Presentation By

The Chief Servant, Dr. Mu'Azu Babangida Aliyu, OON (Talban Minna & Sodangi Nupe) The Governor of Niger State and Chairman, Northern Governors' Forum At the Harvard University's Monthly Seminar
Titled: "Nigeria in the World" On Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TOPIC:

New Dynamics in Democratization and Development in Nigeria:

Imperatives For Servant Leadership

PROTOCOL;

2. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; I am greatly honored to be given the opportunity to speak to this distinguished audience. I am grateful to professor Jacob K. Olupona, the Director of the Seminar series “Nigeria in the World” at the Weatherhead Centre for International Studies of Harvard University for extending this invitation, arranging and facilitating the programme. I am delighted that Harvard University through its Department of African and African American Studies has recognized the need to promote deeper understanding of the current state of Nigeria's engagement with the world community. Indeed, this is a good opportunity to enable the world see the different sides, perhaps the objective sides of Nigeria, other than what is being commonly portrayed in the international media about Nigeria - Niger Delta militancy, kidnappings, bombings, corruption, poverty, illiteracy, diseases and lately terrorism.

3. Nigeria has a great deal of political and economic influence in West Africa, indeed in the whole of Africa, and any major crises in Nigeria has the potential of destabilizing not only Africa but global peace and security. Paying attention to Nigeria's place in today's fast changing world of globalization, information and communication technology therefore becomes sacrosanct. Let me therefore congratulate Professor Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust, the President of Harvard University for pushing for "a different Harvard", which is responsive to the changing global realities and Professor Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, the Chair of the Department of African and African American Studies for providing excellent leadership in this department, which has taken African and African American studies to a higher level within the 40 years of its establishment.

4. It is therefore my pleasure to use this platform to share with you my considered opinions on the topic: The New Dynamics of Democratization and Development in Nigeria: Imperatives for Servant Leadership. This discussion is aimed at analyzing the emerging trends in democratization and development, as well the impact of leadership on the twin processes with a view to enriching your understanding of modern "Nigeria in the World" today. We expect to have a better environment for looking at things in their realistic perspectives and true colors in a University community, where issues are discussed freely, intellectually and objectively.

The Political and Social Environment

5. There is no need to bore you with information on what may already be known to many of you about Nigeria. However, it suffices to mention, even if for the purpose of refreshing your memories, some facts – unarguably the most populous nation in Africa with 150 million people (predicted by the UN to rise to 300 million by the year 2030). One in every five Africans is said to be a Nigerian; a major player in the global economy, being the sixth largest world producer of crude oil; has one of the best oil deposits in the world (Bonny Light, with less sulphur content); major supplier of Oil and Gas to the USA, Europe and China; supplier of other raw materials (Coal, Cocoa, Rubber, Palm Oil, Cassava and Groundnuts) to the industrialized countries. Nigeria indeed is a major provider of vast market for capital goods and other finished products from the industrialized world.

6. In the same vein time will be inadequate for to expatiate on the details of Nigeria’s socio-political evolution, other than to say that Nigeria has had a very exciting and challenging political history in its 51 years of independence (since October 1, 1960) — the highpoints being a 30-month civil war, prolonged years of military rule (33 years), failed attempts at democratization and the most recent worthy experience is the 12 years of democratic rule (since 1999). It is therefore gladdening to note that today Nigeria is a politically stable country with all the necessary political and administrative experience to meet its present and future challenges, with an economy of great possibilities but in need of efficiency and development.

DEMOCRATIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES

7. Distinguished scholars, Ladies and Gentlemen; let us try to reach a common ground in our understanding of democratization and development, to properly situate them in Nigeria's context, before we can explore their inherent challenges and the imperatives for servant leadership. For our purpose today, democratization should be seen as a process of transition from an undemocratic to a democratic political system, relative to the political history, culture and economic development of the affected community or nation. The elements of the process being freedom of choice, civil liberty, freedom of the press, the rule of law and independent judiciary, which I believe many of us have taken for granted. Here I will like us to note my use of the phrase 'relative to the political history (reality) and culture of the affected nation'. This means that it is impracticable to expect democratization in Nigeria to follow exactly the same pattern as in America and Europe.

8. A cursory look at the different phases of Nigeria's political history and few personalities who shaped the events since independence in 1960 will suffice. The era 1960 — 1966 witnessed democratic rule, political stability, high expectations and strategic development with strong political leaders like Sir. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir. Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The period 1966 ¬1979 was marked by military coups, counter coups and failed attempts by the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon to return the nation to democracy, because he was overwhelmed by political crises leading to a 30-month civil war (1967-1970). The period 1979 — 1983 was the second era of democratic rule which witnessed pragmatic leadership under Alhaji Aliyu Shehu Shagari whose administration was terminated by another military coup led by General Muhammadu Buhari in December 1983, followed by a palace coup in 1985 led by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB). Who styled himself "Military President" and spent a greater part of his nine-year rule "democratizing" the nation ¬putting in place political structures and "quasi democratic institutions" in the democratization process. Even though it was an undemocratic regime, the citizens embraced the initiative and actively participated in the 'formalized elections and clientelism'. That experience satisfied the political aspirations of some people at the time.

