For long, I've been playing around with a few pet "theories" on how I think Nigeria is going to graduate from "third world" to "first world". I often talk about "progressive graduation" — that is, Nigeria is going to develop in phases and stages. We're not going to go to bed tonight and wake up tomorrow to discover that we have become the new Singapore. Given our internal challenges, especially our leadership struggles, I admit that this is going to be a painfully and frustratingly long process. For instance, it took decades to destroy the education sector and this cannot be repaired in one year. You cannot reduce dependency on oil overnight. The key factor, however, is to be sure we are making progress per time — not one step forward and two backward.

Another pet "theory" of mine is that for Nigeria to genuinely graduate from gutter to glory, we need a team of "competent and patriotic" leaders. Take note: competence AND patriotism, not competence OR patriotism. By competence, I refer to capacity plus track record. By patriotism, I mean putting Nigeria above personal or group interests. I have seen many Nigerian leaders who are competent but unpatriotic. They end up feathering their nests rather than focusing on development. Most governors are like that. But I have also seen patriotic leaders who are incompetent. They don't steal, at least not brazenly, but they also have no clue on visioning. Countries that have graduated from underdevelopment were governed by "competent AND patriotic" leaders.

While I believe it will be a painfully slow process for Nigeria to move up, and while I also feel we need a leadership team made up of competent and patriotic Nigerians, I have also always thought we need a strong leader to lead the process. By "strong leader", I mean the combination of a commanding personality, integrity and tenacity of purpose. I have always seen Nigerians as a people harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, even though everything to make Nigeria is here with us. We have the brains we need. We have the resources we need. All the ingredients of greatness are there for the taking. The only missing thing, I've always argued, is the competent and patriotic leader who will lead us from the front.

With all these at the back of my mind, I have been looking out for THAT leader since the dawn of this democratic dispensation. When President Olusegun Obasanjo assumed office in 1999, there was this enthusiasm in me. With his experience, I was quietly hopeful that this was the man that would lead the journey to the Promised Land. For all his failings, no president has opened up the Nigerian economy more than Obasanjo. He had a clear vision of what he wanted. His reform initiatives covering oil and gas, finance, industry and agriculture did a lot of good to the economy as evident in the number of businesses and entrepreneurs that emerged in a spate of four to five years. But Obasanjo's inability to tame his demons ultimately did him in. He was not THAT leader.

When President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua succeeded Obasanjo, I was not too sure about his competence, but we heard a lot about his modesty. Unfortunately, ill health did not allow him to take off. To make matters worse, he did not build on Obasanjo's legacy — partly because the people in his inner sanctuary misled him. He stopped the power projects and the Lagos-Kano rail, and reversed key policies made by Obasanjo. It did not take me time to conclude that Yar'Adua was not THAT leader. The moment he allowed his political financiers to destroy EFCC and disgrace Nuhu Ribadu out of the police, the signals were very clear that he had missed his way. Yet something inside me says he still would have been a good president but for his poor health.

President Goodluck Jonathan's government was "brought in dead". By contesting for presidency at a time the "North" strongly felt they had been short-changed, Jonathan had effectively signed for a turbulent ride — and he got it in full dose. But he did not help matters by failing to deal decisively with corruption and Boko Haram, thereby swelling the ranks of the opposition. Nevertheless, it will be unfair to say he achieved nothing in five years. The narrative is such that if power improves today, it is attributed to President Muhammadu Buhari's body language — as if it was body language that built the power plants at Geregu, Omotosho and Papalanto and laid the gas pipelines. Although Jonathan recorded significant strides in several sectors, but he was not THAT leader.
Buhari appears to tick all the boxes: competence, integrity and strong leadership. This has raised the expectations of millions of

Nigerians. Is he THAT leader we've been dreaming about? The question is for him to answer with his performance in office. For one, in Buhari we have a president who is not materialistic. I don't think Buhari will, at the age of 72, be seeking to buy his first private jet. If he has managed to live modestly for 72 years of his life, it will take a tragedy of Hiroshima proportions for him to descend to a life of greed and looting at this stage. If you believe, like me, that corruption is a major hindrance to our forward movement, then you are entitled to hope that in Buhari, we have a leader who will be a scarecrow to looters.

I do not by any stretch of imagination suggest that corruption will disappear under Buhari — or that there will not be traces of corruption in his team — but I suggest that impunity will take a back seat henceforth. Why is this significant? Well, I believe we already have good policies in place to transform Nigeria. We have good laws to turn Nigeria around. We have the resources to move Nigeria up. Nigeria's potential is insanely colossal. We are generally not short of policies or good thinking. Of course, many policies need fine-tuning and updating, but on the balance, we are not short of good policies. What we have so often lacked is the discipline, the tenacity and the patriotism to pursue these policies for national benefit. We often get slaughtered by greed.

Nigeria is blessed with brilliant scientists, technologists, educationists, economists, doctors, accountants, engineers, intellectuals, name them. We don't need to import any foreigner to help us. What has been holding us down is this shackle of corruption — not corruption in its simplest form, but the impunity of it. My argument, therefore, is that all Buhari needs to do now is offer us strong leadership and watch Nigeria "explode". Let public resources stop ending up in private pockets. Let policies stop gathering dusts on the shelves of ministers. Build a pan-Nigerian consensus to make us a great land. No part of Nigeria should be excluded, no matter their perceived offence. There should be no vendetta. There should be no hubris. All that matters is building a great country.

