Posted by Underdevelopment is still a problem in many African countries, which may be traced directly back to leadership failures and inadequate governance structures.
In addition to the countries that are presently being governed by military dictatorships, there are other countries that are having trouble maintaining their democracies. In these countries, the changeover from one government to the next is always marked by flawed electoral processes.
This has been widely blamed for the lack of dedicated political leaders, which has been cited as the primary reason for the stifled progress in the majority of African republics.
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Education Minister and a presidential candidate in her own right, is one of the people who are frustrated by the current state of affairs.
Ezekwesili, who is also well-known for her work on the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, has expressed alarm over the deteriorating state of the leadership situation in Africa.
However, she is of the opinion that the best way to move forward is to shape young men and women across the African continent so that they will be confident and take control of their respective countries.
Recently, she gave a speech at the graduation ceremony of the institution of Politics, Policy, and Governance, where she defined it as an unconventional institution with the goal of attracting, developing, and producing a new generation of political leaders who would listen to and serve a new class of citizens who are aware of their rights. She said that the school was created to attract, develop, and produce such leaders.
According to her, the purpose of SPPG is to educate future leaders and public officials who are prepared to serve the welfare of all residents and are committed to the improvement of the nation as a whole.
“Over the course of many years, it has created a reputation for providing leaders with the appropriate values, knowledge, and skills required to handle difficult public issues.
“The first of its kind world-class institution for shaping new kinds of public leaders, the school’s 33-week programme offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for aspiring public leaders to be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and values required for effective, disruptive, and progressive public leadership. ”
She passionately proclaimed, “The program includes a wide range of carefully selected courses comprising 24 modules that are analytically and empirically relevant to solving Africa’s complex development problems.” “The programme includes a wide range of carefully selected courses comprising 24 modules that are relevant to solving Africa’s complex development problems.”
The former minister continued by saying that “SPPG is focused on building ethical, competent, and capable leaders as well as producing at scale a new genre of public leadership that serves the people and delivers on governance.”
“Leadership for results and positive impact is a mission SPPG has determined to make the most important conversation in the public space of Nigeria and the rest of Africa,” stated Ezekwesili, the Founder of SPPG. “This is a mission SPPG has determined to make the most important conversation in the public space of Nigeria and the rest of Africa.”
She briefed the leaders of African nations on the importance of capitalizing on technological advancements and the turbulence that is currently occurring in order to accelerate economic expansion across the continent.
Ezekwesili, who is also the Convener/Chair of #FixPolitics, stated that the continent continues to experience an increasing leadership deficit in the areas of policy analysis, development, and good governance. She also disclosed that SPPG is determined to bridge the gaps experienced in these areas with a well-tailored curriculum for African students that incorporates a global perspective.
Ezekwesili made this statement regarding the lack of leadership on the African continent: “The world needs Africa, and Africa needs the world.”
She made the following statement: “The current multilateral order is broken and needs to be fixed urgently so that our world can make crucial decisions and take the appropriate actions on issues that affect us all.”
“Africa needs to be at the center of conversations about global governance, economic growth, poverty and inequality, climate change, disruptive technologies, and other related issues of human and social development.”
The future will be better for everyone if Africa is actively involved in the process of redesigning today’s global architecture in order to create a future in which there are equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of where they live.
She emphasized that in order for Africa to be prepared for this, it needs leaders who aren’t afraid to shake things up and are continually interested in finding better answers to the problems that plague their communities, countries, and the world.
The dysfunctional political culture of Nigeria, in which political leaders prioritize their own personal interests over those of the country, was identified by a former minister of education as the primary cause of the country’s leadership crisis.
Her perspective is that in order for leaders to effectively address the mounting economic and security concerns facing the country, they need to have a shift in their mentality.
She made the observation that character, competence, and capacity were the missing link in the production of good leaders in Africa, and she emphasized the necessity of disruptive thinking in the political arena of the nation.
“Our investigation revealed that not only in Nigeria, but also throughout the entirety of Africa, the political culture is skewed. The political culture in which those in positions of public leadership place their own individual and self-serving interests ahead of the public good, also known as the common good, is known as a culture of subordination.
It follows that the persons who ought to be serving are not serving, which indicates that the common or public good is not being served. To put an end to it, you will need to develop a fresh way of thinking about leadership.
Therefore, the training that we provide at SPPG has the material necessary to reset the mentality of those individuals who aspire to lead.
