-first century mega city.
The present minders of Lagos knew the history of the city, where it was coming from and how it came into the unfortunate situation of dereliction that has held back her development. But more importantly, they had an agenda of what should be done to halt the slide in the fortunes of the state and bring it to the standard of cities of equal status around the world.
“Eko o ni baje” is not a language game to mask the inefficiency of a purposeless cabal, or an administration that lacks a sense of direction.
It is, in the context of what the Fashola administration’s aspirations for Lagos, not the usual talk by politicians to hide behind empty or meaningless words to confuse the thinking of the people.
We are not where we want to be yet in Lagos, but we are getting there. Getting there because the Lagos government came into office prepared. Yar’Adua has been described as a reluctant president foisted on Nigerians by Obasanjo.
It’s not enough justification, however, for a leader who came into office prepared not to perform.
This much is obvious in the case of Fashola who some say was Tinubu’s candidate. His emergence, indeed, angered a few persons who imagined their being buddy-buddy with Tinubu was the qualification necessary to govern Lagos.
In retrospect, Lagos has been lucky while Nigeria needs to pray that things change in Abuja. And the difference between the Lagoa and Abuja example is how prepared each was before coming into office.
wait a minute, Fashola has already spent over two years in office and I must admit that a lot of good talk is going on about him and I am happy for him for that but how many physical capital projects has he completed and how much has he spent in total in the last two years? I hope we are not exaggerating his achievement………..
Mr. Bari Salau, you have spoken all good but i think a credit is due to whoever deserves it. Gov Fashola, according to Lagosians deserves one, pls. Im not a Lagosian and ive not been in Nigeria in 4 years but what people are saying about that state is that its transforming.
Im sure you are aware of electricity in Nigeria at present, can any gov do what you said you achieved when you were a chairman right now? I dont think so sir. Electricity in Nigeria is a dead issue and it needs a rebirth and not rebranding of madam Dora.
If Yardua led govt can speed up the rate at which they execute project like Fashola mayube no one would have noticed that Fashola exist. You claim that gov Fashola is not doing much by giving free education and equipped housing estate for Lagosians, hmmm sir, i think people are right, fashola has to start from somewhere. You will agree with me that cleaning the road and buldozing structures actually give some people job, dont you agree? So if you said he didnt give people food well he gives some people job. Abeg give him credit.
I want to refer to the first Comment by Bari Salau. Its very clear from his position that he does not not know what governance in 21st century is all about. I can not but conclude he is one of those “Cabal” blindfolded on the platform of party politics that undermine the constitutional development of tNigeria as a whole. He should go back to history and Nigeria constituion on exclusivity of federal power on certain areas. Tell me what Fashola can do to generate power for Lagos….Create his own PHCN?? or Set up IPP. Have you forgotten that whoever pay the piper dictate the tune..Federal is the custodian of those amenitiy. By all standard, usinf time, resources and ways of implementation. Governor Fashola has perform beyond expectation. He has shown to the masses that hope is not far from reach povided the leaders are sincere. Let other Governor of your party do the same and we shall chorus their achievement.
Now its the time for Nigerian to accept progressive leadership as a way out not party loyalty.
God Bless Nigeria, God Bless Lagos State, God bless Gov. Fashola
our ‘appointed’ president has nothing to over only embezling our money but the elected great Baba Fash is performing beyond expectation.Keep on your good work!
Because Nigerians have been denied of good governance for a long time , Nigerians are blind to what yardstick to measure good governance. Even though I have not been to Nigeria in six years , I can smell Nigeria because I make contact with Nigeria expecially Lagos on daily bases. I wonder each time people say Fashola is doing well in Lagos State . When you probe them further they say , you need to go to Oshodi where the whole place is clear. They say Fashola government has beautified Lagos with flower.What is that? Na flower we go chop?That is not to say his purcahse of transportation buses are not commendable provided it could be maintained in the standard of the old ‘Zapaz ‘ and LSDPC before they were destroyed .
