The tragedy of leadership in Nigeria is evident in the disastrous economic condition in which the country finds itself despite the abundance of natural and human resources. The economy, according to numerous authoritative experts have fallen short of expectation in terms of performance of observable indicators.

Even though we accept the fact that economic progress in the country has been generally disappointing, but the principle of devolution of political power among states and local governments means that states and local governments, in addition to the federally allocated revenue, mobilize its human and material resources and determine the pace of development of its own area of jurisdiction.

Anambra state is today at a strategic point in history. As the new administration of Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo settles, any serious observer will discover that anxious expectation widely spread among the people. This may be as a result of the feeling that the Soludo administration will not be business as usual. The election of the Governor on universal suffrage is significant in the political life of the people. It means that he has the popular mandate of the people and he has made it clear that he will be accountable to the people of the state.

It is also clear that the programme of his government is going to be revolutionary, grass-root based and result oriented in order to achieve the goal of total economic transformation of the state. The range of issues involved is wide and likely to stretch the full capacity of the state, the local government and town union governments.

The public is therefore worried about the complexity of the issues facing the new government and the high demands for courage, hardwork, imagination and creativity that they impose on the new government.

The Governor needs the support of all well-meaning Ndi-Anambra at home and abroad to implement his far-sighted strategies and well constructed plans of action to transform our economy. This is the time for all notable industrialists, and all types of entrepreneurs to join hands with the government and devise all forms of public-private partnerships, collaborations and joint-ventures to achieve the desired rapid economic transformation of our state for the benefit of all our people.

We must realize that reliance on old slogans and traditional rivalries will only lead to the escalation of our economic woes. We must therefore begin now to remedy our problems and not just manage them; to shape events rather than endure them; and to confront our problems rather than one another. History is also marked by some moments as we have now when the old order gives way to new patterns. These are times of opportunity for new creation, innovation and progress.

The civilized societies which we so much admire today could not have achieved their present height without the humane philosophy developed by their founding fathers and sustained  by successive statesmen and women who could muster all their intellectual energies, overcome all differences of background and  interest to formulate an abiding national goal, such that both  individual citizens and the country as a whole had an impelling motive in life which was not limited to industrial, political or economic growth but also the betterment of human life.

WRITTEN BY PROF. STEVE IBENTA

No related posts.