I am desperate to see Buhari succeed. We have been searching for THAT leader since 1999 and I believe Buhari fits the bill. We do not want to be disappointed once again. The day is still young for Buhari. He must avoid the mistakes of his predecessors so that Nigerians will not start shaking their heads in regret yet again. In the Bible, John the Baptist must have had some reservation about Jesus Christ when he sent a message to him, asking: "Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?" Millions of Nigerians have invested their hopes in Buhari. It would be sad if they start asking him the same question so soon. We must break out of this cycle of leadership struggles. That is why Buhari has only one choice: to lead us aright.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/is-buhari-the-one-who-is-to-come-or-/219473/

True talk

Great article

President Goodluck Jonathan's government was
"brought in dead". By contesting for presidency at
a time the "North" strongly felt they had been
short-changed, Jonathan had effectively signed
for a turbulent ride — and he got it in full dose.
But he did not help matters by failing to deal
decisively with corruption and Boko Haram,
thereby swelling the ranks of the opposition.....

so this writer is admitting that northerners sabotaged the govt of GEJ because they didn't have their person in power. so Nigeria should now bow and clean the feet of the north every election year. the day of reckoning is coming in this country where the son of the devil would be separated from the son of God.

booohari is 'dead on arrival'..

he has failed already..

Well written by Simon Kolawole.

friends and colleagues from every part of the nation and some of my best friends are not even from my side of the country.

However, recent events are making me to have a deeper reflection and I wish we- Southerners in this instance- can have some kind of introspection. Out of 25 appointments made so far, 18 are from the North, 3 are from the South West, 4 are from the South South while the South East has ZERO appointments. A tweet which I saw today stated that “southerners are only competent when it’s time for elections but northerners are competent in terms of governance” and this made the following thoughts run through my mind:

1. Only Southerners have been accusing fellow Southerners of corruption. Oshiomole has been attacking Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as if Ngozi turned down his marriage proposal. The same Oshiomole tried to make nonsense of Akinwumi Adeshina’s successes in the agriculture sector. Ambode tried to pull Fashola down and successfully smeared him with stains. Maybe that’s why Fashola did not get the Chief of Staff role. I’m yet to see a Northerner accuse another Northerner of corruption, even when they belong to different parties. The closest a Northerner got was when the new Kano State Governor attacked Rabiu Kwankaso but he quickly sheathed his sword and even disowned previous reports of attacks. Why are we like this?

2. Are Southerners the only ones who are corrupt? Were there no northerner heading the ministries and parastatals? Did the outgone Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko not have an alleged case of certificate forgery but he still served out his tenure until he resigned voluntarily? I’m not in support of corruption under any guise but the fight against corruption must not be seen to be sectional.

3. How come it’s easier for the President to believe that Sanni Abacha was not corrupt in spite of recovered loot while it is so easy for him to believe Goodluck Jonathan is irredeemably corrupt?

4. I still remember that aside from God, Tinubu made Tambuwal what he is today. The same Tambuwal would later call Femi Gbajabiamila ‘incompetent’ and rated Dogara as more competent. The same Tambuwal was propped up by Tinubu, a Southerner against a fellow Southerner, Mulikat Akande. Obasanjo was very key to denying Goodluck Jonathan a second term. A good number can still recall how OBJ tore his PDP membership card in public glare. The Northerners find it easy to support themselves but we are always pulling ourselves down. Babangida Aliyu, Sule Lamido and all the other Northern Governors including the former PDP Chairman Adamu Muazu often times refused to campaign for Goodluck Jonathan openly and many times even espoused the virtues of the opposing candidate on the rostrum!

5. Southern leaders and Presidents pull down Southern business men but prop up Northern ones. How many people still remember how Obasanjo ran Mike Adenuga out of town but both Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan made Aliko Dangote what he is today. No northern leader goes against their own. I dare to put it on record that President Buhari will never go against Aliko Dangote for any reason.

6. How come OBJ pardoned Salisu Buhari, the ex-Speaker who forged his credentials and he later was given an appointment as a Governing Council member of a University and heavens did not fall- but when Goodluck Jonathan pardoned Alamieyeseigha it became one of the major issues counted against him? Is there one rule for some and another rule for others?

7. We find it easy to raise our voices in support of the deportation of Buruji Kashamu but have no qualms with Atiku Abubakar strutting around the corridors of power.

8. Only Southerners find it so easy to abuse their elders when they voice opinions not in tandem with the popular opinion. We find it easy to diss Afenifere elders and call them ‘Afenifebi’ while hurling expletives and curses at them. We even abuse our kings and priests. Northerners will never abuse an Emir no matter how unpopular what he said is. Can you imagine any Northerner raising his voice against the Sultan? In spite of Tanko Yakassai, Balarabe Musa and Dangiwa Umar’s perceived support for Jonathan, northern youths did not abuse them. But our own youths run down our elders on social media while our educated elite also support the act.

These are some of the thoughts that have been running through my mind. I don’t pretend to have all the answers and I do this at the risk of being labelled an ethnic bigot. The point however is that Southerners have to get their acts right. We have to put our house in order. The bickering must stop. Let’s engage our emotional intelligence. Let’s not allow others to exploit our tendency to self-destruct.

refreshing read