1 September 2007
analysis
Lagos — This week marks President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's first hundred days on the saddle.
In terms of the fundamentals of governance - philosophy, reform and leadership - Yar'Adua's style of leadership marks a major departure from Obasanjo's tempestuous rule. That could be his biggest achievement to date. Yet, a hundred days represent rather a fleeting parameter on which to assess performance. But in another sense, it could signpost or serve as a forerunner to the quality of the pathway a leader has defined for his journey. Louis Achi and Joseph Ushigiale examine the presidential journey so far...
What is the relationship between statesmanship and 'servant-leadership' - or statesmen and servant-leaders? The latter construct was played up by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in his inaugural speech to sell a specific non-imperial governance style. As President, Ronald Reagan held in March 8, 1985, that "The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to dream of a better, safer world, and the courage, persistence and patience to turn that dream into reality."
Servant leadership on the other hand, as cobbled by Yar'Adua on May 29, 2007, purports to a governance style driven by action but anchored on humility and ability to listen. Further, it holds that no matter what obstacles confront a leadership, it should have confidence and faith in its ability to overcome them. With little question, this seems to be a new approach to servicing and interpreting the Nigerian reality. Interestingly, Alan Keyes, a Republican who served in the U.S. State Department during the Reagan years and was ultimately appointed by Reagan as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations brings further relevant insight to defining statemanship.
"Statesmanship is not just a matter of coping with the political challenges of the moment, or doing well at getting elected, or even meeting immediate problems the right way. You must approach them according to an understanding - according to a set of principles - that reflects a sense of the permanent destiny of the nation
As it were, both statemanship and servant-leadership are dimensions that address leadership and the challenge of human development and the interaction of nation states. In his inaugural speech, Yar'Adua obviously keyed into Keyes and Reagan's conception of governance, perhaps with a vintage Yar'Aduan flavour.
His allusion to servant-leadership, the first to be made by any Nigerian leader before him, meant that his new administration would remarkably usher in an equally new beginning that would ensure the reversal of roles from 'Leader Servant' to 'Servant Leader.'
It was also an ambitious and precarious statement coming from a President whose electoral victory was still an issue of feverish contention. Yet, Yar'Adua was bent on taking the risk of ordering a new leadership shift to give Nigerians a new lease of life anchored on a leadership that would be honest, transparent, accountable and steadfast on rescuing the citizenry from decades of hopelessness and complacency.
He fired the zeal of the polity by pledging to lead by example, be a doer, listener and ensure that he serves with humility. With these statemanly assurances, Yar'Adua's speech did not only immediately rouse cautious optimism, but it also succeeded in rekindling the concept of Nigerianism nationwide.
Although public perception about the electoral process that ushered in Yar'Adua was negative, his inaugural speech sort of watered down these ill feelings and succeeded in rallying Nigerians to give him a chance.
To the school of optimists, it was indeed a new dawn and a reawakening for a citizenry that had for decades, taken a back seat in the decision making process and yet were at the receiving end of the same bad policies contrived by insensitive and autocratic past administrations.
Yar'Adua so far has not departed significantly from the servant leadership qualities he so eloquently spoke about during his inauguration. His style of leadership has shown him to be independent minded, quite and yet firm in all the decisions he takes.
His Seven-point Agenda
Yar'Adua captured the thrust of his administration on the 7-point agenda that formed the basis of his contract with voters during pre-election campaigns. "We will concentrate on rebuilding our physical infrastructure and human capital in order to take our country forward. We will focus on accelerating economic and other reforms in a way that makes a concrete and visible difference to ordinary people.":
Realizing that Nigerians, issuing from past experiences, have learnt to believe their leaders with a pinch of salt, Yar'Adua outlined what he said would be a road map for his administration: a 7-point development agenda.
He said the agenda formed the "basis of our contract with voters during the recent campaigns, we will concentrate on rebuilding our physical infrastructure and human capital in order to take our country forward."
Other areas of focus he said would be on accelerating economic and other reforms in a way that makes a concrete and visible difference to ordinary people.
He noted that "Our economy already has been set on the path of growth. Now we must continue to do the necessary work to create more jobs, lower interest rates, reduce inflation, and maintain a stable exchange rate. All this will increase our chances for rapid growth and development."
According to him, his administration would "concentrate on rebuilding our basic infrastructure. We already have comprehensive plans for mass transportation, especially railroad development; we will make these plans a reality."
On the problematic energy sector, the President promised to "devote our best efforts to overcoming the energy challenge. Over the next four years we will see dramatic improvements in power generation, transmission and distribution."
He also emphasised that "these plans will mean little if we do not respect the rule of law. Our government is determined to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies, especially the police. The state must fulfill its constitutional responsibility of protecting life and property."
On the lingering crisis in the Niger Delta region, he assured that "ending it is a matter of strategic importance to our country. I will use every resource available to me, with your help, to address this crisis in a spirit of fairness, justice, and cooperation.
Yar'Adua pointed out that the new administration had a "good starting point because our predecessor already launched a master plan that can serve as a basis for a comprehensive examination of all the issues. We will involve all stakeholders in working out a solution."
To protect life and property, he said "we will move quickly to ensure security of life and property, and to make investments safe."
Landmarks...
Resolving Labour Strike
His first baptism in office was the ruthless confrontation with workers engineered by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The union led its workers out to protest increases in prices of petroleum products and Value Added Tax (VAT) by 100 per cent.
For four days, the nation buckled under the strike and all economic activities stood still. In keeping with his words, Yar'Adua dispatched his Secretary to Government, Amb. Babagana Kingibe, to negotiate with the leadership of the NLC; at the end of the negotiations, the Federal Government rescinded its decision and made concessions far reaching enough to end the strike action and get the workers back to work.
Apart from reducing the prices of petroleum products and VAT by 50 per cent, the federal government also agreed to set up a committee including the NLC to revisit the sale of refineries particularly and other privatized property by the out gone administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
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