Many of you will find the above title very familiar. Indeed it is. In 2008, Barack Obama said he was running to become the US President because of the fierce urgency of now. America was involved in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; grappling with a crippling financial crisis; 46 million Americans were without health insurance and unemployment was hovering around a record high of 10%.
Today, there is a fierce urgency of now in Nigeria. Nigeria is involved in two vital wars. One, against the invinsible armies of the boko haram islamic group and the other against the debilitating warriors of corruption. Unemployment is, for lack of any reliable data, conservatively projected to be around 45%; the economy is held captive by local, national and international cabals and now, as if that is not bad enough, the ghosts of the fuel subsidy imbroglio are mindlessly inflicting enormous political and economic pain on a country that is already traumatized beyond measure.
As the seamy situation plays out, voices of dissent and civil disobedience take to the streets. Some genuine and altruistic. Others, motivated by political and selfish agenda. And the logical question becomes, what has happened to President Jonathan's much vaunted Transformational Agenda. But the truth, which i am sure will surprise many, is that the stresses, schisms and crises that are presently replete in the system are are a direct and natural result of the transformational policies of President Jonathan's government.
Why do i suggest that these strsses are natural? Simple. In any environment where CHANGE is attempted, people will resist for various reasons. Even when the change or changes canvassed are patently beneficial, people will still oppose the change. It is a natural reflex. And this is exactly what we are seeing here in Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan; in the United Kingdom under Prime Minister David Cameron and in the US under President Barack Obama.
The fact is that leadership is not and should not be a popularity contest. It should instead be a courageous and sincere effort to articulate policies, programs and plans that benefit the greater majority of the people all of the time. If we can agree that the foregoing philosophical premises are true then we can logically deduce the following:
1. Fuel subsidy is a policy regime that is targetted at consumption and not production and has only benefitted a small cabal in Nigeria while impoverishing the greater majority of millions of hardworking Nigerians.
2. President Jonathan's decision to do away with the fuel subsidy regime, regardless of the merits of the argument on timing, is a bold and double edged move designed to deal a destabilizing blow to corruption and at the same time take away the benefits of our oil economy from the pockets of a tiny minority and distribute it to the vast majority of Nigerians through rapid infrastructural development and provision of short term palliatives.
3. Finally, that the incidents of opposition to the removal of fuel subsidy is a natural reflex to change and should be expected, particularly, in a democratic system where freedom of speech and expression is protected by the constitution. These voices of opposition therefore do not in anyway change the fact that the removal of the petroleum subsidy remains an absolute neccessity and an excellent economic policy for Nigeria and Nigerians to embrace.
The overal implication of all these is that the fierce urgency of now in Nigeria, more than anything else, calls for the transformational leadership that we collectively voted for. For too long, Nigeria has been plagued by leaders who feed us platitudes and inane policies. They lacked the sincerity to sell us the right programs and the courage to implement them. If they did, fuel subsidy would have been removed since the early eighties. But each leader that came into office preffered to simply increase the price of petrol slightly, remain popular by deferring the evil day and leaving the unpopular decision to be made by his successor.
Well that day has come. A time of fierce urgency that requires neither cowardice nor vacillation. A historic crossroad that calls for courage, character and conviction. And with a quiet demeanor, President Jonathan has maximized the moment and offered exactly what he promised - transformational leadership. But why transformational leadership? Transformational leadership because the solution to the boko haram threat and the many other indicators of the fierce urgency of now lies much more in a committed ad transformative leader focused on reversing the decades of infrastructural decay and abandonement; determined to institutionalize a regime of rule of law, merit, equity and accountability. So, President Jonathan's focus on fixing the power problem in Nigeria, returning agriculture to its former pride of place, rejuvenating education and insistence in due process, amongst many other policy priorities, are the right responses to address the fierce urgency of now in Nigeria.
The truth is that President Jonathan's policies thus far are consistent with what he promised during his campaign. Because of the fierce urgency of now, we voted overwhelmingly for him to become President and transform Nigeria. Surely, President Jonathan is by no means infallible. He will certainly make mistakes and get it wrong some times because he is human. But he clearly demonstrates sincerity and committment to the ideals he campaigned on. It will therefore be unfortunate if we fail at this critical time to keep faith and give him the support he needs to get the job done. Let us leave the corrosive corridors of cynicism and embrace hope in the ability of President Jonathan and his team to transform Nigeria and dffuse the Fierce Urgency of Now.. Time and history will show that we made the right and patriotic choice.
