Transcending the lean times
By Dakuku Peterside
Criticism makes leaders wake up, and it puts them on their toes. It is a natural component of leadership. We all acknowledge that it is always easier to criticise than to appreciate; hence Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s founding fathers and a political philosopher, has this to say, “any fool can criticise, condemn and complain and most fools do “.
However, when we see flashes of creative, courageous, and competent leadership, let us celebrate and encourage them. Amid challenges of acute insecurity, rising poverty levels and gloom and doom that have enveloped the country’s current climate and threaten the current administration’s legacy, some ministries, departments, and agencies have defied the odds to show that there is indeed hope for Nigeria.
These MDAs’ and dedicated Nigerians have demonstrated innovation, courage, and hard work to meet leadership challenges.
There are pockets of sweet tales here and there under this government that the man on the street feels is insensitive to his yearnings and aspirations.
These tales of sweetness from a handful of Ministries, departments, and agencies prove that visionary and transformational leadership can deliver giant strides and dividends even in chaotic and beleaguered environments.
It is also an affirmation that within the context of public service with bureaucratic challenges, it is possible to achieve a credible outcome that will significantly impact the socio-economic lives of the people.
An X-ray of three of these MDAs, amongst others, will show that honest, focused, and visionary leadership is all we need to change our growth trajectory as a nation.
The Federal Ministry of Transportation, through various rail projects, has been making immense strides in impacting the lives of Nigerians. Under the able leadership of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (a driver of change and a man who chose to do things differently), the ministry identified rail transport as a catalyst for economic development.
Since the inception of the present administration, it has built 3,505km of Narrow Gauge (NG) rails lines; 186 km network of Standard Gauge (SG) lines, linking Abuja to Rigasa in Kaduna State; 302 km network of Standard Gauge (SG) rail lines from Itakpe, Kogi State to Warri, Delta State; and additional 185.5km Double SG Lagos to Ibadan Rail lines with extension to Apapa Sea Port nearing completion.
These rail lines connect different parts of the country to prosperity. New rail lines have had a small but significant impact on the lives of ordinary people who have come to see new possibilities in our county instead of just gloom that pervades the land.
Testimonials abound about how rail crisscrossing different parts of the country have affected many ordinary people’s economic fortune.
Another agency that has been quietly making an impressive impact is the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) under the leadership of Engr. Simbi Kasiye Wabote.
The creation of NCDMB, as a regulator and facilitator of deepening Nigeria content, in 2010 marked a critical turning point in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry landscape.
Engr. Wabote became the Executive Secretary in 2015, coming on board with clarity on the potential of Nigerian content to create jobs in a dimension never imagined by stakeholders.
Since then, we have seen the Board embark on many ground-breaking transformative projects and interventions. These include constructing a 17-storey headquarters building in Yenagoa within an unprecedented record time of five years. The edifice, named Nigerian Content Tower, is now in full use by staff of NCDMB.
His defining and intelligent leadership has also seen the construction and commissioning of a 10MW gas-fired Power Plant at Elebele, near Yenagoa, in partnership with Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), which provides 24/7days uninterrupted power supply to the edifice.
Most importantly, the current management team of NCDMB has created over 50,000 jobs in the last six years through various interventions and projects in different parts of Nigeria.
Another shining light of the current administration is the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), under the leadership of the incumbent Director-General/Chief Executive, Mallam Farouk A. Salim. One area of impressive achievements is in standards enforcement.
In recent times, SON has confiscated over N600 million worth of substandard tyres in Ogun State and seized two containers of stuffed imported used tyres in Port Harcourt.
They have also embarked on the prosecution of standards infractions relating to substandard lubricants, electric cables, forgery of SON clearing documents, mop-up of substandard LPG cylinders in Suleija and seizure of adulterated engine oils in Kano/Lagos.
This enforcement of standards has resulted in citizens’ confidence in the quality of products available in the market. They now know that standard-setting and enforcement is no longer business as usual.
These Nigerians in the three MDAs under review are making giant strides and lasting impact. They are employing dynamism and innovation to achieve measurable results.
In a nation where we celebrate ineptitude, mediocrity and crass opportunism, any genuine ray of light making an impactful difference deserves to be noted and encouraged. It is a great motivator and a way of reinforcing our desire for excellence.
These public servants are committed and resourceful leaders who care deeply about their impact on citizens’ lives, hopes, and dreams.
These are success stories worth celebrating, from standard-setting and enforcement to Nigerian content enforcement and transportation services re-engineering. These leaders and their likes are the reasons why we still have hope in our country.
