Critical thinkers, Disruptive inventors, Empathetic reformers: Three Traits for Tinubu’s Team
I make bold to say that over the past
forty years or so, Nigerians have not known the semblance of a functional
society. I make bold to add that most persons, usually members of Nigeria’s
political elite, who have occupied political positions within the same period
have been meal-ticket finders, opportunity-seekers, people-pleasers, knee-jerk
responders, pretense-lovers, yes- men and several other labels you may
reasonably want to add to the list. For these prototypes of political office
holders, narrow considerations of self-accruals, immediate gains and political
correctness outweigh communal growth, delayed gratification and sacrifice of
political expediency. They watched and led a once thriving African pride and
model down the drain in her governance structure, physical infrastructure,
social architecture and political culture. Why? It’s because despite their
formal educational attainments, most of them lacked the triple traits and
skills of critical thinking, disruptive invention and empathetic reformation
needed to restore the functionality of our society.
Yes, I may not be old enough to
school our past failed elders on the best path they ought to have trodden to a
greater nation but I’m young enough to have my eyes and brain optimally
functioning to clearly decipher the pitfalls in their choices that trail the
Nigerian project. Afterall, projects are measured by the quality & quantity
of four elements - inputs, outputs, outcomes and impacts, such that the moment
the input falls short, the results (outputs, outcomes and impact) are well
predictable, even from the beginning. Critical thinking helps to diagnose the
problem as well as marshal solutions correctly and dispassionately in the
immediate, medium- and long-term. Disruptive leadership confers and converts an
inner impetus to an external political will that is needed to alter the current
abnormal situation in the positive direction for our collective benefit.
Empathetic reforms can be likened to the concept of Universal Health Coverage
(UHC) that emphasizes “financial risk protection for all persons as they access
promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health
services”. UHC is one perfect example of an empathetic global reform mindset
for healthcare financing championed by the United Nations because it doesn’t
support any person in a country selling off his/her properties to be able to
raise funds for a surgery no matter how beautiful the hospital or skillful the
surgeon is.
To illustrate these three followership
traits expected of our Ministers, I’ll use an example of Nigeria’s current multi-faceted
socioeconomic challenge comprising devalued naira, high cost of petrol and its
consequential inflationary effects on all aspects of living cost in an
import-dependent nation. We need our Ministers to critically evaluate the major
causes of the high subsidy burden incurred by the Federal government over
imported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) that has thankfully be removed but to
disruptively invent an expedient switch to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in
record time. The empathetic reform trait would be to consider now, the likely
financial burden of CNG, even when available in sufficient quantities
in-country, to each Nigerian, such that there may be the need to institute
another subsidy regime for the product in the immediate future to make it
affordable to Nigerians. In other words, a team made up of critical thinkers,
disruptive inventors and empathetic reformers would not discard the idea of
subsidies in its entirety because responsible governments all over the world do
not only look at expansion of tax nets and other revenue drives but consider
underwriting some living costs in difficult times to keep citizens alive and
productive.
What affordable tools would they need
to critically think, disruptively invent, and empathetically reform? Dedicated
time to routine & intentional brainstorming sessions in their respective ministerial
offices with the Permanent Secretaries, Directors, and members of management
teams of various Ministries and Agencies. Pens/markers, boards, flip charts,
snacks, thinking caps, listening ears, fold-your-sleeves habits, freedom-of-expression-of-ideas,
and actionable memos to Mr. President are the requirements for these crucial
sessions needed to think, invent, and reform Nigeria. Guess what - these cheap tools
are perhaps more important than the expensive official cars, security men,
houses and other spoils that adorn ministerial offices.
Dr.
Adetolu Ademujimi, a Medical Doctor, Health Finance Specialist, Author,
Reformer, Coach, Public Policy expert and Social entrepreneur who can be
reached in Abuja via adetoluademujimi@gmail.com,
has his website at www.adetoluademujimi.com
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