What we witnessed in Cambridge was a complete surprise. President Goodluck Jonathan turned the tables on us by challenging business leaders to stop moaning and lamenting.
“We have gone past all that.
What I expect of all of you who are captains of industry and commerce as well as banking; oil and gas; telecommunications etc is to rise to the challenge posed by Adam Smith as far back as 1790.
“It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to that revenue, but something more than in that proportion.”
I want our nation to benefit from your leadership skills which you have advertised vigorously by your strength of character and sense of purpose.
It already agreed that leaders are endowed with a clear focus on what they want to achieve. It is precisely for this reason that I want you to partner with the government on the critical issue of DELIVERY (no more talking please). I want action. Let us agree on our priorities – and focus on no more than six items. We cannot do everything all at the same time. The fresh initiative will be driven by government/private sector partnership in such areas as:
Infrastructure and power
Education
Health
Agriculture and water
Security
Tourism
We do not need consultants to tell us what we already know. Speaking for myself, we should plan for the next 100 years so that whatever we are able to deliver now will be anchored on well thought out long-term vision. Even if we do not receive accolades now, history will eventually give us credit.
Now more than ever, it is the future of our nation we have to grapple with, within the context of the global village. The experts have repeatedly told us (and I believe they are right) that the overarching drivers of the future are:
Technology
Demography
Consumer market
Resource scarcity
However, we must readily acknowledge that it is not only western societies who are handicapped by the inability to adapt to changing realities. We are just as guilty.
Regardless, this is the time to rebrand our nation – not by fine rhetoric or catchy slogans but by what we are actually able to deliver as evidenced by measurable performance. Indeed, we have no option other to benchmark our performance against what other nations e.g. Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore have done when faced with the same dire straits in which we find ourselves. They have succeeded in turning challenges into vast opportunities. They are not endowed with natural resources, what they have in abundance are talents.
However, what we will not be doing is to repeat the grave errors which afflicted Argentina. At the turn of the last century, it was a prosperous country but by the end of the same century it had piled up huge debts while simultaneously grappling with an economy in tatters. God willing that will not be Nigeria’s portion. Amen.”
President Goodluck was rewarded with warm applause. However, he was not yet done. He emphatically declared:
“I desire a legacy of prosperous Nigerians at the end of my tenure. Indeed, I vow to continue to work hard in order to create a brighter and enduring future for all Nigerians. We shall continue to do all that we can to create a brighter and enduring future for all Nigerians-a future of hope and prosperity…”
It is my ambition to continue to work towards the sustained growth of the country’s economy. I promise that under my leadership, Nigeria would not just be a land of great potential but also a nation where positive changes transform the lives of the people.
Making sure women take their rightful place in Nigeria’s government is only the beginning and a vital step that would pave the way for a host of other critical measures, my administration is implementing to improve the lives and opportunities of women.
I attribute my decision to entrust women with the responsibilities of high office to the exceptional zeal displayed by my mother Eunice. This contributed to my decision to entrust the women in my government with the responsibilities of high office.
Regardless, the President stayed on track and announced that he would soon launch the “Cambridge Scorecard” which would enable the government to monitor, at the end of each month, very robustly the pace at which the prioritized goals were being achieved.
Dr.Goodluck Jonathan was quick to make the point that our nation’s image is quite frankly is not what it should be. All the same, we must not despair. After all South Korea is a case in point. Only two decades ago its goods, from electronics to cars were considered sub-standard. Now it’s a different story with Samsung smart phones; LG Electronics; KIA Motors and numerous others. The lesson to be learnt is that branding is a critical element and it requires a great deal of guts and determination to succeed regardless of the barriers or obstacles.
It was typical of President Goodluck Jonathan to roll out a list of those he has identified as “Champions” – AlhajiAlikoDangote (cement, sugar, salt and noodles; etc). Several others were mentioned but it was when Mr. President announced JK Randle Professional Services that the audience went wild!!
Dr. Jonathan had obviously done plenty of homework as he added that the common trend among those business leaders is their strength of character and their enormous capacity to stay focused while others crumble under pressure.
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