ON the eve of an election that many have said will define the next 50 years of Nigeria as a country, there is palpable angst that 50 years after, this greatly endowed country is but an economic Lilliputian.

There is consensus that things must change and dramatically too if this country is to take its rightful leadership role not just in the continent but in the globe.

For many a Nigerian, happenings across the world reveals that leadership is being entrusted on the young and upwardly mobile to deliver the recipe for growth and development.

Take Britain, the United States of America, Egypt and even Japan and the recluse state of North Korea, there is a paradigm shift to the younger generation to shine the torch of leadership and guidance. As a global player, Nigeria cannot be immune to the tidal wave that is at present the generational shift.

Over the past few months, we have seen government underachieve; we have seen a detachment in commitment and a beleaguered president that goes from pone faux paus to another.

It is instructive to state that politicians generally love to see themselves as leaders but we know that not all of them actually are. Today, this country is in dire need of a leader that is in tune with the times; one who can trample over obstacles with unyielding doggedness and even a kind of childlike insouciance.

It is this regard that one has to consider the matrix of Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS)as the count down to the 2011 elections gathers momentum. It is trite saying that great leaders are a very rare thing and in each  generation, there are but few ones that can wear the toga of greatness.

Take the pre-independence era for instance. We had Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Michael Okpara and a few others that can truly be referred to as great.. but over the years, the toga of greatness seems to have taken flight, leaving the political landscape bare.  In the dryness of the season, ABS has come as the shining light in the descending darkness.

For the past seven years as governor of Kwara State, he has demonstrated the streak of statesman, piloting a state that sits as a bridge between the South and the North. He has balanced the religious and ethnic configurations of Kwara State so that it is one of, if not the safest state in country.

During the past seven years of his governorship, Bukola has stayed clear of what seems as a common denominator of politicians- scandals and corruption allegation. Born of silver spoon, the medical doctor-turned politician has shown that he is at home with all men: the mighty, the rich and the poor; the have and the indigent. For him governance is about the people and for the people.

Little wonder he has focused on strengthening the instrument of governance so that Kwarans and all Nigerians resident in the state can have better life through policies that are sustainable in alleviating poverty and creating jobs.

Towards this end, he provided the enabling environment for the exiled Zimbabwean farmers who have turned acres of arable land into productive agricultural fields, employing thousands and in the process creating a ripple effect in income generation.

Besides the agricultural miracle, Kwara State at present boasts of an integrated and hi-tech power generation complex capable of providing much-needed energy for the state and beyond.

But this project which will transform the economy of not only the state but neighbouring states cannot go full blast because of the Federal Government’s intransigence of being the sole authorising organ on power generation.

There is a clarion call for a leader who can convey our aspirations, values and dreams of a great nation and without doubt, Saraki is the man that can fittingly hold his own amongst the pack of presidential hopefuls with world leaders like Obama of the United States , David Cameron of Britain and Sarkozy of France because they are men of the same generation.

ABS as a man of genuine emotions has for nearly seven years demonstrated that he is imbued with the wisdom and humility of the ancients as chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum.

In these years, he has roused his equals to action, forging them into a formidable force to chart a path for their people and country.

There is no doubt that if he were not up to the task, he would not have been entrusted with such an office this long. During this period, he has built bridges between the old and the young, North-core and South-focused.

This is the leader our country desperately needs after wandering in the leadership wilderness for over 50 years and especially within the past few months where we have seen a dithering president who has been fortuitous all his political life.

ABS belongs to the school that believes that genuine leadership means setting the agenda, taking tough stand, honouring agreements, whether gentlemanly or signed.

Mr. Ibinabo PREYE , a political  analyst, writes from Sagbama, Bayelsa State.