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| Ikedi Ohakim |
What do you think is the solution to the leadership problem in Nigeria?
The solution is very simple once we are ready to change the system. The problem in Nigeria is systemic and therefore its solution must be systemic. If you bring a Barack Obama here or wake up Nelson Mandela or Margaret Thatcher to govern Nigeria, they will fail because the system won’t let them succeed. Remember that at a point, President Buhari confessed that what he saw after assuming office tempted him to think of running away. The system we currently have is structured for failure. It has not worked for 50 years. Each president or head of state would serve his own tenure and go and leave the highly fractured system behind.
So, the system must be redesigned to shift it from consumption oriented to production oriented. What we operate currently is a system of cap-in-hand instead of hoe-in-hand. The structure was designed for sharing, not for producing. How did we come about 774 local government areas? Was it not because of sharing mentality? If the system were based on production, we would not have the number of local government areas and even states we have today. If the system was such that people needed to go and work and then bring something to the central table, nobody will agitate for states. Initially, the idea was that states would take development closer to the people. But what did we end up with? We ended up with states that cannot generate half of what they need simply because there is money to share in Abuja every month. It is not the fault of the state governments per se. It is because the system allows it. The system allows for sharing not producing. But whether we like it or not, something has to give. What we now have is a burst pipe but instead of calling a plumber to replace it, we are merely scooping water. But no amount of scooping can solve the problem. What we need is to change the pipe. Read more
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