Opinion

Public Intellection and the Future of Nigeria by Wale Adebanwi

Published

4 years ago

August 25, 2021

Eric

What I will like to do is to attempt to take forward the critical role of public intellection through the authors reflections in the book under review.

But first a short story. In July 2019, I visited His Highness at the Gidan Rumfa in Kano to seek his views on a research project on the politics of austerity measures. At the end of the interview, we got talking briefly about Nigeria as His Highness rearticulated some of the developmental plans he had for Kano while also mentioning some of the challenges he was facing. In response, I accused him of abandoning Nigeria for the Kano throne. He disagreed. He explained that apart from taking up the mantle of his heritage, there were important and urgent developmental challenges that needed to be addressed in Kano, in particular, and the north of Nigeria, in general, for which his position as the Sarkin Kano was critical. But I insisted that the more important and urgent developmental challenges in Nigeria, for which his likes were needed, would not allow him, in the long run, to accomplish most of the goals he set for himself as the Emir of Kano.

The national body-politic was afflicted with multiple sclerosis, trying to save one of the limbs was therefore inadequate. What Nigeria needed were treatments that could ensure a speedy recovery from the attacks to the national brain and the central nervous system of the body-politic in order to modify the course of the disease and manage the symptoms. The problem in Kano and the north were manifestations of the fundamental problems of the Nigeria state. Thus, what needed saving first was not Kano; it was Nigeria. The appalling leadership in the state was only a reflection of the headship of the Nigerian state.
The book that is being presented today in an affirmation that, despite his position on Kanos urgent salvation, the author has always recognised that Nigeria not only needed to be saved but that, correspondingly, as poet and humanist, Odia Ofeimun, insists Nigeria was eminently saveable. Though there is no question that time is running out on Nigeria, especially so in a moment of our national history when utter cluelessness mixed with mindless indifference has been turned into a matter of regime pride and even governmental swagger, there are still many who hold out some hope for Nigeria. For the Good of the Nation: Essays and Perspectives, which includes essays, conference papers, and three interviews, published over the last two decades is not only a kind of manifesto by the author about Nigerias problems and possibilities, it is also a testament to the authors prodigy as well as a demonstration of his eclectic, even if polemical, take on the most critical issues of our time. More significant is the fact that the book is a testimony to the authors faith in Nigerias possibilities and our collective future as a people. Whether he is reflecting on the debates on the restructuring of the federation, redistributive justice and radical democratic imagination, interrogating Muslim political thought in the modern world, the intellectual sources of Islamist identities, or engaging with Foucauldian philosophy in probing Muslim history and the discursive trends in Islamic law in the context of Nigerias ethno-regional and ethno-religious tensions, including the struggle among Nigerias ruling and ruining class, the authors specific liberal spirit and commitment to Nigeria is strongly reflected in this book. For instance, this spirit and commitment lead the author to embrace the liberating and liberationist ethos of Thomas Paine and Betrand Russell, even while rejecting their atheism.

As my late friend, Pius Adesanmi, so able captures it in his Foreword to this book, the author demonstrates the core obligations of public intellection, not just in speaking truth to power, but also in stubbornly confronting, headlong, some of the complex or difficult issues of the Nigerian union, including those regarding the precept, nature and future of the union, the character of ethno-regional relations as well as elite politics, religion and the politics of piety, and also the uncomfortable question of gender equality in northern Nigeria. This stubborn devotion to confronting uncomfortable questions leads the author, in Adesanmis words, to a humanising synthesis of disparate political traditions (p. xxxi) as a praxis of intervention which seeks to create a middle ground of mutual sympathies and comprehension in a national oasis of acrimony and misunderstanding (ibid). Thus, it is important in this review to foreground the authors critical commitment to public intellection about the most important questions of the age.

Against this backdrop, the authors critical examination of these issues – including his intellectual orientation, his praxis, his ethno-regional location, his royal pedigree and privilege also constitutes a veritable ground for further contention. However, while the authors background and location define him, these essays show that they do not exhaust the authors intellectual, socio-economic as well as political orientations and convictions. A man of noble convictions does not have to be a nobleman. Therefore, that intellectual nobility is combined with the nobility of birth in this case is not natural. It is obvious from the essays that the authors social convictions developed over a lengthy period of both fascination with philosophical reflections from different historical eras as well as open mindedness towards the world. It is striking that the man who has since become the leader of the Tijaniyya movement is also, in this book, the non-sectarian advocate for religious tolerance.

