Is This Generational Shift?
President Olusegun Obasanjo may have finally recognised the potentials in the younger generation with the emergence of some young Turks into his cabinet. Joseph Ushigiale writes
On May 29, 1999 when President Olusegun Obasanjo assumed the reins of power in the country, one issue that dominated public discourse was the calibre of people he would appoint into his cabinet to help him in running the affairs of the country.
Debate on the shape and character of the cabinet and other appointments to be made by the President centred on the age bracket of those to help him pilot the affairs of state. On this issue, opinion was divided. The majority opinion favoured a cabinet to be composed of youth or those below 50 years of age. The argument is that this group has the zeal, capacity and innovation to meet the demands of the 21st century where e-governance has taken over. Indeed, it was said that the future belongs to the youths, who should be given opportunity to prove their mettle. Little room was made for the old breed politicians who were always being recycled by successive administrations.
As it turned out, when the list of Ministers was made public, Obasanjo disappointed not a few. His cabinet composed mainly of the old brigade politicians who have remained a recurring decimal in the socio-political history of the nation.
The President was told in no mistaken terms that sidelining the youths, many of who had made positive impact in the private sector, in preference for the old brigade was a great disservice to the nation. As it turned out, some are of the view that Obasanjo's first term ended without as much appreciable progress in the polity and the economy, as had been eagerly anticipated. However, opportunity to make amends came after he won a second term. Obasanjo consciously chose a team of tested and talented young men and women whose wealth of experience and exposure have given his government national and international acclaim and goodwill.
Perhaps for the first time in the history of the nation, there are presently a very significant number of young people occupying very important positions in government as Ministers, Directors-General, Chairmen of Boards, etc. However, nowhere is this tendency more noticeable than in the President's choice of Ministers. Those in this category include Mrs. Esther Nenadi Usman, Minister of State for Finance; Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu, Minister of Information and National Orientation; Mr. Frank Nweke, Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs; Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance; and Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Minister of Federal Capital Territory. Samaila Balarabe Sambawa (Minister of State Foreign Affairs); Abubakar Saleh (Minister of State Works); Mukhtari Shagari (Minister of Water Resources); Funke Adedoyin (Minister of State Health) and Liyel Imoke (Minister of Power and Steel).
Others include Ms. Ifueko Omoigui, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service; Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo (Governor of Central Bank); Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili (Special Asst. to the President on Budget and Due Process); Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu (Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission) and Alhaji Waziri Mohammed (Chairman Nigeria Railway Corporation), among others.
A similar trend of young turks appears to be simultaneously arising in the states. The list include Governors Donald Duke (Cross River); Ahmed Muazu (Bauchi State); Bukola Saraki (Kwara State); Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna State); Lucky Igbinedion (Edo State); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia); James Ibori (Delta) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba State), among others.
As in politics, so it is in business. The roll call of younger chief executives include Tony Elumelu (Standard Trust Bank); Nduka Obaigbena (THISDAY Chairman); Sir Emeka Offor (Chrome Oil); Macaulay McPepple; Mr. Femi Otedola (Zenon Oil), Wale Tinubu (Oando); Alhaji Aliko Dangote (Dangote Group), Chief Felix Odimegwu (Nigeria Breweries); Mr. Tayo Aderinokun (Guaranty Trust Bank) and so many others.
One problem that has been faced by developing countries across the world and indeed in Nigeria has been the failure to groom a credible successor generation. In some cases, this negligence is deliberate in order to perpetuate the reign of a few individuals that percolate at the top. Nigeria itself has been a victim of this. For instance, in 1979, all the political parties sought old political gladiators as their flagbearers. The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) that formed government at the centre did the same. Its search led to the emergence of Alhaji Shehu Shagari as President. The same scenario was to play out again in 1983. In 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) went back 20 years to search for a flagbearer. The outcome of its search was Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, who emerged as President of the country.
It is on record that General Ibrahim Babangida experimented with the concept of the new breed in an attempt to change the political landscape by infusing youth and dynamism. However either by design or accident, that experiment floundered. The question to ask as the nation approaches 2007, another election year, is what happens? Will the old breed be enthroned again? It appears that this time around, President Obasanjo has decided to alter the colouration and perhaps the substance of Nigeria's politics and governance by nurturing a successor generation. If so, it is a good omen for the country. Increasingly observers are beginning to ask: Is this the face of a new Nigeria?
Several other countries have witnessed this generational shift and it has served them with fresh ideas and fresh leadership. Those who hold this opinion point to United States of America (USA) under Bill Clinton and George Bush, United Kingdom, under Tony Blair, Russia under Putin as well as other industrialised countries where those at the helm of affairs are in their 40s and early 50s.
In Nigeria, the younger faces in government appear so far to be holding their own creditably particularly in the present cabinet. It is not preposterous to say that these individuals have done a lot to lift the image of this administration through the transparent manner they have piloted affairs of their Ministries. The achievements of these younger Ministers and public officials in their various institutions can be seen through public opinion moulded by the impact of policies on the country. For instance, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and her colleague, Nenadi Usman have impressed not a few Nigerians and have brought transparency and accountability to public accounts with the publication of allocations to states and local governments.
Another Minister who is also acknowledged as an achiever is Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. El-Rufai has shown a commitment to give a new lease to the capital city. To do this, he has given the city a new look by demolishing illegal structures and enforcing the strict implementation of the Abuja master plan in its unadulterated form. His plan to open up the satellite towns, embark on a peculiar type of mass transit in the Abuja metropolis has all endeared him to the people. Where his predecessors failed, el-Rufai has shown that with a little commitment, government can be made to work for the people. El Rufai has taken a very firm stand against corruption at great personal risk.
One ministry that has brought a revolution to government's information machinery is the Ministry of Information and National Orientation. Chief Chikelu holds forte at the head of the Ministry. In a very short time, he has revived the daily press releases of the Ministry, established a credible monthly magazine, reviewed the laws of parastatals under him, prioritised the film industry and initiated a review of the now archaic national policy on information. He is also now credited with the restoring credibility to government information.
Imbued with oratorical skill, Chikelu has made positive impression in the minds of Nigerians, and he has become a role model for the youths who see in him a good ambassador of his generation.
Also consider the appointment of Professor Soludo as Chief Economic Adviser and lately Governor of Central Bank. As Economic Adviser, Soludo brought an uncanny professionalism in the discharge of his duties. It is said that he, alongside Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala authored the government's reform document and the New Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS), which is envisaged to turn around the economy for a steady growth. Other Ministers in this category include Mr. Frank Nweke (Jnr.) and the newly appointed chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui. These officials represent the face of the new Nigeria.
These are the people who are strategically placed to take over the mantle of leadership of this country. They represent a new awakening.
How far can they go? Can they navigate the often perilous minefield that is Nigeria politic? Will they be allowed to mature under the tutelage of a president/statesman in his final term? Nigerians are watching.
The credit however goes to President Obasanjo who has consciously empowered this generation of post-civil war young Nigerians as possible successors to the leadership position of the country and offered Nigeria perhaps for the first time ever, what appears to be an ordered plan for succession.
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