9. The military then remained in power upto 1993 when another attempt at democratization under Chief Earnest Shonekan was thwarted by General Sani Abacha who later died in 1998 and was succeeded by General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar a classmate and brother of IBB from the same town and organized a successful transition programme within eleven months that return the country to what we have today as stable democratic rule since May 29, 1999. The story of Nigeria was like of an entrapped nation yearning for democratization and development, with paradoxical political experiences. For some countries the experiences may differ; the outcomes may witness frequent reversals (going back and forth between democracy and authoritarianism) such as in Argentina, while others may face consolidation and institutionalization such as in the USA, UK and other developed western nations.

10. At this juncture, we need to look at democracy from the practical point of view since it entails or symbolizes — a culture in a political system in which the people are sovereign (holding the highest political authority), earlier defined by Abraham Lincoln that democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people. As a matter of fact, democratization and development are both forward-looking concepts; both refer to processes of cumulative social change that can result in future political and economic outcomes that are qualitatively different from and of course, superior to present conditions. As such both concepts are necessarily dynamic and long-term in nature. Historically, the relationship between democracy and development has always been tied to promotion of economic growth and stability and reduction of distributive tensions at various levels of government. The leadership is therefore expected to provide vision, policy incentives, and mechanisms for interaction, coordination, and monitoring, in order to realize lateral development in the society. The basic elements of democracy however include: popular participation of citizens, collective decision making, consultation, freedom of choice, protection of the rights of all citizens and enforcement of the law (equality before the law). Therefore, the democratization process could be seen as an avenue through which people acquire the resources and freedom that enable them to act collectively to achieve the socio-economic and developmental goals of their society. In Africa however, developmental, political and socio-economic expectations associated with the wave of democratization during the 1990s turned out to be a paradox of "growth without prosperity", unfortunately.

11. Similarly, we probably need to have a common perception of development. First, we should be clear that like democratization, development does not have one size fits all perspective or definition and that democratization is not necessarily a pre-requisite for economic development as is the thinking in some quarters. Whereas there is the conventional wisdom by some scholars, international bilateral and multilateral development agencies that democracy (expanded political freedoms and civil rights) would be the means to developmental outcomes such as faster economic growth, poverty reduction and a more equitable distribution of income, which has cast doubts on such assumptions based on the realities of some nations. This is because we have seen that poverty and inequality have distinct dynamics, thus making it possible for a nation to experience rising income inequality amidst poverty reduction, such as was witnessed in the UK during the early years of the former Labour government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. Poverty reduction and economic growth have distinct dynamics as we have observed in countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Indonesia and Malaysia which are witnessing economic growth and prosperity even as efforts are being intensified to reduce poverty.

12.       For the purpose of our proper understanding of the Nigerian situation, we need to see development beyond GDP growth and other conventional indices (unemployment and poverty levels, etc.) because of the possibility of "growth without prosperity" syndrome, where improved economic growth has failed to foster broad-based poverty reduction and equitable distribution of wealth. We could therefore perceive development as the process of expanding the freedom and capabilities of people to live the kind of lives they value and creating the opportunities for them to realize their aspirations according to their understanding of issues.

NEW DYNAMICS (NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE):

13.       Democratization has brought new opportunities for addressing problems of governance in the political economy of the country through transparent, accountable and participatory leadership at different levels of government. Unfortunately, despite the giant leaps recorded since 1999, there are still high levels of unemployment, corruption, ethnic and religious conflicts, inefficient public utilities and an alarming rate of poverty. However, we are confident that we shall overcome our problems and successfully seize the opportunities. Our hope is not merely a wishful thinking but an aspiration anchored on government's determination to pursue a strategic economic development agenda articulated in the Vision 20¬2020 Strategic Document. Indeed, economic experts have predicted that Nigeria is about to move from being a poor income country to a middle income country given the sustained commitment to the development effort and transformation agenda under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR.

14. However, new challenges are emerging; a major one being the ascendancy of a new clout of elites — in government, private sector, and other institutions, who have become very powerful yet fragmented and insensitive to the plight of majority of the people. The results are social inequities and exclusions as well as economic dislocations that have given rise to a new wave of security challenges and crime being witnessed around the country — Niger Delta militancy, kidnappings, Advanced Fee Fraud (419), terrorism, bombings, petroleum pipeline vandalizations, and religious extremism as typified by different emerging groups.

