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Opinion: New Style In Governance, Nigeria’s Best Performing Governors In Focus

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 by – Bukola Ogunyemi

Year 2015 will go down in Nigeria’s history books as the year of the eruption of a volcano of political consciousness that had been gathering momentum since the #OccupyNigeria nationwide protests of January 2012. Led by Nigeria’s social media generation, ingeniously nicknamed “Children of Anger” by former Presidential spokesperson Reuben Abati, the revolution culminated in an unprecedented victory at the federal level for erstwhile opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The heightened scale of political consciousness did not terminate at the polls however, but has indeed metamorphosed into a more purposeful demand for good governance and accountability from political office holders. Thus, newly elected officials at all levels of government have been deprived of the usual honeymoon period that accompanies the onboarding of new administrations as citizens make informed demands for results and the delivery of electoral promises.

No Longer Business As Usual

In most cases, executive arms of government spend most of the first year after assuming office settling in and making important appointments, using the period to study the terrain and familiarize with the needs and demands of their constituencies. But time is a luxury Nigerians can no longer afford due to the enormity of the task of rebuilding left behind by the corruption and maladministration of the previous governments.

Even President Buhari, despite the immense goodwill he enjoys amongst the populace, evidenced by his overwhelming victory at the March 28 polls, has not been spared the onslaught of magic-wand demands. Indeed he had to publicly address concerns about his administrations perceived slow pace and his reticence in appointing a cabinet which has earned him the Baba-go-slow tag. But while Baba opted to go slow in releasing his list of ministerial nominees, he wasted no time in initiating reforms in key areas of the Nigerian economy, especially the oil sector. Baba’s show of exemplary leadership in responding to these concerns has had a positive ripple effect as citizens have equally fixed their gaze on state governments who usually enjoy a free pass while attention is focused on Aso Rock.

On May 29, about 22 newly governors elected took oath of office and unsurprisingly, some of these governors have spent the first quarter of their tenure playing the blame game and pointing fingers, while some others have been left dazed and apparently overwhelmed by unexpected burdens of debt and responsibilities they met on ground. In the midst of such gross underperformance, a few governors have hit the ground running in delivering their electoral promises, notably Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, and Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State.

A Tale of Two States

Approaching the April 11 gubernatorial elections, Lagos and Kaduna found themselves on opposite sides of the fortunes spectrum. Lagos and Kaduna approached the April 11 gubernatorial elections with diverse fortunes and priorities. Lagos having enjoyed 8 years of unparalleled development under Babatunde Raji Fashola, and Kaduna having endured arguably the 4 worst years of misgovernance and underperformance under Ramalan Yero.

And so with the promise of continuity and consolidation in Lagos, and the message of change in Kaduna, the APC captured both states with the tasks before the two governors clearly different but equally daunting. For Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the process of rebuilding a Kaduna that had become grossly underdeveloped and sharply divided by religion and ethnicity, and for Akinwunmi Ambode the arduous task of consolidating on the successes of the Fashola administration in a Lagos where basic infrastructural amenities are collapsing under the weight of the population.

Kaduna Under Nasir El-Rufai – Change of Monumental Proportions

If anyone was ever in doubt about El-Rufai’s ability to turn the fortunes of Kaduna around, the self-acclaimed accidental public servant wasted no time in convincing them otherwise. Building on his track record as FCT Minister, El-Rufai attacked the task of restoring order in Kaduna’s governance arena with relish as a lion would a wayward deer. From salary cut, to open governance, El-Rufai maximised the first quarter of his administration in a way that left other governors copying his policies to implement in their various states.

I remember watching him read his inaugural speech in Kaduna on May 29th and how without any fanfare, he delivered one of the most profound and relevant statements by a Nigerian politician in this decade. – “We understand that leadership by example is the most persuasive way to demand sacrifices from all of us as citizens. We pledge to avoid ostentation and foolish bigmanism, and to value transparency, modesty and accountability. We will obey the same rules that we demand of all of you. After all, the law is the difference between civilization and anarchy. We submit ourselves to the principle that all are equal before the law.”

Clearly he meant every word of that speech as he went on to announce that he, and his deputy, would forfeit 50 per cent of their salary pending an improvement in the financial situation of the state. That has since proved to be a crucial self-sacrificial move that won him the support of his people and their backing in implementing other policies. The Harvard Business School alumnus followed through, thus sending into extinction the tradition of sharing state resources, with cancellation of the annual Ramadan “welfare” package intended for Muslim faithfuls but often landing in the hands of political cronies.