There are a range of issues, ideas, and praxis for the reader to engage with in this almost 500 page thought-provoking and in some cases, provocative book. I can only mention a few as I do not have the time and the space to deal with the sheer complexity of the issues here. However, I will point to two of these issues as illustrations of the authors deep reflections, fine intellection, as well as profound, even if contentious, declamations about the Nigerian condition.

The first is about the political conditions of Nigeria. I place this under the episteme of national survival that is, in Foucauldian terms, “the implicit [and explicit] rules of formation which governs what constitutes legitimate forms of knowledge about the essential character of the Nigerian state in this age. This includes ethno-regional and ethno-religious relations and tensions, the structure of the federation, and the nature and process of recruitment for national leadership. The author who dismisses the Afenifere and Ohaneze, and following Balarabe Musa, accuses “the Yoruba bourgeoisie” of representing “the greatest problem to nation-building” (p. 23) in the first year of Obasanjos presidency, is the same who affirms that Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe were, unlike Sir Ahmadu Bello, right in pursuing a strong centre within a federal structure, while concluding that “The Northern bourgeoisie and the Yoruba bourgeoisie have conspired to keep the Igbo out of the scheme of things” (p. 24). While he rejects the attempts to make all Northern Muslims to take responsibility for what he describes as the un-Islamic actions of past northern leaders (p. 37), and rejects a crude and cruel caricature of the Northern Muslim, the author concedes that it is a caricature that finds credibility in the abundance of evidence (p. 227) even while adding in another essay that if there is anything [about] which the political leadership of the North stands guilty as charged, it would be its contemptible and cowardly silence, its tolerance of evil and its open fraternisation with despots. As an example, the silence of Emirs and many notable political and religious leaders in the face of the injustice to which Chief M.K.O. Abiola was subjected is inexplicable” (pp. 37-38). It is no wonder he didnt keep silent when he also became an emir. (Although, the reigning emirs might respond that no wonder he is no longer an emir!”) Also, the author agrees with most of what northern Christians have to say about northern Muslim elite (p. 55) even while insisting that the northern Muslim poor, perhaps more so than northern Christians, have been visited with adversity by the northern elite.

One of the most significant goals of this volume, it seems to me, is how to ensure national survival. While the reader may not agree with the author about his diagnosis or prognosis, I suspect that most people across the political and ideological spectrum who are committed to national survival including both the proponents and opponents of restructuring or national conference will agree with the part of the book which speaks powerfully to the spirit of the theme of this book: For the Good of the Nation. I will quote the author: there is a second, perhaps more fundamental reason, for discussing the structure of the federation. It is the reality that the elite merely exploit or manipulate the secondary contradictions in our polity. They neither created nor concocted them. The historical process which brought together these heterogeneous groups was never destined to achieve a magical and immediate erosion of their histories and a total submersion of their identities into a common national milieu. [Thus] the task of nation-building does not lie in ignoring these differences, as the military have tried to do. Unity is not necessarily synonymous with uniformity. But it also does not lie in a defeatist attitude of despair or a return to a nihilist era of ethnic agendas and tribal warfare. The tragedy of Nigeria does not lie in its diversity, nor in its population, nor in its resources. Our tragedy lies in the lack of a truly nationalist and visionary leadership, an elite that harnesses the diverse streams that flow into the melting pot called Nigeria (p. 5).

Against this background, I strongly recommend that you read the authors take on federalism and state creation as well as his take on the experiences of the northern minorities and the Igbo in the post-Civil War era.

The second is about the explication, explanation and/or reconsideration of Islam, the role of Islam in Nigerias history as well as the philosophical reflections on Islam and modernity and the implications of theocratic praxis for the future of Nigeria. In his role as an explainer and defender of Islam and Islamic theology and even Islamic jurisprudence in order to achieve rationality within and outside the Islamic world towards achieving inter-cultural understanding and inter-faith dialogue, the author, as the book shows, has been assailed by doctrinaire Islamists as well as non-Muslims. But as a polymath who is also a theologian, one who is as confident about his knowledge in Islamic jurisprudence as well as the arcane philosophy of ancient Greece, the author competently takes on both the adherents and outsiders or traducers of Islam on different issues, including the Shariah, gender relations within Islam and in the larger contemporary society. One of the key issues that the author attempts to settle in this book is the conflation of culture/tradition with Islam. He engages in an intricate analysis of tradition and culture in ancient Arabia and tradition and culture in Northern Nigeria in order to separate out both from Islamic religion. This is in response to the religious precepts mobilized ignorantly, in his view, by the clerics for instance, in the treatment of women.

