By Nzeribe Ihekwaba
SEVERAL years ago, the Ghanaian public got fed up
with that nation’s rut and economic meltdown and
simply demanded that its erstwhile leader, J.J. Rawlings
(then Ghana’s President at the material time), must do
something. In the streets, the crowd poured out and
chanted, “J.J., do something.” Their grouse was as
varied as the disparate groups had contentious
mission and agenda. At the end of the day, as they say,
Ghana witnessed a fresh breath of national renewal.
Since it is often fashionable among the developing
nations to copy strategies and doctrines, as pedestrian
as it is in some cases, perhaps the Nigerian powers can
own up to the reality of its misfortune: That the nation
isn’t moving anywhere. Proof is based on use of critical
indicia of national development. The political
leadership must finally own up to what everyone else
has known for a long time: that infrastructure is it. It is
time to fix it rather than the recurring posturing of fixing
blame on predecessors and partisan has-beens, the
so-called opposition and its relatives in amorphous
groups.
Yesterday is terribly gone. And the failed regimes of the
past are done even as they disclaim any responsibility
whilst many now live with the havoc they wrecked on
the system. The loots are also gone since the ICPC and
EFCC are doing feebly squat about that, much to every
one’s chagrin. The elite will never give up their own,
period.
Remorse and restoration
The justice of our fate is lost on the rank behaviour of
the perpetrators and their kin, that is, they will not
surrender to honesty and the greater good. None is the
proverbial Zacchaeus that would embrace remorse and
restoration. The pluck of the moment then is that the
Nigerian state, having found itself at a crossroads,
must look out for how best to dig itself out of the hole.
It is not really enough to dwell on the mistakes of the
past, not with the elite chokehold on the political
leadership, but a pragmatic reorientation can dislocate
the illogical refusal to have a robust reengineering
culture. The challenges of the moment have escalated
from infrastructure failure to critical security collapse. It
can only get worse if the leadership and a committed
followership are not bold enough to call the bluff of
underdevelopment. The nation must get through the
parlous state of its public institutions and programmes
using meaningful performance measures or rating
criteria to gauge success, functionality, and reliability-
based audits. .
Current planning and governance philosophy must
focus more on values added and infrastructure renewal
programming than partisanship and elite patronage.
Reduce, reuse and recycle are advisedly good
environmental protection options but must they be our
national ethos for governance? When will the focus be
on fresh ideas, millennial sustainability programming
and cutting edge expertise?
Cutting edge expertise
Some in the nation’s driving seat have doubtful asset
life and may not even be aware of new technology.
Paucity of asset funding, and contending fiscal
challenges, reinforce the need for an effective and
efficient capacity builders and asset management
programmers. And there is a compelling need for a
strong political will to harness the rethink these
facilitators and change agents will bring to the table.
But are we there yet?
Since material corruption can never be eliminated, due
to the nature of man, at least the new breed, if one
were to arise, can use asset audits and performance
score cards for quality and performance rating,
increase information accessibility and use, enhance
and sharpen decision-making, make more effective
investment and cost decisions, including the socio-
economic impacts of asset failures, while delivering
the desired service levels.
If President Jonathan must do something, now and not
later, he can avail himself of change agents and focus
on one of the critical public infrastructure sectors that
are in dire need for asset renewal. He can do
transportation: highways and waterways, rail, airports
and seaports. Or, he can target public utilities: potable
water supply, sanitary sewage, and storm water
management. Alternatively, he can focus on
healthcare: hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and related
facilities. He can even do the one with high visibility:
power generation, transmission and distribution.
These are just a sample of critical needs that beckon
for massive capital improvement. But Jonathan must
not spread himself thin trying to impress the entire
sector of the economy at the same time. Past
governments did so and today there is no single
functional sector in Nigeria worth the capital
commitment.
President Jonathan can do a thorough evaluation of all
sectors and their portfolio assets so that the public
receive value at the end of renewal cycle, even as it
generates historical data for long-term, decision-
making. History will be kind to President Jonathan if he
succeeds in delivering just one functional sector of the
economy during his tenure. Just one fully functional
national asset firing at all cylinders will give him
tremendous accolade. The collateral impact of, say, a
functional, reliable power sector will immediately wake
up the transportation, educational and or healthcare
sectors. Any subsequent investment in these sectors
will then yield a better return. The current state of
infrastructures is a testament of the effectiveness of
whatever asset management and capital improvement
programming had been in place before. The nation
needs to refine itscurrent best practices.
Private sector participation can complement.
Telecommunications is a good example where they
have excelled. Education can follow with proper
guidelines. Publicly driven economic and asset renewal
schemes will require an initial governmental boost via
a system-specific condition assessment, fiscal rating
and investment plan. These can be regionalized and
incentivized depending on unique local needs and
market forces. Government can also drive the
development of alternative strategies for various areas
to reflect location, manpower and capital budgeting
needs. One plan does not have to fit all. .
President Jonathan can even leave his good luck
imprints through proper investment, and user-funded
programme which feasibility can be tied to individual
markets and asset use. By deploying resources based
on asset demand, sector revenue returns, conditions
and lifecycle costs, efficiency can be activated for
economic renewal. And finally, President Jonathan can
really walk tall if by mid-term in his tenure he can
assert his success story, just in any one sector of the
economy, as his hard earned political capital to spend.
He can tell his story to the high heavens that he came,
he changed, and he delivered. Then the Nigerian public
can openly sing his praises and admit that the once
“shoeless” boy of Otueke is their national good luck.
That will be his mojo for the rest of life! President
Jonathan, can you do something?
* Note: This article was first published in 2011.
Engr. (Dr.) Nzeribe Ihekwaba, Ph.D., P.E., is now the
Assistant City Manager and Chief of Operations for the
City of Miami, Florida, United States.