15. The glad tiding however is the fact that the Nigerian government has been resolute in bringing the ugly trends under control through a combination of global partnership in intelligence management and home-grown security strategies. Indeed, Nigerians have always demonstrated inherent capacity to manage crises no matter their complexity and dimensions, and Nigeria an active International team player, contributing significantly to global peace and security. For instance, the "Amnesty programme" introduced by the federal government under late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua is resolving the Niger Delta militancy problem, as the militant youths of the Niger Delta region are undergoing reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration into the society. Government is also taking drastic security measures to contain the post election violence witnessed in many parts of the country after April 2011 elections.

16. Another ugly dimension in the democratization process is the inordinate desire and struggle for power by the political elites, ostensibly for their prebendal gains ('clientelism'). This has introduced a new trend in the political culture where hiring thugs to intimidate political opponents, vote buying, material inducements (offerings to electorates) and politically-motivated assassinations have become common features. Some analysts attribute all these to elite selfish-ness and failure in an atmosphere where people see public offices as opportunity to become rich through looting of public funds. These unfortunate trends are expected to change as democracy gets more entrenched in the people's political psyche.

17. Indeed, we believe that with the level of vibrancy and articulation of the civil society groups, organized labor and professional bodies, Nigeria will witness greater strides in advocacy, mass enlightenment and mass mobilization to enhance good governance and democratization. Sustained pressure from a coalition of civil organizations under the aegis of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the 1990s forced the military to recognize the need to quit the stage and return the country to democracy. Recently too, the same efforts by the civil society organizations gave birth to passage of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011 and the Minimum Wage Act, 2011.

NEW DIMENSIONS: SERVANT LEADERSHIP (NIGER STATE EXPERIENCE)

18. The role of leadership in promoting good governance cannot be over-stressed, for everything is said to rise and fall with the quality leadership. There is no doubt that our inability to situate leadership properly has been responsible to a great extent for the stultified economic and political development of Nigeria over the years. In our view there is an urgent need for national reorientation about the concept of leadership and what it does in the democratization and governance processes. The misconception has been to view leadership as a destination and an end in itself rather than as a deliberate activity, the main essence being to facilitate action towards the realization of set goals and objectives of a group, organization, community or nation state. The leader is also erroneously seen as the person at the top and leadership is thus associated with organizational hierarchy, top-down approach, authority relation, regimentation, command and control structure, particularly with our military interregnum, and the likes. However, in Niger State we see leadership differently.

19. For us therefore, the servant leadership approach is the most appropriate route for deepening democratization and addressing our developmental challenges. In our view, a Servant Leader is the person who sees himself as a servant first, who understands the essence of leadership being an opportunity to serve others. In this context we see our position as a privilege to serve the people, whom we went out to beg to give us the job. Therefore, we should not turn back to be their masters after they have freely given us their mandate and trust. We are reminded in this perception of leadership by what the Holy Bible says in Mark 10:42-45, "whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all...". There are also verses from the Holy Quran that describe leadership as 'stewardship' and the leader as a caretaker who would be held to account by Allah (SWT) for everything under his care.

20.       Distinguished scholars, ladies and gentlemen, let me share with you what we are doing in our context of servant leadership in Niger, where I have the opportunity to serve a population of about 4million people as the Governor. First, we have demystified power by making the people understand that the elected or appointed public officials are their servants, and that they must always demand qualitative services from the servants. In order to remind ourselves also of the job we do, I decided to drop the appellation of "His Excellency" in addressing the Governor. I preferred "The Chief Servant" which best describes my current job and reminds me of the position I occupy as the head of the servants in Niger State.

21.       Similarly, we are expanding the space and the opportunities for people to participate in the governance process. Thus, we introduced the Jama'a Forum (what may be called the People's parliament) — a Town Hall or Town square meeting during which the Chief Servant leads elected and appointed public officials to hold interactive sessions with the people to take their questions, complaints and suggestions so as to enhance participation in governance and promote goodwill between public officials and the people. This approach has proved very effective in restoring the people's confidence in government.

22. We took governance further to the doorsteps of the people by introducing the Wards Development Projects initiative, which recognizes the Ward level as the smallest political unit and the target of our development programmes. Through a State Legislation, each of our 274 Wards receives monthly grants for the direct execution of capital projects that are considered relevant to the socio-economic life of the people at the Wards. This approach is stimulating community participation in the development process as the people no longer see government as alien. Indeed, there is now healthy competition for development amongst the various communities as the people are now complementing government's efforts in many areas.

