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Time to break the Mould
Being the text of speech delivered by Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi mni, National President, Alumni Association of the
National Institute (AANI) on the occasion of the National Media Roundtable titled: Quo Vadis - Nigeria? at the Metropolitan Club, 15, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, on the 16th of August, 2001.
On behalf of the Alumni of the NIPPS, I welcome you to today's event. It is not in the character of AANI to make frequent public statements. In our tradition, we produce well-reasoned position papers and
discuss them directly with those in charge whether they be Heads of State, Advisers, Ministers, Civil servants or CEO's of parastatals. Very often, many of our ideas are utilized, without, as agreed, any reference
to our authorship. Sometimes, of course our suggestions are severely modified or ignored as may suit the powers for the time being. But we know that our comments are on permanent record.
Everyone
knows or should know that the NIPSS (National Institute for Policy & Strategic Studies, Kuru, Nigeria) was created in 1979. AANI emerged from NIPSS as the core-base of the nation's proactive
facilitators. AANI is represented at the highest levels of management in all fields of endavour both in the public and private sectors.
About one thousand original essays have been written by members of the
National Institute on virtually every aspect of the nation's development, including the economy, political formation, civil service, the environment, the media, socio-cultural values, infrastructure, security, and
relations with other nations and organizations. We have always been a willing and ready-made source of current ideas for governance and the private sector on virtually all subjects.
It is our considered
opinion that at this mid-term point of the new democratic dispensation, we must, in addition to visiting power centres and offering confidential advice, form partnerships with relevant constituencies in the society in
order to further strengthen the impact of our goals and strategies. The first constituency we have identified is the media. That is why we have arranged today's event termed "National media Roundtable
2001:" We are all familiar with the circumstance in which in John 13:36, Simon asked Jesus "whither goest thou" which translates to "Quo Vadis?". The theme we have chosen "Quo Vadis Nigeria?" will
offer us the opportunity to review our national priorities and agenda for development. We must emphasize that this is not a political gathering. Nor is it forum merely to complain, chastise, or condemn. It
is a brainstorming forum where everyone can frankly and freely express opinions without any fear of repercussions. That has always been the tradition in Kuru.
The media can be perceived as including newspapers,
magazines, radio, television, books and other means of communication. These have a great deal to do with a nation's direction. The role of the media is crucial in any nation's development, its perception and
message . Take away the media activities from America, the world's most powerful democracy and it becomes just another large populous ordinary nation. The media especially in Nigeria, can be a veritable tool
for promoting awareness and entertainment and better understanding of the nation's development strategies. The media has been described as the champion and barometer of freedom. But, as we have experienced, it can be a
foot-mat of the society's big boys and a sledge hammer in the hands of a despot. In earliest times, English journalist in Elizabethan and Jacobean times served private individuals and not the public. They conveyed
their news by letter writing. In 1643, Henry Walley, a clerk to the Stationers' company was appointed licencer thus bringing journalism under commercial control. Here in Nigeria, the Rev Henry Townsend set
the pace when he started Iwe Irohin at Abeokuta to get people to read and be informed. Democracy will be more secure if the editorial page is more vigorous in stature. The media should not only report
events, but should push new ideas for development. Nigeria will be more enlightened if, with responsible newspapers we have responsible readers. The press, the newspapers, the radio, the TV bear a large
share of responsibility for the climate of self confidence or of fear in any nation.
A partnership between AANI and a non-partisan and committed constituency like the media is particularly important at this stage
of the nation's development. We must together nurture and consolidate the democratic systems in our nation. The more established democracy is, the freer the individuals within the nation will be. Forty years
after independence, we are still busy gathering the blocks for nation-building. We are still busy interviewing the candidates to construct the nation anew. Meanwhile, at home and abroad, the audience is
apprehensive as they await the result of our nation-building. They are watching with interest whether we are laying a truly respectable and enduring foundation for the take-off of a new Nigeria, the world's tenth
most populous nation. In the mean time, numberless seminars and talk-shops have been and are being held. Despite all the tons of speeches and rhetorical presentations, it has become obvious that there
persists a business-as-usual approach. Democracy may be here with us as a new system but the major actors are the same.
What should be done? We must break the mould of routinism and business-as-usual
attitude in the management of the nation's affairs. The challenges deserve new bold strategic solutions. AANI is prepared to join in sincere efforts to break the mould of routinism in the approach to the nation's
challenges. In cooperation with the media, we should push the envelope further and embark on a fundamental re-consideration of the state of our nation. We cannot solve all the problems at today's sitting but
we can start a trend. The synergy between AANI and the media can bring a new proactive attitude to the problems facing our nation and create waves that will touch meaningfully the lives of Nigerians. It is
our duty so to do. East or West home is the best.