“They lead by serving; they place character at the foundation of the knowledge we give to them by improving on their competency and the capacity for them to be able to articulate sound policies; be able to design institutions that enable society to advance; and to have the capacity to make the right choices of investment in the goods and services that countries need to grow,” she said. “They have the ability to design institutions that enable society to advance and to have the capacity to make the right choices of investment in the goods and services that countries need to grow.”
The consensus among analysts is that Africa, and Nigeria in particular, is in need of exemplary leaders and followers in order to construct its politics and ensure that its populace is able to benefit from the fruits of democracy.
Regrettably, it has been noticed that inability to provide effective governance has been the lot of practically all previous governments in Nigeria, regardless of whether they were civilian or military in nature. This is the case in Nigeria.
According to the opinions of a number of academics, the Nigerian people as a whole do not have a clearly defined vision that is supported by their leaders, and this has remained the political albatross of the country ever since it gained its independence more than 60 years ago.
It is arguable that the many different ethnic groups, languages, and religions that make up Nigeria’s society would fare better if they were anchored on a well articulated national vision.
However, that has not proven to be the case. The cost is made clear by the repeated failures of the country to mature into a nation and make the most of the great potential that it possesses.
In this movement to improve the level of quality leadership in Africa, she is not alone in her efforts.
The Chief Executive Officer of SPPG, Alero Ayida-Otobo, held the belief that there was an urgent need to educate a new cadre of political leaders dedicated to the values of good governance in and outside of Nigeria, based on the values that the school upholds. He also believed that there was an urgent need to groom a new set of leaders with a policy development and good governance mindset.
“We aim to contribute to the instillation of a deep sense of moral commitment to the common good in politicians and public officials as a basis for Nigeria’s and Africa’s future success.
According to what she said, “SPPG hopes to strengthen the bonds between government, public administration, and citizens by encouraging dialogue, accountability, and transparency.”
She went on to say that the majority of African nations suffer from the same issues with their economies and development as Nigeria, and she emphasized that “this is why Fix Politics and SPPG are propelling us across the continent.” Our first stop was in Nigeria, but ultimately, we plan to visit all 54 countries that make up the African continent.
“SPPG is one of the three pillars of the Fix Politics Initiative. What we are doing is extremely important to the future of Nigeria. The aim is to elevate the office of the citizen, and we want to enlighten the citizens of this country.
“Our goal is to equip 21st century politicians that will be value driven, character, unquestionable competence, and undeniable capacity,” Ayida-Otobo added. “Our goal is to equip 21st century politicians.”
Barr Olu Omotayo, who is the President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, CRRAN, feels that beyond developing men and women as potential future leaders, there is a need for strong institutions in Africa. CRRAN is an acronym that stands for the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network.
He stated to DAILY POST that even if Africa has strong leaders, the continent does not have strong institutions.
“In the Western world, it doesn’t matter who comes to power since their actions won’t change the institutions because the institutions are already so powerful.
When President Obama was in Ghana, I believe, he stated that what the people of Africa require is not strong leaders but rather strong institutions. When the institutions are robust, the systems will begin to function properly.
“But we don’t have strong institutions; that’s why a president can sit down in the mansion and ask the Central Bank Governor to go and fetch a specific amount of money. ” “But we don’t have strong institutions.
“It can’t happen in developed countries; you have to go through the proper channels; the president is the head of the government, but he doesn’t have power over those institutions; the institutions are kept separate from the day-to-day operations of the government.”
“But here, we the institutions feel that they are subservient to the executive; even the judiciary when you come to Nigeria for instance, you see that the judiciary and the legislature have not been able to actually stand on their feet and these are the problems that make Africa to still be under-developed.” “But here, we the institutions feel that they are subservient to the executive.”
While praising the work that Ezekwesili and others are doing, he argued that even more effort should be put into producing people who are willing to speak up and challenge the status quo as well as defend the institutions.
“I have always been of the idea that the problem with Africa, and of course Nigeria, is the absence of collective effort by the people. This is something that I have held true throughout my entire life.
Therefore, we should not be focusing on leadership; if the citizens say this is what they want, they should demand that it be provided for them if this is what we desire. “If the people are adamant that our institutions must be strong, then they must be strong.
“Take a look at the Freedom of Information Act in Nigeria; it was created to ensure that the people of Nigeria always demand accountability from their leaders, but how many instances of it have you witnessed?” Those are the issues at hand.
“Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the people to take control of their own destinies; they must be able to challenge the authorities; they must be able to demand responsibility; it is not simply a matter of preparing a select few leaders who will eventually become dictators. We need to educate our populace so that they can think for themselves.”