Sunday 22 January 2012
FUEL SUBSIDY ON MY MIND
(written on January 16,2012)
For the past ten days I have listened to the rhetorics and the actions of the anti fuel subsidy protesters. To be clear, every Nigerian has the right to peacefully and responsibly protest any action of government that they disagree with. And it is clear that there are credible Nigerians who are sincerely using these protests to register their genuine opposition to aspects of the fuel subsidy removal policy. But what I have found most troubling is the fact that some of the statements and proclamations of a sizeable number of the so-called anti fuel subsidy removal protesters betray, one: a worrying lack of understanding of the facts regarding the fuel subsidy removal policy. Two, an unfortunate descent to the narrow streets of name calling and mudslinging on the revered office and person of the President of Nigeria. Three, an opportunistic politicization and personalization of a purely economic matter. And finally, an absence of any solemn effort geared towards throwing up useful solutions and policy alternatives. The truth is that President Jonathan has shown uncommon courage and character in removin the fuel subsidy on petrol. He has equally demonstrated remarkable leadership in responding to the cries of Nigerians by reducing the pump price to N97 amongst other palliatives already announced. A woman who choses to have a new born child must necessarily be ready to bear the pains of pregnancy and childbirth. President Jonathan campaigned on the promise of transforming nigeria and we massively and overwhelmingly voted him into power to transform Nigeria. Do we in all honesty expect that the surgical economic operations that will be carried out to achieve the desired tranformation of our country will succesfully occur without any temporary pains, inconveniences, sacrifices and hardships. Let us not cut our nose to spite our face. Let us think and reflect deeply on the facts, the realities and the condition of our country. Nigeria has all that it takes to be great and meet the vision 20.2020 goal. But we as ordinary Nigerians must be willing and ready to play our part while holding our leaders accountable to provide transparent and development oriented leadership. Refusing to deregulate the petroleum downstream sector today is like telling your doctor to defer to tommorrow a life saving surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in your brain. There is need for an impassionate and patriotic debate on the fuel subsidy issue. We need to take the destiny of our country seriously and stop making careless statements that neither resolve our economic challeges nor move us any nearer to our develoment and governance objectives
For the past ten days I have listened to the rhetorics and the actions of the anti fuel subsidy protesters. To be clear, every Nigerian has the right to peacefully and responsibly protest any action of government that they disagree with. And it is clear that there are credible Nigerians who are sincerely using these protests to register their genuine opposition to aspects of the fuel subsidy removal policy. But what I have found most troubling is the fact that some of the statements and proclamations of a sizeable number of the so-called anti fuel subsidy removal protesters betray, one: a worrying lack of understanding of the facts regarding the fuel subsidy removal policy. Two, an unfortunate descent to the narrow streets of name calling and mudslinging on the revered office and person of the President of Nigeria. Three, an opportunistic politicization and personalization of a purely economic matter. And finally, an absence of any solemn effort geared towards throwing up useful solutions and policy alternatives. The truth is that President Jonathan has shown uncommon courage and character in removin the fuel subsidy on petrol. He has equally demonstrated remarkable leadership in responding to the cries of Nigerians by reducing the pump price to N97 amongst other palliatives already announced. A woman who choses to have a new born child must necessarily be ready to bear the pains of pregnancy and childbirth. President Jonathan campaigned on the promise of transforming nigeria and we massively and overwhelmingly voted him into power to transform Nigeria. Do we in all honesty expect that the surgical economic operations that will be carried out to achieve the desired tranformation of our country will succesfully occur without any temporary pains, inconveniences, sacrifices and hardships. Let us not cut our nose to spite our face. Let us think and reflect deeply on the facts, the realities and the condition of our country. Nigeria has all that it takes to be great and meet the vision 20.2020 goal. But we as ordinary Nigerians must be willing and ready to play our part while holding our leaders accountable to provide transparent and development oriented leadership. Refusing to deregulate the petroleum downstream sector today is like telling your doctor to defer to tommorrow a life saving surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in your brain. There is need for an impassionate and patriotic debate on the fuel subsidy issue. We need to take the destiny of our country seriously and stop making careless statements that neither resolve our economic challeges nor move us any nearer to our develoment and governance objectives