At Kuru, we ask questions. We deliberate with no holds barred on workable answers and reach a conclusion on each of the matters arising. Today,
we will simply raise sample questions to provoke your comments. We may reach a concensus at the end of our deliberations. Or we may decide to pursue some of the matters at a later date. Here are some
typical questions.
Why is the average Nigerian worse-off today than he was ten or more years ago, despite all the policies, programmes and efforts of succeeding government? Why is there general
disenchantment among the populace? What can be done to bring back the good old values of discipline, credibility, integrity, self-confidence and hope among leaders and followers alike, throughout the
country? How can the abundant resources of the country be exploited and equitably distributed among Nigerians? It is a verified truism that a nation is as good as the policies formulated and
implemented by its leaders. What has been wrong with our policies, the formulators as well as the executors of these policies. Right now, a culture of cynicism seems to be waxing strong among Nigerians due
to disappointments arising from unrealized dreams and a catalogue of policy errors and missed opportunities. Quo Vais? Now is the time to begin again and endeavour to find new practicable answers to these basic
national questions. Now is the time to establish new paradigms in our policy formulation and implementation process. As one British Foreign Minister, Mr. Douglas Hurds once said, (Guardian June 27, 1990 pg.
7) a nation's integrity: "Lies in the policies which it chooses to pursue and the results of such policies".
What is the trouble with Nigeria? Why is it that solution to our various politico-economic
problems seem to elude us after 40 years of independence? Once, Nigeria's lack of progress was blamed on the fact that leading politicians were illitrates. But thereafter, we have tried academicians, lawyers,
teachers, the military and other professional to handle the decision-making and policy implementation process. Yet the system does not work satisfactorily.
What kind of Nigeria do we want? A Nigeria
in which everyone complains of domination by the other? Or a Nigeria which we take as it is complex, difficult to govern, a sleeping giant difficult to rouse from its slumber, but which has the potential, if
awake, to earn a place of respect and pride for itself and the black race on this planet? We Nigerians do not seem to have made up our minds. Over six times we have threatened the integrity of the nation in
the last forty years. In 1950 at the Ibadan Constitutional Conference, the Emirs of Zaria and Katsina openly threatened the secession from Nigeria following an argument as to how many Nigerians from each
region should sit in the Central Legislature. In 1953, Chief Obafemi Awolowo challenged Oliver Lyleteton, then British Secretary for the colonies to deny the right of the Western Region to opt out of Nigeria
because of the excision of Lagos from the West. There was also, the reported intention of Lt.Col. Gowon (as he then was) to announce "Araba" (Separation) of Northern Nigeria in 1966. There was the Biafran war
which raged for thirty months following the declaration of Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu (as he then was) that states consisting the Eastern region were to be component parts of "Sovereign Republic of Biafra". There was
the attempt by Major Isaac Boro to carve out the Delta region from the rest of Nigerian in the early 60's. And on April 22, 1990 it was Major Gideon Orkar that declared the suspension of the membership of Kano,
Katsina, Sokoto, Borno, and Bauchi states from Nigeria. There have been and there still are other threats of dis-integration depending on the issues to be settled. How long will this go?
Do we have to
be kept together by force or threat of force all the time? Or can we all be made to accept the unique nature and make-up of our country and take it as it is, with all its centrifugal elements? Will we as Nigerians
continue to play lip-service to the ideals of unity and faith celebrated on our coat-of-arms, or can we consolidate these two ideals under the umbrella of justice, truth, fellowship and honesty? The choice is OURS!
We may choose to continue to be hypocritical about a serious proposition like Nigeria. We may choose to continue to pay lip service to one Nigeria and by rumours of discontent and deliberate misinformation and
ethnic loyalties, encourage another attempt at the country's dismemberment. We may continue to quote the British, Balewa, Zik, Awolowo or Gowon to sell the idea that Nigeria is only a geographical expression.
Or we may all take a hard look at what is left of the country following over 40 years of battering and decide to build it up together, this time for real. The Nigerian condition may be critical; but its not
beyond redemption. With mutual tolerance, respect, understanding and equity in the management and distribution of available resources, Nigeria may still be great.
