The LEAD Project Foundation: The Next Level in Nigeria: Democracy To Dictatorsh...

The LEAD Project Foundation: The Next Level in Nigeria: Democracy To Dictatorsh...: "A dictator is a political leader that holds absolute power over a country. No one is allowed to oppose their leadership and they are...

Nigeria's #AtikulatedObi is the solution to a deeply divided society and underperforming economy

Professor Ben Nwabueze embraces His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in a recent Visit to Enugu State, South-East Nigeria. Photo: Facebook
A keen observer of contemporary politics would easily agree that today Nigeria is increasingly divided against itself, with a partial government whose motive is soley power grips. Failure of national governance should be a huge cause for concern. Our people deserve better than this and desperately needs a new leadership that will 'confront these realities head on'. #AtikulatedObi represents this yearning gap. Today, Africa's most populous country and largest economy has now become the world's poverty capital, with mass unemployment, rising debts and delapidated infrastructure to provide work for the citizens. According to Guardian newspaper, Nigeria; The Head Statistician of the National Bureau of Statistics says there's no money to provide official data for unemployment. Investors are fleeing in large numbers due to a political climate of fear and terror. The global oil prices has become unpredictable. The country faces persistence of poverty, stagnation, insecurity and instability with 'incalculable consequences for our well-being and social cohesion' and the government of the day has become a bewildered bystander blaming previous governments instead of offering innovative solutions, while resisting the national call for the restructuring of the dysfunctional political system widely identified as the reason for bad governance and state failure-inability to achieve economic growth. Despite the imperative to develop human capital and key infrastructure for development, the government focuses on fighting yesterday's battle of resource and territorial control with major focus on resettling the herdsmen across the country, not minding the consequences on national security and prosperity. The government seems to have lost its sense of direction, now resorts to full blown dictatorship and there is a general sense of fear in the polity that the country's nascent democracy would be derailed, this could be avoided. In the words of Will Hutton; "The country needs to revitalise its economy, modernise its institutions, rewrite the contract between the members of its society and recover its self-esteem", this is the statement that #AtikulatedObi is making; a new leadership that will develop a new programme of action to put Nigeria back on its feet, while guaranteeing the 'civilising values of an inclusive society'. In the 21st century, It's amoral to run a society that excludes the majority from 'decent living standards' and a political system that is expensive, wasteful , discriminatory and dictatorial using conquering techniques to undermine the wealth-generating process and capabilities of its own citizens. The demands of today requires overhaul of the monstrous political system to address the interconnectedness of trust, participation and inclusion which #AtikulatedObi offers. #AtikulatedObi understands that a well-functioning market economy requires skilled labour, better public services including education and healthcare services, schools, training centres and world-class public infrastructure so we need a leadership that places greater  premium in these values instead of political bias, favouritism, fear and terror as we are currently witnessing. The truth is Authoritarian rule in ethnically diverse society is no longer acceptable, neither is a unitary centralised system desirable, that's the whole point. The World Economic Forum has identified global top ten risks for doing business all are evident in today's Nigeria: -Unemployment and Underemployment, -Failure of National Governance, -Energy Price Shock, -Fiscal Crisis, -Cyber attacks, -Profound Social Instability, -Failure of Financial Mechanism or Institution, -Failure of Critical Infrastructure, -Terrorist attacks; [These are the top risks for doing businesses around the world, Aengus Collins ; World Economic Forum, 12 November 2018], this is a wake up call to think different. The task of building a new prosperous society starts with the choice we make in the next election come February 2019. Abuse of power is a national plaque that must be overthrown at the next election to lift people out of poverty. Economic performance, social well-being and political governance are interdependent, so persistence of poverty and stagnation is as a result of the political system which must be restructured to address the interconnectedness of trust, governance and growth. The whole problem starts here and must not be allowed to continue.  There comes a point in history where even the blind are compelled to recognise this glaring reality and do something about it. According to the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi 11 ; "the population of Nigeria in 1960 was 45 million, today its about 200 million , the medium age is 19 and in the next 20 years, we're going to have 100 million Nigerians between the ages of 20 and 40. What will we do? Is the civil service going to employ them? Is the banking industry going to employ them?"; [Rising Population May Escalate Insurgency, Sanusi Warns; The Guardian 14 November 2018] . However,  the presidency says "there are too many people talking lazily about restructuring. People are not asking them individually what they mean by restructuring? What form do they want restructuring to take"; [There are too many people talking lazily about restructuring, Buhari, Vanguard, November 13, 2018]. It's a bit surprising that a government  that promised the country restructuring on its manifesto  to win the 2015 presidential elections  and subsequently sets up an inter- party committee in that regard now seem to pretend not to understand the meaning of restructuring. No doubt this statement tends to confirm the position of Afenifere and Ohaneze Nidigbo cultural organisations which has recently concluded that Preseident Buhari and his Vice-President, Professor Osibanjo are deceitful about restructuring the country;[ Restructuring: Buhari, Osibanjo deceitful says Afenifere, Ohaneze, Punch , November 14, 2018]. A political system which permits centralising political and economic power and which deny democratic systems of accountability must be restructured. The choice is very clear and it's very obvious that this government does not represent that choice to effect the desired change. The next election will be a unique moment as we now have a real possibility of moving the country in a new direction under a new democratic leadership that will guarantee inclusion and economic growth. We will continue to do our best to help raise awareness and help shift thinking so that ordinary people will recognise that the status-quo does not hold further promises of change. Change is a fundamental aspect of all areas of life so growth requires change. #AtikulatedObi is the revolution we want in Nigeria, we must embrace it.
Uche Okeke is a Statistician, Social Entrepreneur/ Political Economist. He's the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation. He lives in London.
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Nigeria: #AtikulatedObi Provides The Answer To Our National Predicament- Good Governance, Economic Development. http://www.theleadprojectfoundation.com/2018/10/atikulatedobi-provides-answer-to-our.html