Saturday 10 December 2011
LIFE REFLECTION 9
I woke up this morning reflecting on God, life, love and family. The many mercies, the beautiful blessings and amazing grace of God upon our lives. As i considered these deep thoughts, a number of revelations crystalized in my mind: one, that much of what we invest so much time, energy and resources on are vain pursuits that lack eternal value; two, when all is said and done we all come to the knowledge and understanding that the only certain things of value that we have is God and our family. When the chips are down, it dawns on us that the money in the bank, the cars in the garage, the exciting career, the beautiful houses, the powerful contacts and in fact, the fawning friends that abound, all amount to nothing. These things give a false sense of security and accomplishment. But as sure as there is life and death, they have always and will always fail those who put their trust, hope and faith in them. In the end, the reality, the fact and the abiding truth is that life has no meaning without family (the ones we love) and God (the one who loves us unconditionally).
Saturday 22 October 2011
LEADERSHIP POWER-POINT 15
THE ABC's OF LEADERSHIP (DEF)
Delegation and Delivery. Delegation can be described as the assignment of a specific project or tasks to team members. Delegation does not imply that the leader assigns their undesirable tasks to the staff. It can include the assignment of tasks that may challenge staff, and possibly move the staff out of their comfort zone. Employees should be aware that delegation is not simply management pushing tasks top-down, rather, it can be an opportunity for staff to broaden their skill sets and scope of responsibilities.
Delivery refers to how a leader delivers messages. This includes everything from success stories to discipline of direct reports. The leader's delivery method and style leaves an impression on the staff. Staff members desire leaders with solid decision making and the ability to maintain their composure regardless of the situation. For example, if a leader has to terminate someone due to layoffs, the staff may create a mental note of the leader's behavior as this unfortunate situation unfolds. Regardless of the outcome, staff will recall how the leader delivered the news. This in turn impacts the staff's impression of the leader.
Exemplify excellence. Leaders have the opportunity to represent themselves in a positive light. Just as clinicians rely upon contemporary medical practices, leaders should strive to use modern leadership and management techniques, such as best practices, consensus building, and benchmarking. The ability of a leader to exemplify excellence can have a trickle-down effect. When staff observe leaders being innovative, meticulous, and in constant pursuit of optimal performance, staff may become motivated to pursue their own level of excellence.
Lead by example: Effective leaders not only have the ability to speak about the level of performance that they desire, their behavior endorses their philosophy. Presenting ideas and concepts to a team is great; however, following up on these theories and assisting with their development is even a greater contribution. This can also be viewed as the time when the "rubber meets the road." In essence, the leader presents the ideas and then supports the vision with action. This creates a positive energy for the leader and staff alike.
Focus. Leaders must develop a clear vision, mission and goals and frequently remind their followers of what these are. As leaders we are charged with helping others to clearly see the goal of our collective efforts.
Delegation and Delivery. Delegation can be described as the assignment of a specific project or tasks to team members. Delegation does not imply that the leader assigns their undesirable tasks to the staff. It can include the assignment of tasks that may challenge staff, and possibly move the staff out of their comfort zone. Employees should be aware that delegation is not simply management pushing tasks top-down, rather, it can be an opportunity for staff to broaden their skill sets and scope of responsibilities.
Delivery refers to how a leader delivers messages. This includes everything from success stories to discipline of direct reports. The leader's delivery method and style leaves an impression on the staff. Staff members desire leaders with solid decision making and the ability to maintain their composure regardless of the situation. For example, if a leader has to terminate someone due to layoffs, the staff may create a mental note of the leader's behavior as this unfortunate situation unfolds. Regardless of the outcome, staff will recall how the leader delivered the news. This in turn impacts the staff's impression of the leader.
