THE GROSS LACK OF VISIONARY LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF NIGERIA’S UNDERDEVELOPMENT – THE DUBAI EXAMPLE IS WORTH LEARNING FROM
February 8, 2021 | News
According to the holy writ, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). In other words, when a society or country like Nigeria constantly have political leaders in Government at all levels, who are without people-oriented visions of transformation, it is the people that will continue to suffer.
THE GROSS LACK OF VISIONARY LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF NIGERIA’S UNDERDEVELOPMENT – THE DUBAI EXAMPLE IS WORTH LEARNING FROM
According to the holy writ, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). In other words, when a society or country like Nigeria constantly have political leaders in Government at all levels, who are without people-oriented visions of transformation, it is the people that will continue to suffer. No matter how wealthy and rich of resources, and human capital such a country may have, if it only entrenches political leaders in the Government space that are without visions for that country, then be rest assured that such a country will never see the needed growth and development that is expected. This is not being pessimistic; this is being realistic. Sadly, that has been the unfortunate ‘reality’ of Nigeria since it came into existence, and despite its wealth and riches.
This is what came to my mind, when I recently saw a posted quote said to be from the founder of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. When asked about the future of his country, he said: “My grandfather was on a camel, my father was on a camel. I’m in a Mecedes, my son is on a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to be in a Land Rover. But my great-grandson will be back on a camel…” Why is that? Tough times created strong men; strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create tough times. Many won’t understand, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites.” Such profound words of wisdom with deep meanings, can only come from men of vision for the future. That is why the best way to know a man and the stuff that man is made of, is when he talks, but more important is the things that man does.
Though, Nigeria is a large country while Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, but both places have something similar. And that is the oil wealth. However, while the Nigerian Governments over the years have mostly focused on the “quick returns” derived from the export of crude oil and natural gas, with little or no consideration to divest and invest heavily in the production of other products/items that can be derived from these natural resources; the leadership in Dubai on the other hand, right from the onset initiated a long-term plan and vision to initially use every money from its oil wealth to develop and transform Dubai to become the world’s number one luxurious tourist destination and eventually transformed the city to the world’s number one business trade center.
Before 1960, Dubai was just a desert, with a coastal area of sea Trade and merchants. But the ruler of Dubai has changed its face. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, has made Dubai one of the best cities in the world. When asked, what is he trying to do in Dubai? What do you want this place to be? He said: “I want it to be Number One. Not in the region, but in the world. Number one in everything…. High Education, Health, Housing, etc. Just making my people the highest way of living.”
While in Nigeria, despite the fact that we gained independence in 1960, and was known then by her agrarian economy prior to the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity in 1956 in a village called Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa State. But over the years, all that our Governments are very good at doing, especially in the last two decades of our democracy, is to keep increasing the size and structure of their public administration/governance budgetary allocation and maintenance. Every now and then, we see the spring up of Government Departments, Agencies, Commissions, Committees, etc., with more Offices filled with personnel that are there doing little to practically nothing, other than to receive salaries and bonuses every month and enjoy other fringe benefits of such Offices in Government coffers. All they know how to do well is to set up one committee or the other to look into everything that is going wrong in the country; constantly hold meetings, seminars, workshops and summits, which of course costs fortunes to organize every time. At the end, little or nothing is actually achieved to transform the lives of the citizenry.
The Executive arm, across all levels of the Nigerian Government, and also those at the Legislative arm (both Federal and State levels), are the frontrunners, the worse set of people are those spearheading this wastage of our national collective public wealth, on public administration/governance recurrent expenditure. It is only in Nigeria that you would have and see One single Government Official (be it as a Senator/House Representative, Minister, Commissioner, House of Assembly Member, Appointee, etc.), with several ‘attaches’, ‘hangers-on’ and retinue of officials attached to them as SAs, SSAs, PAs, Ex As, etc. with no clearly defined roles and functions.
Whereas, Dubai has become so famous that most people around the world think of it as a country. But it is not even a state, it’s just a city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A city that was a desert a few years ago. Everyone has heard about the Burj Khalifa. But the ruler of Dubai is bored with it now. So, he’s building the Dubai Creek Tower. It is said it will be completed by 2021. Its height will be 1300m. Burj Khalifa’s height is 830m, compared to it. Dubai is the world’s largest construction site. Dubai’s growth is faster than any other city in the world.
Mind you, before 1960 Dubai was nothing…. But oil was found in Dubai and its destiny was changed. BUT DUBAI DOESN’T RELY ON OIL MONEY NOW. IN FACT, DUBAI’S CURRENT EARNING FROM OIL IS LESS THAN 5% OF ITS GDP. DUBAI HAS BECOME THE TRADING HUB FOR THE WORLD. ONLY 15% OF DUBAI’S POPULATION ARE ARABS. THE 85% POPULATION OF DUBAI ARE FOREIGNERS WORKING IN THE COUNTRY. More than 60% of the population are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. IN 1990, THERE WAS ONLY 1 SKYSCRAPER IN DUBAI, KNOWN AS THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. NOW THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 148 SKYSCRAPERS, AND 917 HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS IN DUBAI. The police in Dubai uses supercars. Such as Aston Martin One -77, Audi R8, Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Bentayga and many more. Dubai never settles for number 2. The Dubai mall is the world’s biggest shopping mall. It has 1200 stores in total.
Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah is the world’s largest man-made Island. The only Seven-Star hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab, is in Dubai. The Ruler of Dubai wanted Disneyland in Dubai that would be bigger than Disneyland in America. But Disneyland rejected the proposal. So, he built Dubailand! It is 2.5 times bigger than Disneyland. More than 200,000 visitors are seen there. As we can see, the Ruler of Dubai’s Vision has made Dubai what it is today. Where there were only deserts a few years ago, there are only skyscrapers now. When asked: why do you want everything to be the biggest, the tallest, the largest? He answered: “Why not? If you can have it in New York, why can’t we have it here? “When asked, why are you in such a hurry? Most people would try and do all of this in a life time, not in five years. He said: “I want my people to live better lives now; to go to the good health care now – not after 20 years.”
This is how leaders with vision think. Leaders with vision of leaving lasting legacies that will outlive them. That is what we grossly lack in Nigerian Governments at all levels. Name all the places today that Nigerians and other foreigners like trooping into; Dubai, London, New York City, Paris, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Largo, Miami, Augusta, New Orleans, Detroit, Saint Paul, Albany, Dallas, Birmingham, Amsterdam, The Hague, Chelmsford, Atlanta, Manchester, etc., they were all developed by leaders who knew they had to start having the required infrastructural foundation on ground, and every other thing/development would take shape on that foundation. That is exactly what we need in Nigeria. No country's economy can attain needed height when it is generator-driven. No country can develop without having the basic infrastructure for such economic growth to take place. While other countries are daily investing heavily on infrastructure, the Nigerian Government at all levels are busy spending more funds on administration/governance. These are the issues we expected the Nigerian Governments to use the nation’s oil wealth to address since we discovered the ‘black gold’ in the last five decades.
A country like Nigeria with vast natural resources and human capital, cannot continue on its current destructive path and hope that things will automatically change overnight. That is nothing but wishful thinking and day dreaming.
Like Dubai, which has used its oil wealth and transformed their home into the world’s number one luxurious tourist destination; it is very possible for Nigeria to also use its oil and gas wealth to transform the country into an industrialized destination where all kinds of products/goods derivable from crude oil and gas can be ‘exported for foreign exchange’. And where every other sector of the Nigerian economy is developed with the said oil and gas wealth to also attract foreigners/investors and tourists. With the right ‘leadership attitude’ and the ‘right policies implementation’ – anything is possible if we believe we can achieve it.
Zik Gbemre.
February 8, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
According to the holy writ, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). In other words, when a society or country like Nigeria constantly have political leaders in Government at all levels, who are without people-oriented visions of transformation, it is the people that will continue to suffer. No matter how wealthy and rich of resources, and human capital such a country may have, if it only entrenches political leaders in the Government space that are without visions for that country, then be rest assured that such a country will never see the needed growth and development that is expected. This is not being pessimistic; this is being realistic. Sadly, that has been the unfortunate ‘reality’ of Nigeria since it came into existence, and despite its wealth and riches.
This is what came to my mind, when I recently saw a posted quote said to be from the founder of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. When asked about the future of his country, he said: “My grandfather was on a camel, my father was on a camel. I’m in a Mecedes, my son is on a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to be in a Land Rover. But my great-grandson will be back on a camel…” Why is that? Tough times created strong men; strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create tough times. Many won’t understand, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites.” Such profound words of wisdom with deep meanings, can only come from men of vision for the future. That is why the best way to know a man and the stuff that man is made of, is when he talks, but more important is the things that man does.
Though, Nigeria is a large country while Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, but both places have something similar. And that is the oil wealth. However, while the Nigerian Governments over the years have mostly focused on the “quick returns” derived from the export of crude oil and natural gas, with little or no consideration to divest and invest heavily in the production of other products/items that can be derived from these natural resources; the leadership in Dubai on the other hand, right from the onset initiated a long-term plan and vision to initially use every money from its oil wealth to develop and transform Dubai to become the world’s number one luxurious tourist destination and eventually transformed the city to the world’s number one business trade center.
Before 1960, Dubai was just a desert, with a coastal area of sea Trade and merchants. But the ruler of Dubai has changed its face. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, has made Dubai one of the best cities in the world. When asked, what is he trying to do in Dubai? What do you want this place to be? He said: “I want it to be Number One. Not in the region, but in the world. Number one in everything…. High Education, Health, Housing, etc. Just making my people the highest way of living.”
