By Emmanuel Ajibulu

Over the years, one of the disturbing concerns of the 21st century especially in Nigeria is finding and nurturing purposeful leaders for socio-political and economic advancement.

Thankfully, a glimpse of hope finally came as Governor Olusegun Mimiko vigorously engage in ridding off leadership deficit and creating an enabling environment to foster millennium development goals, food security, and human capital development, among other things in Ondo State.

Aside these sheer qualities of excellence which keep resonating in his leadership style, Mimiko has also began a voracious campaign which can seamlessly help the Nigerian government to identify the fact that if the country would have to make any headway, its success rate must be doubled.

This intellectual analysis of the governor was potently emphasised at the public presentation of a book in Abuja on Tuesday. He expressed regret that Nigeria was one of the largest food importers in the world despite over 74 million hectares of arable land in the country and, as a result, spends an average of N24.5 trillion annually on food importation.

It does not take a genius to know that such a scenario cannot sustain economic growth but would only raise inflation rate and also cripple the efforts of our local farmers and causing other devastating effects on our fragile economy.

While addressing the issue of the educational system, he affirmed that the state of infrastructure, institutional materials and quality of teaching had nose-dived precipitously in the country.

Quite frankly, there appears to be a future that Nigeria can be proud of, going by contents of the 512-page book, titled, “Nigeria Golden Book”. The document chronicles Nigeria’s journey to statehood from 1914, when Sir Lord Lugard amalgamated the northern and southern protectorates and christened the union, Nigeria. The book succinctly tells the nation’s story with an eye on the future, examines her journey through independence, the post-independence crisis to the leadership challenges and the present democratic dispensation.

The book has been receiving rare commendations from eminent Nigerians including past and present leaders, traditional rulers, and captains of industry, professionals, and politicians, among others. No wonder the event witnessed the presence of political bigwigs, captains of industry, technocrats, members of the diplomatic corps, etc.

Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Jigawa State Governor Mallam Sule Lamido, among others, made stimulating demands for a new deal anchored on the expressed wishes of the people; even as a former Head of State, who chaired the event, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, warned that no effort to re-shape the destiny of the country should be spared.

Mimiko, who was the keynote speaker at the occasion, extolled the “Can do Spirit” of Nigerians, which, he observed, had been blighted by stagnation in vital sectors, including agriculture, health, infrastructure, leadership deficit and a defective structure.  He blamed the electoral woes of the past and the consistent decline in economic growth on the malaise, and, therefore, called for an urgent “discussion on the future of the nation.”

In an ecclesiastical tone, the governor said: “We must talk in this country. We cannot continue to pretend and run away from it. There are structural problems. If we don’t talk, people will talk for us in the streets; robbers, kidnappers and terrorists will talk for us in the streets.”

He enjoined the National Assembly to join in the struggle to put together a perfect structure that will fashion out a perfect constitution of our dreams.

Meanwhile, a lawmaker who shares same ideology with the governor, Honourable Joseph Akinlaja (Labour leader in the Federal House of Representatives), attributed the positive improvement in the April elections to the amendment of the Constitution last year.

He insisted that the National Assembly will be unrepentant in its progressive strides irrespective of the clamour for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC). He noted that the House would likely review the Land Use Act to encourage agriculture, fiscal federalism to reduce tension in the polity, adding that the House had already taken the lead by prunning down its running costs which will foster a good direction for the polity. Akinlaja, while throwing his weight behind Mimiko, said: “It is important to note that Governor Mimiko was seemingly spot on, when he stressed that “we need to talk”.

Mimiko is Nigeria’s best performing governor and the facts are evident. In the circle of intellectuals, particularly those with residential, professional, or emotional stakes in Nigeria, he is honoured as an exemplary leader exhibiting the realities of purposeful, progressive and visionary governance. He is the cynosure of all eyes in a political topography devoid of leadership flaws and with clarity of political vision, a model deserving of widespread replication. The governor deserves all the credit he is getting.

His governance philosophy and his ability to grow his ideas from paper to infrastructure and service-delivery outcomes make him a champion in this segment of our on-going democratic transition. However, in this era of leadership deficit in our states and at the national level, we must look to the margins to locate and celebrate every effective, disciplined, compassionate, and result-oriented leaders; interestingly, Mimiko is that shining example that should be celebrated.

* Ajibulu is media aide to Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, a member of the House of Reps (Ondo East/West) and Deputy National Chairman of Labour Party, Nigeria.