Exemplify excellence. Leaders have the opportunity to represent themselves in a positive light. Just as clinicians rely upon contemporary medical practices, leaders should strive to use modern leadership and management techniques, such as best practices, consensus building, and benchmarking. The ability of a leader to exemplify excellence can have a trickle-down effect. When staff observe leaders being innovative, meticulous, and in constant pursuit of optimal performance, staff may become motivated to pursue their own level of excellence.
Lead by example: Effective leaders not only have the ability to speak about the level of performance that they desire, their behavior endorses their philosophy. Presenting ideas and concepts to a team is great; however, following up on these theories and assisting with their development is even a greater contribution. This can also be viewed as the time when the "rubber meets the road." In essence, the leader presents the ideas and then supports the vision with action. This creates a positive energy for the leader and staff alike.
Focus. Leaders must develop a clear vision, mission and goals and frequently remind their followers of what these are. As leaders we are charged with helping others to clearly see the goal of our collective efforts.
Thursday 20 October 2011
LEADERSHIP POWER-POINT 14
THE ABC's OF LEADERSHIP
For the next few weeks, i will try to articulate a comprehensive concept of leadership in alphabetical order. For this purpose, i have titled this piece "THE ABC's OF LEADERSHIP? I hope to serialize and present three of the alphabeth acronyms for leadership every day until we get to 'Z'. The leadership ideas presented are eclectically developed and i believe that you will find them thought provoking and useful. Happy reading
Attitude & accountability. Attitude is an important leadership characteristic. This does not mean that the leader needs a "holier than thou attitude", but rather that the leader posses the character, vision, and drive to be an effective leader. This is more along the lines of the "can do" attitude and the ability to successfully manage change. For example, if a project is terminated due to financial constraints, leaders will not take this personally. Nor will they "act out" as a result. Rather, leaders will recognize that not all projects will be completed and that a variety of factors, both within and outside of their control, may influence the project's success or demise.
Accountability. Leaders accept responsibility for their behaviors. They are also accountable for the outcomes of their teams. When there are successes, leaders share the success with the team. When things do not proceed as planned, leaders still support their teams as the group looks for solutions. Leaders are also integral players when exploring what can be done to make changes occur so that similar unsuccessful events do not repeat. Leaders recognize that errors will occur. How the leader reacts to the error can influence the team's next steps, as well as the team's perception of the leader.
Behavior & Best practice. Leaders display behaviors that instill confidence in their teams. This includes confident decision-making and the ability to accept or at least share responsibility for success and failures. For example, as a leader, it is crucial to be on time for meetings, to respect other's opinions, and to be able to maintain objectivity. A leader's ability to "act" as a leader does impact team members. Apathetic and non-committing leaders will not instill confidence in teams. How a leader reacts and responds to challenges often sets the precedence for team members. If they perceive that the leader is overwhelmed, stressed, or otherwise loosing effectiveness, team members may in turn become distracted.
Best practices. Leaders should constantly strive for the optimal performance. This includes the performance of themselves, the company's teams, and all staff. Best practices is frequently involved with this. While the details of best practices exceed the scope of this discussion, they can be summarized as applying practices that are external to your own organization. Depending on the organization, it may also include best practices from different departments located within your organization.
Collaboration. The ability of a leader to collaborate with internal and external colleagues is critical. This can also be referred to as the "politics" of healthcare. From an internal perspective, collaboration assists with creating and maintaining relationships within the organization. This is important on a variety of levels, including consensus-building, mentoring opportunities, and obtaining resources for projects. Externally the same principles apply: the ability to collaborate with external resources reflects on one's ability to work with a variety of individuals in a variety of scenarios.
For the next few weeks, i will try to articulate a comprehensive concept of leadership in alphabetical order. For this purpose, i have titled this piece "THE ABC's OF LEADERSHIP? I hope to serialize and present three of the alphabeth acronyms for leadership every day until we get to 'Z'. The leadership ideas presented are eclectically developed and i believe that you will find them thought provoking and useful. Happy reading
Attitude & accountability. Attitude is an important leadership characteristic. This does not mean that the leader needs a "holier than thou attitude", but rather that the leader posses the character, vision, and drive to be an effective leader. This is more along the lines of the "can do" attitude and the ability to successfully manage change. For example, if a project is terminated due to financial constraints, leaders will not take this personally. Nor will they "act out" as a result. Rather, leaders will recognize that not all projects will be completed and that a variety of factors, both within and outside of their control, may influence the project's success or demise.