When you ask those who eulogise Fashola about non availability of adequate water and electricity supply or school, housing and health facilities they commonly and usually murmur with their tongues stucked in their mouth’ you know he has to do it little by little ,at least he is trying ‘ and they do not forget to hastily add that ‘you know electricity is the function of the federal government ‘ as if the state has no constitutional responsibility to ensure adequate supply of electricity which I know it has.When I was Chairman of Somolu Local Government I was on the back of NEPA officials in my domain constituting the demissed constitutionally recognized Somolu and Kosofe Local which were constituted and separated under my authority to ensure that NEPA discharged its responsibility to my constituents and it worked as NEPA supplied transformers to areas which were denied for years. With my late Supervisory Councillor , late M.A.O. Adeyemi and my intergovernmental committee headed by late Comrade Yomi Olusanya ,we repaired all the taps installed by former Chairmen Engineer Adelani and my friend ,Otunba Fatai Arobieke and paid necessary bills to the Lagos State Water Corporation to ensure water flew to the street taps and households among other functions within my 9 months tenure. So when I am talking about power available to government to render services to the public , I know what I am talking about. I know as a matter of fact that the Nigerian Governor are more statutorilly more powerfull than American Governors and yet some Nigerian Governors still feel inadequate by asking for what they call ‘true’ federalism ,an euphemism for more of the share of federal revenue while they impoversh the local governments under them with all kinds of unconstitutional maneuverings.Alhaji L.K Jakande , of the old Lagos for Action fame,may God continue to guide him,who knows a lot about governance in Lagos State has in his 80th birthday Vanguard interview stated the criteria for measuring goverment performance. According to him any government that does not provide education at all levels to its people or provide them with adequate housing facility with comfort can not pass that text. I for one agree with him as I do not use ‘roadside mechanic ‘ data used by the compromised newspapers and chorus boys to judge Fashola and Yar’adua government.
In a federation there is no basis to judge Yar’Adua and Fashola. If all the State governments are doing well Yar’Adua could be said to bedoing well. But since most of them are not doing well, the bulk stops at Yar’Adua desk. Yar’ Adua is said to be slow and I can not agree more, if not how can he open his eyes and send local government funds to Lagos state for Lagos State to be sharing them to institutions that have no constitutional backing? What type of rule of law is that ?
How can Fahola do well when he as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria operates an anarchical local government system which he dishonestly divines variably as local governments or Local Development Councils depending on where and when is talking. Those who say that Fashola is doing well do not know the difference between democracy and ‘demon-crazy’. Those who now eulogising him are the same people who were praising Bola Tinubu when he was governor. As they now praise Fashola, they turn Tinubu to a political liliputian or at best a Moses before Jesus Christ. As for Yar’ Adua ,I will only say a people deserves the government that it has. One more, President Yar’Adua must understand that rule of law goes beyond rhetorics, it can only be a means to the end of providing services to the people.
Bari Salau,an ex Editor of John West Publications; Former Special Assistant to the Federal Minister of Transport and Aviation in Nigeria is an Investigation / Political Oversight Consultant temporarily now based in New York, USA.
We can put an end to all these and create a New & Dynamic Nigeria . We can do it two ways. First, the bloody revolution way. Secondly, by getting liberals and moderates in the North to confront and take on the Northern Oligarch comprehensively.
See, I’m a firm believer that as long as the North is piloting the affairs of Nigeria, Nigeria as a nation will not prosper. It’s not a curse. We are now comparing Yar’s non-performance with Egbon Fash’s dynamism….it’s unfair…it’s like comparing life with death.
Back to my point…..the only people that can save us from another 49 yrs of Northen Mis-Rule are the Northerners. They have to kick against the cultural oppression foisted upon them by their own people, they have to be made aware that the rest of Nigeria wants them to be FREE, their lot is far worse than that of any other region in Nigeria, save the Niger Delta. Instead of turning their rage on Christians and Southerners living in the North, they should aim their pent up rage and frustration directly at the cause. They should take on their Emirs. They should start asking difficult, tough and uncomfortable questions of their Emirs and Imams….. they should start asking why the core North is the least educated, least enlightened region in Nigeria.
If the Northern People, who are culurally and religiously oppressed, kick against their tormentors, and fight for their FREEDOM…the rest of Nigeria will support them, if their struggle is legitimate & sustained.
Southerners are not enemies of the Northen people, they are God’s children as well….what we won’t accept anymore is the North’s “born to rule” mentality, and their strangle hold on our country Nigeria. They are not born to rule anybody, period. God, they can’t even develop their own region after 49 years in power. It’s a damn shame.
My comment is laconic and up to the point.Tag Mr. Babatunde Raji Fasola (SAN) as the future president of Nigeria. “NIGERIA KO NI BAJE O” Amin !!!
One hard truth to learn from this missive is that we should only elect gainfully employed persons and not the hoard of jobless criminals we have in public offices.
Mr President should stop chasing shadows and concentrate on more PRESSING ISSUES e.g Power , Agricultural, Niger Delta, Corruption, etc. We will defend the greatest Governor of our time in Nigeria Babatunde Raji Fashola with all we have. Baba Fash EKO ONI BAJE O!
Keep on the good work, Fashola! Make us proud. Modernise the city, help clean the environment and your name would be forever carved in gold and diamond.
As for the president, keep on messing up with all the thieves surrounding you. You have been in power for two years and three months, yet still, nothing has been done to increase food production to alleviate the plight of the same poor and ignorant people who were cajoled, enticed and tricked into voting for you. You have not been able to solve even 0.01% of the power problem afflicting our dear nation and people around you are already planning for 2011 election. God! what a life?