23.       We have also articulated an economic development agenda targeted at transforming Niger State into one of three most developed States in Nigeria (out of 36 States) by the year 2020. This aspiration has been encapsulated in our Vision 3-2020 Strategic Document which is guiding our development efforts in all the critical sectors, particularly in Education, Agriculture, Health, Housing, Infrastructural development, Culture and Tourism, among others, towards significantly improving the quality of lives of the people of Niger State (Nigerlites).

23.       Strong and effective institutions are crucial to the attainment of Vision 3-2020. Therefore, we are strengthening the institutions that deepen democratization, promote good governance, cut wastages in public expenditure and eradicate corruption. In this regard, we have established relevant institutions and mechanisms such as the Public Procurement Commission, Planning Commission, Statistical Agency and Fiscal Responsibility Commission among other strategic agencies.

25. Similarly, we have embarked on the Minna International Airport project which is aimed at creating an investment hub around Minna International Airport to stimulate accelerated economic development of Niger state and North Central Nigeria. Through this project we hope to transform Niger State into a one-stop investment destination in Nigeria and West Africa, taking advantage of our enormous agricultural potentials. International investors have started indicating interest for partnership in this project, which is backed by a State legislation and has capacities for self sustenance through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangements. Already, we are discussing with the Federal financial authorities to see how we can raise funds/credit facilities to finance this important project.

26.       We are aware that meaningful progress and development cannot take place in an atmosphere of insecurity and violence. To tackle our security challenges and maintain peace and harmony in the State therefore we are going back to the discarded yet very useful and effective community policing strategies — bringing our traditional leaders who command enormous respect from the people — closely into information and intelligence gathering to enhance security management. The Emirs and Chiefs have very effective means of monitoring whatever is happening in their communities; we have been engaging them in the State Security Council meetings, where they make useful contributions.

27.       We understand that the absence of conflicts, chaos or violence alone does not translate to lasting peace and security. We need more action to bring about genuine peace, by creating the opportunities that people require to realize their full potentials and to live happy lives. However opportunities are meaningless without providing people the resources and empowerment to fully realize their aspirations. Thus, we are engaging all segments of the society in different programmes and activities to promote a sense of belonging and participation. We have also made Niger State home for every citizen (local or foreign) who decides to live in our community and who is ready to contribute to our growth and development. Nigerian citizens of all origins are benefiting from our policy of "Equal Opportunities" which abolishes discrimination in employment, school enrolments and access to socially and economic related programmes. This initiative is fostering harmonious co-existence and promoting cohesion and integration in the Niger State with attendant implication for the entire nation.

OUR CHALLENGES:

28.       However, we have some challenges, as would be expected when people are being put through new systems, new thinking and new approaches. Many people now have to adjust to new ways of doing things —transparency, accountability, respect for the rule of law, documentation, and consultation, among others. We have been accused of 'talking too much' because we are open and frank in our pronouncements. The important issue for us however is to remain focused as we have clear motives, genuine intentions and a duty to serve the people of Niger State diligently, respectfully and transparently to the glory of Almighty Allah (SWT) who shall hold us to account on the Last Day (Hereafter).

29.       I thank you all for this opportunity and for your attention.

FURTHER READING

1.         Ashafa, A.M. "Multi-Party Democracy and

National Stability: The Dynamics of Inter-Party Relations in Nigeria's 4th Republic." Presentation at the Conference on Democracy and Democratization in Nigeria, 1999-2001, organized by CRD&T, BUK, Kano, May 28-30, 2001.

Conscience International, April/May 1999.

2.         Allison Ayida, (1987), Reflections on Nigerian Development, Malthouse Press Ltd & Heinemann Educational Books (Nig.) Ltd.

3.         Michael Ross , Is Democracy Good for the Poor?, American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 50, No. 4 (Oct., 2006), pp. 860-874, Midwest Political Science Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4122920 .Accessed: 11/05/2011.

4.         Jega, A.M. "The Impact of Military Rule on Governance and its Implications in Nigeria."

Presentation at the Conference on Democracy and Democratization in Nigeria, 1999-2001, organized by CDR&T, BUK, Kano, May 28-30, 2001.

5.         James A. Autry, (2001) The Servant Leader, Three River Press, New York.

6.         Jane T. Waddell, Servant Leadership, Servant Leadership Research Roundtable, School of Leadership Studies, Regent University, August 2006.

7.         Lewis, Peter, Nigeria: Elections in a Fragile Regime, Journal of Democracy, Volume 14, Number 3, July 2003, pp. 131-144, (Article) Published by Johns Hopkins University Press. For additional information visit http://musejhu.edu/journals/jod/summary /v014/14.3lewis.html.

8.         Olivier Serrat, Exercising Servant Leadership, Knowledge Solutions, September 2009 I 63.

9.         Gordon Crawford & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, (2011), Democracy, Poverty and Inequality  (Yet to be published).