www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/something-president-jonathan/

A MUST READ »»»

www.nairaland.com/2086272/2015-presidential-elections-dilemma-average

tell him o.

God bless Nigeria

blemon44:
GEJ has already done something and will continue to do untill 2019

He hasn't done shii! Well, maybe some old school train. But still, that is not what we need! HE should do something tangible!

blemon44:
GEJ has already done something and will continue to do untill 2019

Keep living in your world of delusion.
Nigerians are fed up with GEJ incompetence.
W need CHANGE!

GMB all the way!

blemon44:








Thank God you said old school train

when was the last time you saw an old school train

your past leaders what tangible thing did they do for you

Well, other past leaders provided better security, relatively; Nigeria and Nigerians weren't so humiliated under past govts just to mention a few that affected me directly. So what you saying?

blemon44:








just imagin the change that you need

your great granfather

we dont want to loose another person in power



this man is a terrorist

provide proof that he is a terrorist. And if you can't provide it, I can as well call you a liar, a thief and a rapist.

blemon44:








just imagin the change that you need

your great granfather

we dont want to loose another person in power



this man is a terrorist

Yes, I would rather go for my great grand father that has a character built on integrity than accept the charlatan GEJ who is a disgrace to PhD holders and known for his clueless attitudes in the affairs of government.

Vanguard

blemon44:







its was still your past govts that are trying to make GEJ's tenure ungovernable
creating problem for him evrywhere

dont you know that boko haram is the hand work of your past leaders

So the past leaders control the nation's financial reserves, the CBN, the ministries, the Nigerian Army et al? Interesting.

braine:
So the past leaders control the nation's financial reserves, the CBN, the ministries, the Nigerian Army et al? Interesting.

the way some people reason will make u wonder if na fufu them get as brain..mtchewww.....for good sixteen years,pdp couldn't boast of soMething tangible they've done,and some almajiri incarnated will still shout gej till 2019,them don sell their future and pickin future for peanut....before u abuse me,how successful are u? What has gej done in ur life particularly?

blemon44:







its was still your past govts that are trying to make GEJ's tenure ungovernable
creating problem for him evrywhere

dont you know that boko haram is the hand work of your past leaders

Please provide evidence for your claims. The same Jonathan was visiting IBB last week and has sent at least two delegations to go and beg Obasanjo, with a public apology from the pdp chairman added. Please name those you allege are creating problems for him and in what areas. Electricity, pipe-borne water, security, Education...?

#change
#GMB
#APC

blemon44:
GEJ has already done something and will continue to do untill 2019

He has only contributed to the evil that we want to change.

Change is imminent.
FeBuHARI is here.

GEJ is GONE!

Otuoke awaits in May 2015.

Pa buhari looks like aid patient!
him wife no dey take good care of am.