In 1986, a special government
sponsored commission wrote three big volumes on the topic of the idea of a Nigeria nation. In 1989, some Nigerians were busy promotion the idea of a National Conference to deal with the National question including
the idea of renegotiating or formulating a new conceptualization of the idea of a truly Nigerian nation. This is not new. We are reminded of familiar exercises in the 1950s, the Gowon 1966 conference, the
Murtala 1975 message to the constitution Drafting Committee and IBB's 1986 Political Bureau Debates. So are we aware of the various attempts at constitution drafting and the now over-flogged issue of a sovereign,
National Conference? If there was a national conference sovereign or non sovereign called today, will the various nationalities each have a well articulated position at a national conference? Or will each group
try to force its own position down the throats of others? Quo Vadis?
It has been often said that we are practising a Presidential system a la America? Is that really true? If so is it really the best form of
government for our impoverished environment, including poverty of idea, poverty of material resource? In fact, how many highly placed persons can rightly define how our presidential system works? Is parliamentary
democracy a la Great Britain necessarily the better or only alternative? Is it impossible, given the quality and quantity of Nigerians, to adopt and adapt from wherever and fashion our a Nigeria friendly democratic
system? Remember that long before America was put together as a nation, Nigerians had established a system of governance, which was stable and egalitarian. In the 16th century, the Oba of Benin already sent his
ambassador to Portugal and even took time to study some Portuguese.
On July 4th 1776 John Hancock, as President of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of independence in the USA based on the
recommendations of the federating but free independence states. In the case of Switzerland, the first three Swiss cantons formed a political federating treaty in 1291. More and more cantons joined on agreed
terms and the last three cantons joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815. Today, there are 22 cantons in Switzerland with clearly set out patterns of relationship with one another and with the central government.
Today, in Switzerland the cantons are where the action is. Their government is participatory and the struggle to become Head of State of the federated cantons of Switzerland is virtually a non-event. Today,
Switzerland is solid, developed and dependable. That is why sensitive United Nations agencies are head-quartered there. That is also why monies looted by despots and smart alecs all over the world are stored
in their secure vaults.
What about the role of INEC and the number of political parties? What is wrong with having a multiplicity of parties each finding its own level at election time? Democracies all over the
world accommodate as many parties as the constituents can dream up, but only those with the appealing ideology grow and endure. It is instructive to recall that in the first House of Representatives set up in
Nigeria before independence, with the approval of the colonial masters, the 190 member-House was made up of members drawn from seven political parties as well as independently elected persons and eight other selected as
special members to represent special interests in the private sector. We have the records.
Why is the coordination of the fiscal and monetary policies so ineffective? Why are there so many functionaries -
the Vice President, the Minister of finance, the Chief economic adviser, the Minister of Economic matters, several special, senior and ordinary advisers all singing different tunes on the economy? Who centrally and
effectively monitors borrowing and expenditure at the State and Local Government levels? What are the checks and balances? Why is the CBN gradually becoming a toothless bulldog? Can the CBN not be restructured to give
it back-bone and teeth so that it can bark, chase and bite and have courage to sanction erring banks and financial institutions? What sanctions are applied to those caught with under-declaration at the ports, or those
bank which falsified their returns to the CBN or banks de-faulting on inter-bank loans and including in round-tripping? Why the persistent double digit interest rates? Are the spending strategies at all levels of
government cost-efficient? Why is the real sector registering such negligible development? Do we realize that the economy cannot go forward unless we get the political and economic development equations right? One thing
is clear: we are not short of facts and recommendations as to what to do. For example, the issue of inflation task force under the chairmanship of Prof. H. M. A. Onitiri of NISER in August 15, 1975.
The members worked hard and produced their report by October 1975 including 108 recommendations (see page 71/78 of the Report). The report was received with fanfare but largely ignored thereafter like many others after
it. The problem is the political will to implement and set examples and send the strong message that obedience of our laws is the beginning of wisdom.
By all means, the physical infrastructures must be put in
place. However, the restructuring of the Psysche of the people is more important.
In the formulation of a strategy for re-inventing Nigeria, there are several elements. Let us briefly touch on two
core problem areas namely, social and political leadership succession and recruitment; and the National question. We feel that the restoration of a functional leadership succession and recruitment is a
precondition for the restoration of positive values, order and progress in the socio-political existence of Nigeria. By January 15, 1966, a crisis had clearly developed in the performance of the function of
leadership succession and recruitment in Nigeria. The attempt to grapple with this problem via a military intervention had only resulted in a deepening rather than a resolution of the crisis for reasons which we
need not delve into in this address. Suffice to say that ever since, Nigeria had been saddled with a cure that was in all materials particular worse than the disease, a correction that was more defective than the
error.