Nigeria needs and must have a modern constitutional settlement to achieve growth; growth requires change

"Our people deserve better. What is required is creative institution building , a democratic opening and a confidence that men and women can shape their world"- Will Hutton. Photo: Uche Okeke

Nigeria needs and must have a modern constitutional settlement to address the ugly issue of abuse of power, autocratic government, ‘’arrogant executive discretion’’, centralisation of power and the lack of citizen engagement.  The time is now as the current system is no longer sustainable. The population is booming and will go on growing, mass unemployment are alarming, persistence of poverty, insecurity, low wages, income inequality and wasted talents are widespread and will continue to widen, unless we restructure the country. The unitary centralised system of government in Nigeria must be overhauled to empower people. The choice before us is very clear. The sad lessons of the mistake of destiny; 'brutish authoritarianism' and 'medieval fantasies' is a constant reminder of inaction.  People should not let themselves become the 'useful idiots' of a government that is yet to realise that the world has changed. Restructuring Nigeria is about satisfying citizens aspirations for full integration into governance- a proper constitution, a proper democratic governance. Restructuring Nigeria is a development intervention whose time has come. In the modern era, all forms of exploitative abuse must cease. We must seek a political system that is fair and equitable. Restructuring Nigeria is the biggest challenge we face, as the country sits on a time bomb if ignored so restructuring is the 'bold change' we collectively deserve. In a rapidily changing world , it's up to the Nigerian people to decide the future they want, whether to move forward to a brighter future or continue with persistence of poverty and stagnation, more divisions, discrimination, abuse of power, income inequality, wastes on white elephant projects, insecurity, instability and uncertainty. The pace of change will continue to widen up, unfortunately it does not care about those societies who willingly choose to be left behind.  We need to wake-up to the realities and reject dishonesty and manipulations of politicians who have lived their lives, only driving us to sleepwalk into a miserable future. Restructuring Nigeria is about responding to the needs of the future and contributing to building a flourishing  and sustainable society.

Find out more soon as we continue to look at the the big political question of our time; restructuring Nigeria through the lens of Political Economy.  

Sixtus Uche Okeke is a  Statistician , Social Entrepreneur, Political Economist;  the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation. He lives in London.

