Election: Lessons, Plans and Execution

In my management consultant mode I am associated with a global strategy-consulting Group, Palladium that grew out of the work of Harvard Business School Professors Kaplan and Norton. There the execution premium is buzz. In a few days the elections will be history but if we do not now think execution premium mindset, no matter who wins, we may have taken the huge trouble and costs of this campaign and elections would be in vain.

An imperative of post-election after these troubles, means whoever wins must be quick off the starting block prepping for an execution premium. There are many reasons to be quick off the block, and a few things that are critical to be reflecting on now, to make a Usain Bolt surge forward.

Among the first considerations will be healing. No one can make progress governing a country where significant parts of the population are alienated. The 2015 campaigns were extremely divisive. I have lived through ev­ery election in post-Independence Day Nigeria. None, in my view, has been more divisive. To bring enough healing, no matter who is declared elected, will involve great skill. That skill needs to be deployed quickly.

Also quite important for effec­tiveness in the years that follow, is financial conservation, to make the short term tolerable. The elec­tion has been unbelievably costly. From my experience, I can hazard a guess that on a per capita basis it would be runaway tops spend campaign in the world. Despite the shambolic fundraisers, most know the much of the money came either from government treasuries directly or from busi­nessmen who will get a return on their investment in multiples from government contracts. The consequence has been empty treasuries around the land. This means the need in the short term to find resources to resuscitate activities in MDAs. Without such, things can deteriorate so quickly and mar the implementation of any game plan.

Goodwill for recently elected government, the honeymoon, is usually significant, but can run out fairly quickly. It is important therefore to move on major initia­tives during the first 100 days. Had the elections focused more on issues rather than personalities, hate speech and the abuse of op­ponents, there would already be enough consensuses to facilitate receptive grounds for execution. Much will have to come now from massive selling, drawing on the best from society to build confi­dence in the will to implement. Here, much can be learnt from how Henrique Fernando Cardoso in becoming Finance Minister of Brazil, brought together Brazil’s finest young economist with the assurance he will go for the consensus in spite of his life long career position as a ‘Dependista’ calling from de-linking from global capitalism. The consen­sus favoured globalisation and Cardoso used his credibility with the Brazilian people to urge the acceptance of that track, the policies brought the huge infla­tion and many challenges of the economy to a slow down and the resumption of new growth. It was no surprise that Cardoso became president and foreshadowed Brazil’s ascendancy to global economic powerhouse status.

One great value from the 2015 elections including even the name calling is that they have caused awareness to be heightened. People are more likely to hold governments accountable, going forward. Many have come to be frustrated with the kind of candi­dates on offer and what the issues should be.

The elections also threw up the need to manage differently, insti­tutions that should be insulated from or supported better to hold up the system. The umpire, INEC, and the security services are good examples. The building of institu­tions and legitimacy of regime will be enhanced by their getting early reform attention as part of making commitment to better ways forward, transparent.