Accountability. Leaders accept responsibility for their behaviors. They are also accountable for the outcomes of their teams. When there are successes, leaders share the success with the team. When things do not proceed as planned, leaders still support their teams as the group looks for solutions. Leaders are also integral players when exploring what can be done to make changes occur so that similar unsuccessful events do not repeat. Leaders recognize that errors will occur. How the leader reacts to the error can influence the team's next steps, as well as the team's perception of the leader.
Behavior & Best practice. Leaders display behaviors that instill confidence in their teams. This includes confident decision-making and the ability to accept or at least share responsibility for success and failures. For example, as a leader, it is crucial to be on time for meetings, to respect other's opinions, and to be able to maintain objectivity. A leader's ability to "act" as a leader does impact team members. Apathetic and non-committing leaders will not instill confidence in teams. How a leader reacts and responds to challenges often sets the precedence for team members. If they perceive that the leader is overwhelmed, stressed, or otherwise loosing effectiveness, team members may in turn become distracted.
Best practices. Leaders should constantly strive for the optimal performance. This includes the performance of themselves, the company's teams, and all staff. Best practices is frequently involved with this. While the details of best practices exceed the scope of this discussion, they can be summarized as applying practices that are external to your own organization. Depending on the organization, it may also include best practices from different departments located within your organization.
Collaboration. The ability of a leader to collaborate with internal and external colleagues is critical. This can also be referred to as the "politics" of healthcare. From an internal perspective, collaboration assists with creating and maintaining relationships within the organization. This is important on a variety of levels, including consensus-building, mentoring opportunities, and obtaining resources for projects. Externally the same principles apply: the ability to collaborate with external resources reflects on one's ability to work with a variety of individuals in a variety of scenarios.
Tuesday 4 October 2011
LIFE REFLECTION 8
THE BOOK OF LIFE:
Life is a book. Your past is a book that has been written, assessed and archived. Your present is a work in progress. It can be edited, reviewed, discarded and restarted afresh. Your future is unwritten. It as yet has no title. The pages are empty. The ink is full. The possibilities are endless as they are infinite. Your actions and inactions today will not only define your present they will more importantly determine your future - what fills the blank pages. Sorrow or success?
It is the foundations that you lay today that your future is built upon. A man who works hard today. Studies well today. Tills the soil and sows good seeds today. That man, without a doubt, has signed an irrevocable memorandum of understanding to appropriate a future replete with success, peace and happiness. Your commissions and omissions today are the currency with which you purchase the future you order.
What you pay for today will with absolute certainty be delivered to you tomorrow. Therefore, a man who flirts indiscriminately with laziness and procrastination today is unwittingly paying for the poverty virus which will virulently plague him tomorrow. In like manner, the man who prays, plans and plants today is simply making deposits in anticipation of a bountiful harvest which, as certain as there is life and death, will be delivered to his storeroom tomorrow.
So make a commitment to write a beautiful script for your life today. One good life script written today guarantess a box office life drama tomorrow. What to do? Quit the crippling character of excuses, complaints and self pity. Embrace life with hope, love, laughter, enthusiasm and optimism. Get off the paralyzing coach of complacency. Define and visualize what you want to be in the future. Then get up and take that proverbial first step towards actualizing your goal. The pen is in your hand. The blank pages lie before you. The choice is yours to fill it with life, success and joy or death, failure and sorrow. Remember, the world will always give right of passage to the man who knows where he is going and is determined to get there.
One good life script at a time and together we can secure a better world tomorrow. So, get up. Pick up your pen. Turn a new page. And begin to write your life story with such beautiful similes, powerful metaphors, positive symbols, colorful alliterations and inspirational chapters that add significant value to humanity and posterity.