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Ignorance fuels 'overt Authoritarian Enthusiasm' in Nigeria

"I have a huge experience and a huge desire to share what I know about the game and what is important in the game with people who need it, where? I don't know, but only in the new year"-Arsene Wenger. Photo: Uche Okeke

Few days ago i published a Facebook post where i remarked that people should be worried about the state of politics in Nigeria, i made mention of the loss of human sense. That was a reaction towards what Mattew d'Ancona described as ''the brutish embrace of authoritarianism''. I read his work a lot. People should be worried about the danger ahead, the signs are obvious and the problem just stare at us in the face, but many pretend not to see it. The truth is ignorance makes it very easy for people to get kidnapped, get captured by the populist/authoritarian leaders and then divert them to their own particular ends for socio-economic and political gains, so this is a big dilemma. Similarly in one of my previous blog posts i also emphasized this remarkable fact; demagougery exploits ignorant people to achieve its objective. What we're currently witnessing should be a constant reminder to re-think authoritarianism. In the words of Timothy Snyder; "We're now witnesses to a decline we did not foresee". Stagnation, persistence of poverty, insecurity and instability could be avoided. The world has changed beyound the imaginings of a ruthless few whose conspiracy theories have been exposed as fake- ''oppressive rather than liberating''. A brighter future is possible only if we change the way we think.  This requires a good stock taking of events surrounding us. Where are we? How did we get into this mess? and where do we go from here? The truth is the devastating impact of authoritarian rule in ethnically diverse society has remained a constant fact of history and there is no sign that history will be re-written too soon. Dictators never change overnight- poor resource management, division, discrimination, political bias and favouritism, abuse of power and absence of human rights, lack of proper democracy, violent repression of civil liberties and stagnation. A dark and dangerous future awaits ignorant electorates who fantasize with authoritarianism. No new jobs are created, low investment due to insecurity, fear, terror, and prolonged uncertainties. Having rejected the restructuring of the dysfunctional political system which is the reason for persistence of poverty and stagnation so which future do you have? Today the people have a chance to say this is what we did right or wrong in the past, we've learnt our lessons and we can now apply the lessons to guide our choice in the future. Good governance has become very imperative not a choice. We will continue to do everything we can to carry on in this big vision and dream of a new society that is fair and just, where the system works for everyone instead of the few. We recognise that there are gaps in knowledge so we will just carry on providing vital information and sharing knowledge to inspire debate about the future and to guide ordinary people make the right choices. In ethnically diverse societies like Nigeria, Authoritarian rule is not the future, it does not result in good governance, proper democracy, economic development and growth, that's the whole point, so ordinary people need to be properly informed. We have a chance to elect quality leadership that will guarantee growth and prosperity by addressing the interconnectedness of trust, governance and growth which has become a national predicament. The shameful and barbaric events in the last 3.5 years in Nigeria is a constant reminder not to fall victims of vain promises by ruthless and dangerous politicians who abuse human rights and resist modernity. Stock Market: Foreign investors withdraw N94.43Billion in Q3-Punch Newspaper,06 November 2018, Consul General: $1.3 Billion American Business in Nigeria Under Threat due to uncertainties and insecurity- Sahara Reporters, 06 November 2018, Nigeria loses Top Foreign Direct Investment, FDI To Morocco, South Africa, Guardian 06 November, 2018, etc, these should be a huge cause for concern, how can we achieve economic growth and lift ordinary people out of poverty in Nigeria?

Lastly criticising and exposing failures of the government is the only defence against absolutism and abuse of power. Democracy, the rule of law and freedom of expression are essential ingridients of the new economy to encourage good governance and defeat corruption and abuse of power, people should be worried whenever dictators seek coercieve powers to violently repress their citizens in the name of hate speech, etc. Instead of demanding the restructuring of the monstrous political structure that excludes and exploits the majority, some people are continued to be deceived by ''false identities''. Restructuring the country is the revolution we want not dictator rule. The ''repressed proletariat" must rise up and demand overhaul of the system that excludes and exploits them, which restructuring offers not celebrating dictator rule. Freedom is not freely given by the oppressors/hijackers. Find out more soon.

Sixtus Uche Okeke is the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation. He lives in London.

Human Capital and Social Accountability