Nigeria has performed below its founding expectations, yet to achieve economic progression – El Rufai

By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –

The former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai has opined that Nigeria has performed below its founding expectations: and is yet to achieve economic take-off because it is faced with poverty and poor human capital development indices.

El-Rufai also said that leadership has effectively moved several countries to highly developed status in a few decade but sub-Saharan Africa is yet to record any similar success story, although Botswana is on its way.

He stated this on Monday in Maiduguri during a special lecture titled: “Borno State Government Capacity Building Workshop Leadership & Public Policy: Managing Challenges & Lessons “.

NATIONAL ACCORD reports that the five days capacity building workshop, which holds from Monday, 15th – 19th April, 2024 at Usman Musa State Secretariat International Conference Hall Maiduguri, was organized by the Borno State Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement.

Malam El-Rufai, in his lead paper presentation titled: “Capacity Building Workshop on Enhancing Skills of Government Officials In Policy Implementation and Productive Human Resources Management”, said countries with comparable economic indices at independence have performed better like Malaysia, South Korea, etc, stressing that sustained democratic rule since 1999 provides hope for breakthrough, despite stop-start reform efforts across the year.

“But challenges to political stability persist from violent non-state actors amidst the many problems in the polity where leadership has to decide on the most fundamental, prioritise and sequence the solutions that led the society to embrace a forward march.

“Policy is the primary tool for translating governance goals and objectives into reality.. Leadership can inspire, but it needs effective policy to deliver where new social, political and economic pressures have focused more emphasis on the importance of governance at the sub national level.

“It is clear that centralisation cannot deliver optimal outcomes for Nigeria and Nigerians. as delivery of public goods such as ,primary & secondary education, healthcare services for the people is best conceived, designed and managed at state and local government level.

He suggested that discharging these governance obligations requires an efficient public service, consistently guided by public interest, policy-making and implementation, devoted to effective communication, that is responsive and dynamic enough to make pragmatic adjustments.

According to him, this require building the team, setting the goals, identifying the problems, . choosing the solutions and monitoring delivery as leadership exercises responsibility for setting the direction, managing output, tracking the results and correcting course of monitoring pace where necessary and resolving disputes and communication.

El Rufai explained further that leadership is challenged when change becomes necessary as people fear change because it is a departure from the familiar.

“This fear often leads to such fierce opposition that many leaders seek to avoid by following, rather than leading, the people.
• Leadership should help people see that change can deliver better outcomes.

“To exercise their responsibility, leaders often deploy a toolkit with instruments to: build and manage high performance teams, develop sound policy, track results and adapt how to manage stakeholders.

This is crucial in setting up efficient team for the following reasons: to achieve the leadership’s goals where an efficient team can help the leadership achieve their goals and objectives by working together towards a common vision.

” Managing crises: Be it a natural disaster, public health emergency or an economic downturn. A well prepared team can respond quickly and decisively, by ensuring that the leadership can provide the necessary leadership and support to the community.

“Building trust and confidence. As the leader’s team is a reflection of their leadership and management skills as they tend to mirror their commitment to transparency, accountability and collaboration which in turn builds the trust and confidence among the public, stakeholders and other leaders.

“Fostering innovation and creativity because with the right team in place, the leadership can encourage new ideas, experimentation and problem solving which will lead to better outcomes for the community,” El Rufai said.

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, represented by SSG, Borno State, Hon. Bukar Tijani, in his remark, said the workshop is both apt and timely as it is coming at this critical period of our nation drive towards economic recovery and civil service rebirth.

“Indeed, any effort such as this one aimed at improving the skills of civil servants is highly laudable especially during this period of national development.

” I urge you to to listen attentively and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the civil servants in the performance of their duties in the state.

“The development of human capacities and capabilities are sine-qua-non to social development as it is an established fact that only human capacities and capabilities can effectively harness the environment no matter the natural endowment.,” Zulum said.

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