The inevitable manifestation of this legacy has a multiplier effect which consist of the enthronement of 419 kingpins, robber barons and sundry rogue leaders as the icons of society. We must ask the
question why is it that the best and brightest are mostly alienated if not appalled by the thought of actively engaging in politics?. Yet it used to be the case that vocational politics was actually the turf of the most
qualitative men and women amongst us. We remember with nostalgia the era where the Azikiwes, Awolowos, Tafawa Balewas, the Sardaunas, the Aminu Kanos, Rotimi Williams, Sanya Onabamiros, Remi Fanikayodes, Eyo Itas,
Odutola's Osuntokuns, Tony Enahoros, the Okotie Ebohs were the dominant genre of Nigeria's political class. Somehow we must seek to re-establish the broken linkage with this noble past.
The only meaningful party
to tread in addressing ourselves to this imperative is to vigorously and boldly push the programme of leadership succession and recruitment to the front burner. Now is the time to compel the attention of the nation to
the imperative of fostering a qualitative and functional successor corps of leaders in a deliberate and imaginative way. We must recreate a society where competent, capable and noble young men and women will feel
obliged to seek and assume leadership roles to which they are morally and vocationally suited and in which capacity society can optimize its benefit from them. Political leadership especially, should no longer be
abandoned, to the vagaries and morally purblind workings of contemporary politics. We must device an extra-partisan institutional platform for identifying, stimulating and nurturing leadership cadres which will serve as
a pool for political leadership recruitment. We propose the time honoured and universally received norm of mentoring of our younger generation. Mentoring is the process in which a more experienced employee guides and
assists in the development of a less experienced employee.
The Mentor has roles such as Teachers, to help increase skills and abilities; Sponsor, to assist in career entry and achievement; Host and Guide; to
acquaint an individual with key people and the organization culture in general; Exemplar, to provide a model whom the protégé may emulate and counsel, to offer support and advice". This is the role that befit
elders like us who witnessed and appreciated the potentials demonstrated by Nigeria in the early years of self government.
The Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategies Studies, NIPSS, whose alumni association
I have the singular honour of presiding over, definitely has a unique role to play in our proposal for a comprehensive programme of leadership recruitment. Earlier on, we identified the National question as the
second core problem area in the formulation of a strategy for re-inventing Nigeria.
The National question, for us, consists of the problem of engendering a belief in, and commitment to the notion of Nigerian
nationhood. By reason of the majoritarian principle (60% of Nigerians are below 30) and the significant fact that the youths and our younger compatriots are not as politically set in their ways as some of us, the
hope for the realization of the belief and commitment to Nigerian nationhood can only be secured among the younger generation. Afterall, they are the custodians of Nigeria's posterity. We must immediately
put in place what can be called a junior NIPSS programme whereby young leaders one from each State and four others from interest and professional groups can be identified and exposed to a six-to-ten week intensive study
programme at Kuru. AANI has worked out the logistic and will give every support to government in generating a new corps of future leaders. It is the legacy which President Obasanjo can leave for posterity.
The infrastructures of energy, water and the like will come and go. But catching them young and building in them the infrastructure of integrity, transparency and accountability in our future may be the best
infrastructure of all.
Attempts to grapple with the two problem areas of social and political leadership succession and recruitment, and the National question, will be better served if we focus on the Nigerian
youth as the engine of change.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our recent history shows that God, not ourselves, helped Nigeria to effect a change from despotism to a new democratic dispensation. But are we
sufficiently introspective to manage the change, which the new opportunity offers to the maximum advantage of the voting masses?
People can endure personal tragedies and private grief exacted by the nation only
if they feel the nation itself is worthy. Something has to be urgently done to make Nigeria a country we can trust again, a country worth redeeming , a country we can once more be proud of. The country's
spirit may be broken, but together we can work towards the revival of its lost glory. Together, we can once more make Nigeria matter, and respectable in the comity of nations.
Nigeria is certainly not
impossible to govern. What we need are leaders who are true believers and adherents in the concept of one Nigeria. As we have found out, even the sponsors of "One Nigeria" and similar jingles and speeches
may not be believers or adherents!
It is no use leaving it all to the powers for the time being, for they too will pass away while Nigeria remains hopefully permanent. The media is strong. AANI has an
awesome outreach and enduring connectivity in this nation. As it were, the media has the mouth and AANI has the clout. Together, we can make a difference for the better in this nation. So help us God.
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