A study of all countries that moved from third world to first world shows they all had one thing in common . They maintained the same economic policy for a period of about 20 to 30 years.
If Jonathan completes his tenure in 2019, I’m rooting for a Namadi Sambo and Okonjo Iweala ticket. After which Dr. Iweala will become President with Dr. Adesina as her Vice President.
Now I’m sure some people are nearly having a heart attack. Calm down. Let me try and explain. Politics can stifle development in developing countries due to instability caused by frequent power change and flip flop of policies . It’s ironical that un democratic Libya had the highest Human Development Index in Africa and one of the best in the world.
Most of the people fighting to take over from Jonathan just want to get their hands into the public till and or establish their names as President and enjoy the swag of the office.
The projection that Nigeria is set to be amongst the first ten economies in 2050 can only be achieved if they keep doing what they are doing, getting better and consolidating. A set of new politicians in power will first condemn all what the former people have done and then start their own development program which definitely takes time to manifest.
The lack of cooperation between Obasanjo and Atiku was what led Obasanjo into attempting a third term. Some of those who pushed for the third term were key members of Obasanjos economic team. The mistake Obasanjo made was not having a succession plan by handing over to one of them.
For example, some politicians in Nigeria finally convinced President Yardua, to severe the umbilical cord binding him to Obasanjo. President Yardua was never a key member of Obasanjos economic team. A leader should be able to have a succession plan and groom his successor which wasn’t the case here as Yardua was picked as an after thought when the third term failed . So what was the first result? The power sector road map was suspended by the Yardua administration and nothing was done until 2010 when President Jonathan
The PDP has to work harder in order to consolidate and achieve this dream despite the threat by the opposition.
The opposition should also continue in their bid to take power so they can keep the ruling party on it’s toes . However , they should realize that the country comes first. Politics should end after each election while nation building should commence immediately.
A situation where a party loses election and immediately goes into the trenches to undermine the government in power, is a tactics that stifles development.
On the other hand, governance should be a continuum and politicians should try not to tie development programs or projects to themselves.
For example, whosoever wins in Rivers State as governors has to continue the model secondary schools project and also create a sustainability strategy for the medical health centres and all schools in the state.
Citizen leadership should also be re-emphasized with stiff penalties and fines to those who treat public facility with disdain. In Singapore a little crime like not flushing the public toilet can earn you a fine of up to a hundred thousand, while littering the road in some US cities can earn you a 170,000 fine. The truth is that whosoever has no regard for public facilities will not blink to loot public funds.
If you have to be President first before contributing to your country’s growth and development then you are not fit to be President in the first place.
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Article written by Ken Agala
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