Inheriting less than N250 million in the state’s purse and a pensions and gratuity deficit of N14.3 billion from the previous administration, El-Rufai set about reducing the cost of governance and improving the quality of service delivery in Kaduna state by downsizing ministries from 19 to 13 and appointing only 13 commissioners. He also abolished the local government joint account through which previous administrations impinged on the administrative and financial independence of local governments, while also announcing the remittance of 10 percent of the state’s IGR to local government councils.

Technocrats in power are often at the risk of implementing reform programmes at the detriment of the welfare of the people they govern, but not El-Rufai. His drive at getting Kaduna on a sound financial footing has not stopped him from committing N13.7 billion to fulfilling his campaign promise to “guarantee free and compulsory basic education for every child up to JS3, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity.” N9 billion of that fund is earmarked for the production of standardized school uniforms for 1.1 million pupils in primary schools, with 5,000 tailors engaged in the process, and N3.7 billion for fees and feeding of over 3,780 Junior Secondary School students across the state.

The self-styled Demolition Man has also been single-minded in his efforts at restoring the Kaduna masterplan by ridding the state of illegal structures to pave way for proper planning. Positioned as the Captain of the 2015 Class of Governors, El-Rufai has silenced critics and wowed admirers his transparency and accountability, and more importantly the agility with which he has implemented people-oriented reforms in the first quarter of his administration.

Lagos Under Akinwunmi Ambode – Continuity, Consolidation and Improvements

I imagine a few people will argue with my choice of Akinwunmi Ambode as the second best performing governor due to the outcry on the airwaves regarding the traffic and security situation in Lagos State. As a Lagos resident, I cannot in good faith deny the situation is a source of concern. But based on the enormity of tasks before him as Governor of Nigeria’s most densely populated state and the bravery and purposefulness with which he has tackled the overwhelming challenges that comes with such, Ambode’s first quarter performance in office ranks only second to his Kaduna counterpart.

Fashola’s shoes are big for anyone, due respect to their experience and expertise, to fill, and if Ambode was under any illusion being Governor of Lagos would be a walk in the park, the last 3 months have rid him of any such fancy thought. I remember hearing him speak at a meeting with young professionals in Lagos before the elections and how I was struck by his attempts at addressing unavoidable comparisons to Tunde Fashola’s style of governance and administration. But after a Fashola must come an Ambode to build on that foundation of economic prosperity laid.

Anyone in Lagos during the last guber election couldn’t have missed the accusations of elitism levied against Fashola and the APC, and perceived bias against certain parts of the state in the distribution of resources and execution of developmental projects. Indeed it formed a core part of the PDP’s campaign programme and a failed online attempt at parading a “one sided Lagos” narrative by their social media foot soldiers.

The reality is that Fashola, despite doing his best in eight years, left behind a huge infrastructural deficit in certain parts of Lagos that successive administrations must address. While I do not particularly subscribe to the malapportionment narrative, I cannot begrudge Ambode’s attempts at addressing them to set the tone for his administration’s priorities. That in part explains his decision to present the first quarter scorecard of his government at a public school in Abesan Estate, Ipaja in Alimosho Local Government.

Perhaps understandably the first move made by the former Lagos Accountant-General was to re-engineer the financial foothold of the state through a review of the revenue and expenditure framework, resulting in savings of N3 billion every month. This crucial step has freed up much needed funds that are now being injected into capital projects across the state. Reduction of the cost of governance is a priority for governments at all levels in Nigeria at a time of dwindling oil revenue, and for a state with huge financial commitments like Lagos, un-negotiable. Credit therefore to Ambode for plugging leakages in state finances missed by the Fashola administration to the tune of N3 billion per month.

By approving the release of N11 billion for the payment of pension arrears owed to pensioners since 2010, Ambode ensured the legacies of Fashola’s government are not neglected. The governor in following Fashola’s footsteps on road infrastructure committed N1.386 billion to the rehabilitation and maintenance of 181 roads in areas like Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, Ikotun, Apapa, Ejigbo. He has also released the sum of N19 billion for the rehabilitation of at least two roads in each of the LGAs and LCDAs in Lagos. 3000 teachers were recruited into the state civil service to augment the staff deficit met in public schools in Lagos while 20 new Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulances were added to the 16 inherited from the previous administration and 26 additional transport ambulances were deployed to all General Hospitals in the state, all reachable via the 112 toll-free line.

Having tasted the sweet wine of good governance in the Fashola years, Lagosians thirst for better infrastructure was bound to overwhelm any successor. As Ambode’s first term unfolds and  he gets more comfortable under the Lagosian lens, we will get to experience greater developments across spheres, keeping Lagos right ahead of the curve, as it has always been.

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Bukola Ogunyemi (@zebbook) writes from Lagos.

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