By Nasir Dambatta
“We must put in place measures to ensure inclusiveness, responsiveness, fairness and integrity in policy making and service delivery” — Kaduna Governor, on June 12th, 2023
Peter Bregman, an analyst of modern governance and author of “The 4 Essential Elements of Great Leaders” once wrote that to get your most important work done, you have to have hard conversations, create accountability, and inspire action. He went on to add that in order to do that, the leader needs to show up “powerfully and magnetically” in a way that he attracts people’s trust of his leadership and closely follow him by putting 100 percent of their effort into a larger purpose.
Bregman also pointed out the need to care about others, and connect with them in a way that they feel your care. “You need to speak persuasively—in a way that’s clear, direct, honest, and reflects your care—while listening with openness, compassion, and love. Even when being challenged”.
Just like Bregman, Senator Uba Sani, the current governor of Kaduna State has exemplary leadership attributes of caring, listening and persuasive most of the time. For the most part of his public life, especially in the corridors of power — after being in the trenches for decades — just to drive military back to the barracks, Governor Uba Sani has remained an advocate of good governance and purposeful development.
Gifted with clear thinking and uncompromising passion for Nigeria, Senator Uba Sani has never hidden his dream for a greater Nigeria based on a leadership accountable to the people. He has expectedly shook the table for insisting that elected representatives (himself inclusive) must truly make their mark in service to the people by making personal sacrifices for the good of all.
He replicated the call for accountable leadership on October 1, 2023 in a message that fired the imagination of Nigerians across the board.
The young Northwest governor insisted there is a need to build a united and peaceful Nigeria to re-energise the country’s economy.
Only nine days ago, while Nigerians were marking the 63rd independence anniversary of the country, Sani said despite 23 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, Nigeria is still battling with development challenges, that require pragmatic solutions. He said this fall’s squarely on elected representatives in a democratic system.
He wants Nigerian leaders to reflect on the lapses in governance that are forcing the country’s prosperity into a backwards slide.
He then said with a sense of nostalgia: At independence in 1960, our people had great expectations of a prosperous future. Our founding fathers envisioned a country that will become the Leading Black Nation on Earth.
Extolling the exemplary leadership virtues of the nation’s founding fathers, he said they committed to building a nation where no man or woman will feel oppressed. He however pointed out that Sixty-three years after, it is quite important for Nigerians, especially leaders at various levers of governance to reflect on how many miles the country has covered in the journey to nationhood and ask daunting questions about whether or not progress is being recorded.
“Have we met the expectations of our people? What challenges of nation-building have we been grappling with? Is there a pathway to a greater future for our country?
“There is no doubt that we have made progress as a nation and as a people. In all facets, there are some success stories.
He then reminded Nigerians: “That we have successfully defended the independence which we mark today is no mean achievement. We have also transited from military dictatorial rule to uninterrupted civil democratic rule for twenty-three years. BUT we are not where we ought to be”, he warned.
The remaining parts of the march to nationhood, he submits, “are yet to succeed in forging a truly Nigerian Spirit.” And why is this so?
“Our ethnic and religious differences are still being exploited in furtherance of personal or collective interests.
He lamented over the fact that the nation is still struggling to address developmental challenges, especially in the realms of infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, and security.
He described as a major source of deep concern for the nation’s political leadership the increasing poverty level. “Addressing the issue of poverty is critical to restoring the people’s faith in our democracy”, he says.
He also raised pertinent questions beyond the domestic plane. Hear him: “At the international level, how can we reinvent our foreign policy to put Nigeria back on the global map.”
Senator Sani argued that the elites need to build a consensus on “where we want Nigeria to be in the scheme of world affairs”.
He argued further that the only means to re-energise the nation’s economy is first by building a united and peaceful Nigeria.
Turning to insecurity, he was uncompromising the means through which the leaders would deal with the challenge. His words : “We must also frontally address our challenges of insecurity. When we effectively address our internal security challenges, we can then resume peacekeeping and enforcement roles in West Africa and Africa.”
His final word in the instructive 63rd Anniversary of the nation was: “Let us therefore come together and support our security agencies in the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of criminality.”
On the whole, Senator Uba Sani’s message as Kaduna State Governor on the occasion of Nigeria’s 73rd Anniversary was passionate and a beautiful wake-up call for our leaders. The country has come a long way since breaking the shackles of colonialism, but like Governor Uba Sani insisted, a lot more needs to be done. I pray our leaders heed his call to the overhaul in strategic thinking.
Dambatta is Senior Special Assistant ( Print Media ) to the Governor of Kaduna State