Life is a book. Your past is a book that has been written, assessed and archived. Your present is a work in progress. It can be edited, reviewed, discarded and restarted afresh. Your future is unwritten. It as yet has no title. The pages are empty. The ink is full. The possibilities are endless as they are infinite. Your actions and inactions today will not only define your present they will more importantly determine your future - what fills the blank pages. Sorrow or success?
It is the foundations that you lay today that your future is built upon. A man who works hard today. Studies well today. Tills the soil and sows good seeds today. That man, without a doubt, has signed an irrevocable memorandum of understanding to appropriate a future replete with success, peace and happiness. Your commissions and omissions today are the currency with which you purchase the future you order.
What you pay for today will with absolute certainty be delivered to you tomorrow. Therefore, a man who flirts indiscriminately with laziness and procrastination today is unwittingly paying for the poverty virus which will virulently plague him tomorrow. In like manner, the man who prays, plans and plants today is simply making deposits in anticipation of a bountiful harvest which, as certain as there is life and death, will be delivered to his storeroom tomorrow.
So make a commitment to write a beautiful script for your life today. One good life script written today guarantess a box office life drama tomorrow. What to do? Quit the crippling character of excuses, complaints and self pity. Embrace life with hope, love, laughter, enthusiasm and optimism. Get off the paralyzing coach of complacency. Define and visualize what you want to be in the future. Then get up and take that proverbial first step towards actualizing your goal. The pen is in your hand. The blank pages lie before you. The choice is yours to fill it with life, success and joy or death, failure and sorrow. Remember, the world will always give right of passage to the man who knows where he is going and is determined to get there.
One good life script at a time and together we can secure a better world tomorrow. So, get up. Pick up your pen. Turn a new page. And begin to write your life story with such beautiful similes, powerful metaphors, positive symbols, colorful alliterations and inspirational chapters that add significant value to humanity and posterity.
LEADERSHIP POWER-POINT 13
THE POWER OF SILENCE
Ever condidered the beauty and therapeutic power of Silence. Serenity! A peaceful state of oneness with our thoughts, meditations and God. Alas! In this information over-loaded super-highway replete with internet-surfing, social networking, 24 hour satellite TV, mobile telephony and computer-gaming, we have lost the regenerative art of doing nothing, of shutting out the background noise and distractions, of slowing down and simply being alone with our thoughts, locked in a deep embrace with silence. Throughout the ages, great leaders have drank deeply from the fountains of silence. At various moments of silence in history poets have penned memorable stanzas that etched their names in the pages of time; singers have sang evergreen notes; scientists have received inspiration for one life-saving drug or treatment; inventors have appropriated ethereal ideas that engendered sublime inventions; men have been visited with profound visions that changed their life. Silence! A heightened spiritual state that empowers us to listen and hear what God is saying to us; to reflect deeply; to refresh our minds and restart anew. All truly great leaders have learnt the sublime secrets of silence, of being alone with nothing, with no one but themselves. Some of the greatest inspirations and ideas that will profoundly change your life will come to you in times of absolute silence and aloness. So learn today to slow down, to pause, every now and then and spend a little quality time alone with God in silence.
Ever condidered the beauty and therapeutic power of Silence. Serenity! A peaceful state of oneness with our thoughts, meditations and God. Alas! In this information over-loaded super-highway replete with internet-surfing, social networking, 24 hour satellite TV, mobile telephony and computer-gaming, we have lost the regenerative art of doing nothing, of shutting out the background noise and distractions, of slowing down and simply being alone with our thoughts, locked in a deep embrace with silence. Throughout the ages, great leaders have drank deeply from the fountains of silence. At various moments of silence in history poets have penned memorable stanzas that etched their names in the pages of time; singers have sang evergreen notes; scientists have received inspiration for one life-saving drug or treatment; inventors have appropriated ethereal ideas that engendered sublime inventions; men have been visited with profound visions that changed their life. Silence! A heightened spiritual state that empowers us to listen and hear what God is saying to us; to reflect deeply; to refresh our minds and restart anew. All truly great leaders have learnt the sublime secrets of silence, of being alone with nothing, with no one but themselves. Some of the greatest inspirations and ideas that will profoundly change your life will come to you in times of absolute silence and aloness. So learn today to slow down, to pause, every now and then and spend a little quality time alone with God in silence.
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