Nigeria Needs Value-based Leadership, Robust Industrialisation Policy, Says Aganga

Two-time former minister, Dr Olusegun Aganga, has said what Nigeria needs to progress is value-based political leadership that would steer the ship in the interest of the country.

Aganga, who spoke yesterday in his keynote speech at the unveiling of a book titled; ‘In The National Interest’ written by Dr Olu Fasan, stated that there was an urgent need for Nigerians to act in the national interest to transform the country into a truly great nation.

Aganga pointed out that Nigeria does not lack great men and women in different spheres but needs to have value-based political leadership that would champion and execute the restructuring effort the nation needs.

“So, what’s the problem? Why is Nigeria failing to pull its weight, why is it failing to fulfil its true potential? Well, there are so many problems facing Nigeria that one could talk about before this enlightened audience. One could talk about the economy that is not growing sufficiently and, thus, not generating prosperity for our people.

‎‎”One could talk about what I call the triple threat of poverty, and unemployment and insecurity which individually and collectively have made life difficult for most of our people. One could talk about the poor management of conflicts and of Nigeria’s diversity, which continue to undermine the unity and stability of this country, hindering it from becoming a true nation-state, with a shared purpose.

‘’And one could talk about leakages, waste, corruption and the high cost of governance, all of which are draining Nigeria of enormous resources that could be used to develop the country and improve the lives of its citizens. It goes without saying that all these challenges must be tackled head-on if Nigeria is to achieve any semblance of progress.

‎ ‎”However, the truth be told, all the above challenges are mere symptoms of much deeper underlying issues. I would like to focus on the three most important of these issues in this speech. They are: one, leadership; two, values; and three, Nigeria’s political and governance structure.

‘’I submit that unless we purposefully and successfully tackle the challenges posed by these foundational and fundamental issues, we would not overcome the economic and social challenges, as well as the struggle for nationhood, that I mentioned earlier. So, let me now turn to the underlying issues, starting with leadership.

‎‎”From my experience in the NLI (Nigeria Leadership Initiative), in the diaspora and, indeed, in government, there is no shortage of competent leaders in Nigeria. We have outstanding leaders in abundance at home and in the diaspora, some leading international organisations, others holding senior leadership positions in the private sector or the public sphere in foreign countries.

‎‎”So, I repeat, there is no shortage of competent leaders in Nigeria. What we lack, however, is competent political leadership. The truth is that there is an acute shortage of quality political leadership with the national interest at heart at every level of public life in Nigeria.

‎‎”The truth is that without the right political and governance structure that creates guardrails and incentives that shape behaviours, even a good leader and good value system would not be enough to unlock a country’s full potential. Unfortunately, values-based leadership is not ingrained in our political system and public service in Nigeria. Corruption is manifested in many ways across the entire ecosystem. As a country we need to reinvent our understanding of both leadership and public service.

‎‎”Unfortunately, Nigeria, like, indeed, most other African countries, has prioritised strong individuals over a strong system; it has always relied on personalities and individuals and have paid very little attention to building strong institutions,” he submitted.

‎‎Dignitaries like the publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers, Sir Amuka Pemu, Former minister, Prince Julius Adeluyi, Prof Anya O. Anya, Erelu Abiola Dosumu, Chief Nike Akande, Prof Anthony Kila and others commended the author, Dr Olu Fasan, for the book.

‎In his book review, Business Day publisher, Frank Aigbogun, noted that the 599-page book which is divided into five parts and published by Penguin Publishers; USA 2025 is simply a call to action.
‎‎Aigbogun stated that Dr Olu Fasan in his introduction, was clear on this when he said, “Nigeria is a mix of contradictions: blessed with sprawling natural resources, yet one of the world’s poorest nations; endowed with enormous human talents, yet unable to govern itself well.

‎‎“Nigeria goes by the sobriquet ‘Giant of Africa’ principally because of its size and economic importance. But the best metaphorical description of the country is a sleeping giant. And being asleep, Nigeria is not fulfilling its potential.

‎‎”The book is therefore about the political economy and sociology of Nigeria; a book that analyses Nigeria’s political, economic and social challenges and offers profound ideas on the way forward. The book is divided into five parts of 12 chapters,” he said.