While in Nigeria, despite the fact that we gained independence in 1960, and was known then by her agrarian economy prior to the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity in 1956 in a village called Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa State. But over the years, all that our Governments are very good at doing, especially in the last two decades of our democracy, is to keep increasing the size and structure of their public administration/governance budgetary allocation and maintenance. Every now and then, we see the spring up of Government Departments, Agencies, Commissions, Committees, etc., with more Offices filled with personnel that are there doing little to practically nothing, other than to receive salaries and bonuses every month and enjoy other fringe benefits of such Offices in Government coffers. All they know how to do well is to set up one committee or the other to look into everything that is going wrong in the country; constantly hold meetings, seminars, workshops and summits, which of course costs fortunes to organize every time. At the end, little or nothing is actually achieved to transform the lives of the citizenry.
The Executive arm, across all levels of the Nigerian Government, and also those at the Legislative arm (both Federal and State levels), are the frontrunners, the worse set of people are those spearheading this wastage of our national collective public wealth, on public administration/governance recurrent expenditure. It is only in Nigeria that you would have and see One single Government Official (be it as a Senator/House Representative, Minister, Commissioner, House of Assembly Member, Appointee, etc.), with several ‘attaches’, ‘hangers-on’ and retinue of officials attached to them as SAs, SSAs, PAs, Ex As, etc. with no clearly defined roles and functions.
Whereas, Dubai has become so famous that most people around the world think of it as a country. But it is not even a state, it’s just a city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A city that was a desert a few years ago. Everyone has heard about the Burj Khalifa. But the ruler of Dubai is bored with it now. So, he’s building the Dubai Creek Tower. It is said it will be completed by 2021. Its height will be 1300m. Burj Khalifa’s height is 830m, compared to it. Dubai is the world’s largest construction site. Dubai’s growth is faster than any other city in the world.
Mind you, before 1960 Dubai was nothing…. But oil was found in Dubai and its destiny was changed. BUT DUBAI DOESN’T RELY ON OIL MONEY NOW. IN FACT, DUBAI’S CURRENT EARNING FROM OIL IS LESS THAN 5% OF ITS GDP. DUBAI HAS BECOME THE TRADING HUB FOR THE WORLD. ONLY 15% OF DUBAI’S POPULATION ARE ARABS. THE 85% POPULATION OF DUBAI ARE FOREIGNERS WORKING IN THE COUNTRY. More than 60% of the population are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. IN 1990, THERE WAS ONLY 1 SKYSCRAPER IN DUBAI, KNOWN AS THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. NOW THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 148 SKYSCRAPERS, AND 917 HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS IN DUBAI. The police in Dubai uses supercars. Such as Aston Martin One -77, Audi R8, Bentley Continental GT, Bentley Bentayga and many more. Dubai never settles for number 2. The Dubai mall is the world’s biggest shopping mall. It has 1200 stores in total.
Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah is the world’s largest man-made Island. The only Seven-Star hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab, is in Dubai. The Ruler of Dubai wanted Disneyland in Dubai that would be bigger than Disneyland in America. But Disneyland rejected the proposal. So, he built Dubailand! It is 2.5 times bigger than Disneyland. More than 200,000 visitors are seen there. As we can see, the Ruler of Dubai’s Vision has made Dubai what it is today. Where there were only deserts a few years ago, there are only skyscrapers now. When asked: why do you want everything to be the biggest, the tallest, the largest? He answered: “Why not? If you can have it in New York, why can’t we have it here? “When asked, why are you in such a hurry? Most people would try and do all of this in a life time, not in five years. He said: “I want my people to live better lives now; to go to the good health care now – not after 20 years.”
This is how leaders with vision think. Leaders with vision of leaving lasting legacies that will outlive them. That is what we grossly lack in Nigerian Governments at all levels. Name all the places today that Nigerians and other foreigners like trooping into; Dubai, London, New York City, Paris, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Largo, Miami, Augusta, New Orleans, Detroit, Saint Paul, Albany, Dallas, Birmingham, Amsterdam, The Hague, Chelmsford, Atlanta, Manchester, etc., they were all developed by leaders who knew they had to start having the required infrastructural foundation on ground, and every other thing/development would take shape on that foundation. That is exactly what we need in Nigeria. No country's economy can attain needed height when it is generator-driven. No country can develop without having the basic infrastructure for such economic growth to take place. While other countries are daily investing heavily on infrastructure, the Nigerian Government at all levels are busy spending more funds on administration/governance. These are the issues we expected the Nigerian Governments to use the nation’s oil wealth to address since we discovered the ‘black gold’ in the last five decades.
A country like Nigeria with vast natural resources and human capital, cannot continue on its current destructive path and hope that things will automatically change overnight. That is nothing but wishful thinking and day dreaming.
Like Dubai, which has used its oil wealth and transformed their home into the world’s number one luxurious tourist destination; it is very possible for Nigeria to also use its oil and gas wealth to transform the country into an industrialized destination where all kinds of products/goods derivable from crude oil and gas can be ‘exported for foreign exchange’. And where every other sector of the Nigerian economy is developed with the said oil and gas wealth to also attract foreigners/investors and tourists. With the right ‘leadership attitude’ and the ‘right policies implementation’ – anything is possible if we believe we can achieve it.
Zik Gbemre.
February 8, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes