Vision 20:2020: Yar’Adua finally finding his rythm?

By ABAYOMI ADESHIDA Abuja
ALMOST  two and a half years into the Yar’Adua administration, Nigerians are apt to want to view the scorecard, which would  form the fulcrum of the mood of the disciples of the administration who would pitch political tents in the  2011 presidential poll  according to their understanding of the president’s style.

President Yar Adua

One transparent character of the Presidency since the change of democratic leadership in May 2007 is the unpredictability of the decision of the man at whose desk the bucks stop; at the risk of being called a locomotive engine and many other adjectives that are synonymous with the snail speed at which the administration took off, the helmsman shoved off every inch of distractions to stay on course.

A home lesson from the manner the nation has been governed by the administration is the fact that for results to be achieved in life, one should carefully maximize his effectiveness by delegating duties to others who are being prepared for bigger roles in future.

As a leader, Yar’Adua has, in many ways, maximized his effectiveness through the deployment of the appropriate minister to tackle matters of statecraft in a manner that would be envied by those who served in many of the former  governments because of the successes that are now sprouting from that singular decision.

In June this year, the Federal Government decided to look into the reason  for the stoppage of the facilities of the Japanese Bank for International Corporation (JBIC)  which had not been received in the country for fifteen years and see how the relationship could be restored to further oil the dream of achieving the Vision 20:2020.

Armed with the presidential directive to achieve results, the foreign affairs minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, jetted out  to the Asian country. During his meetings with the Japanese government officials, Maduekwe highlighted the imperatives of resuming the assistance and suggested that the Japanese government support (JBIC assistance) can resume immediately with the consideration of the Kwara State and Abuja market projects.

In specific terms, Maduekwe convinced the Japanese deputy minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Yashihiro Nishimura, to support the Kwara  project. At a dinner with the Japanese foreign affairs minister, Maduekwe told his guest that Nigeria and indeed Africa is not a collection of hungry mouths to be fed but that it is the next frontier for global development rich with “able and willing men and women ready to contribute to the development of the world.”

Rather than look for aid, we are ready to partner with the Japanese Government in many areas as there are mutual benefits for both Nigeria and Japan if we trade together, what is required now is for the Japanese Government to take the leap of  faith,” he stated. While the meetings continued, Maduekwe did not ignore the role of a Japanese individual whose testimonies about Nigeria and his investments in the country have passed the litmus test, thereby making diplomatic moves faster due to his personal relationship with Nigerians. The role of Japanese businessman, Mr. Takeji Akaho, in attracting Japanese development to the African continent through Nigeria will go down in history as one of the pillars upon which the future of a hard working race is built.

Akaho, through his firm, Japan Overseas Development and Investment Company, has experienced the business clime on the continent with investments spread all over; after a careful study of the returns on his investments, he once declared that the treasure to develop Africa is in Nigeria. Maduekwe’s visit to Japan paid off in August with the visit to Nigeria by the vice  president, JBIC;  a visit which indicated that the bank  was prepared to enter into the largest market in the black world.

The following  month, Takeji returned to Nigeria  to assure Maduekwe that, very soon, some concrete steps would be taken to sow some seed. Today, the promise of massive Japanese investments in Nigeria is seeing the daylight in the form of first providing funds for the multi-million-naira Kwara  project. Another diplomatic move  in which the Yar’Adua government should be given a pat on the back is the recent election of Nigeria to occupy the non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council.

For reasons that are obvious, it was tougher for the three Nigerian  foreign affairs ministers to work individually through the regions under their brief and collectively to convince member nations to cast their votes for Nigeria for the coveted UN seat than efforts to attract investments into the country.

However, Yar’Adua and his vice, Goodluck Jonathan, spent quality time to canvass support for the country during the  visits they paid to sister nations, when they received foreign visitors and during bilateral and multi-lateral talks at meetings in and outside the country. When President Barrack Obama of the United States addressed the 64th General Assembly in New York, Nigeria was ably represented by Maduekwe. The foreign affairs ministers said he had been hopeful last year that the world would end the devastating impact of the various global crises, including  energy, agriculture and the financial sectors.  However, the world had not seen relief yet.

He acknowledged the efforts of the United Nations, especially regarding the Conference on the World Financial and Economic Conference, last June, and called for implementation of that meeting’s recommendations.

He applauded the African
Nuclear-Weapon-Free-
Zone, which banned testing, manufacturing, stockpiling, and possessing nuclear weapons in Africa.  Turning to internal matters, he said Nigeria continued to make great strides in its effort to build a democratic, stable and peaceful nation.  The country sought to build on this foundation to grow an economy that would see it take its rightful place among the world’s power houses, he declared, but acknowledged that there were still challenges.  Still, there had been progress in the Niger Delta, and the return of peace there would provide the platform for meeting the aspirations of the people and return of economic activity.
After the votes were cast, Nigeria eventually topped the list of the five fresh members of the countries voted into the non-permanent seats of the United Nations Security Council. With the recent success of the amnesty granted to the youths of the Niger Delta, piloted by the defence minister, Maj. General Godwin Abbey, with the assistance of the governors of the states in the region and the more recent final agreement in the education sector that ended the several years of denials and counter-claims between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, one could accept that the administration is gradually moving towards laying the foundation for attaining its Vision 20:2020.