For all his intellectual exertions in explicating the conditions of egalitarian national life, particularly his virulent critique of the conditions of poverty in the north and the misinterpretations of Islamic doctrines, the author has been a target of critics. As he writes in the book, “My interventions have been received with not a little discomfort, but truthful discourse is no respecter of sensibilities” (p. 226). Some, as he acknowledges, have even described him as an arrogant secularist who claims to destabilize the noble edifice of Northern Muslim society, a pretender to being a reformer in the league of Dan Fodio, an agent of the West and dealer in usury, a Marxist who places reason above revelation (p. 330). In a sense, the author wears this criticism as a badge of honour. Why? Because it reveals the kind of misunderstanding and denunciation that serious public intellection exposes one to. I will add that it is significant that the author has been accused of all these. Despite the irony of accusing the caliph of the Tijaniyya Movement of being a secularist, I think that what these collection of essays show is the complex nature of the thought and praxis of the author.

An able and nimble mind and one of the most cerebral and controversial Nigerians of his age, the author, as this book again demonstrates, remains a compelling puzzle even in a sense, an oxymoron: a Nobleman Rebel, or Rebel Nobleman. He is as fierce and committed a defender of the tradition and privilege of royalty as he is a fiery and unhampered instigator of dissent and discontent among the underprivileged; he is as comfortable in a pinstripe suit with bow tie or a Chairman Mao suit as he is in the long flowing gown and regal costume of Kano royalty complete with a veil over his face; he is as suave in the company of global and local aristocrats, billionaires and leaders as he is as unpretentious among the “commoners” and poor pupils learning the tarteel. This compelling puzzle is partly why he attracts the kind of criticism referenced above and also partly why this book recommends itself for close attention. But the cardinal reason why this book is important is not merely because of the tension between nobility and rebellion that the author represents; in my view, it is because of the cardinal concern of the reflections on the future of Nigeria. And what a fitting moment to reflect again on the future of what many from one extreme of Boko Haram would-be theocrats to the other extreme of ethno-regional secessionists regard as Lugards bastard child.

One key question that the author does not address in this book, which I will suggest he needs to take up in the volume that will follow the book he is now completing at Oxford on his Central Bank years, is on the practical steps necessary in producing the kind of leadership that he preaches for in this book. If indeed the fundamental problem of Nigeria, as he argues, is leadership, what is to be done, particularly about ensuring that people of goodwill who have the needed capacity are able to be at the helm of affairs in Nigeria? What is to be done to ensure that the electorate themselves stop recruiting one incompetent man after another?
Let me conclude on what we might call a “hopeful” note. The author was conscious of the implications of some of his dark prognosis about the Nigerian condition. Therefore, in the first essay, Issues in Restructuring Corporate Nigeria, he writes, But the audience may ask, is there any hope for this country? My answer is yes. One of the reasons for his position was because of his generation of young, educated Nigerians ready to take up the gauntlet, and ignite the hopes, for a renewed Nigeria. When he wrote this, he was 38. The author is no longer that young. At 60, does he retain this hope? If he does, the hope is not shared by many contemporary young people from those lining behind Nnamdi Kanu and those behind Sunday Adeyemi (Sunday Igboho) to the Boko Haram aspiring theocrats. What is to be done about those who have given up on Nigeria including the millions who may not be organising for another country but are truly sick of the existing one? What is the role of public intellection in responding to this moment that appears like the eve of the tragic denouement in Nigerias history? This is where the authors harsh judgement on the Nigerian elite is relevant. Many believe that if Nigeria collapses, the masses will suffer most. That is true. But it is also true that members of the parasitic Nigerian elite cannot survive in any space on planet earth other than Nigeria. It is therefore in their paramount interest to ensure the good of the nation. Hence, in this moment in our national history when the future of Nigeria appears hazy, this collection of essays and perspectives leads us back to that important but underappreciated epic song by Sonny Okosuns, Which Way Nigeria?
That song speaks directly to the theme of this book. I believe that beyond the polemics of the essays in the book, beyond the matters we agree or disagree on, beyond the authors pedigree, his philosophical engagements with politics, religion and society, and his intellectual fascination with contrarian praxis, beyond all these, is the faith, as the book affirms, that binds us together in this potentially great but much abused polity. Against this backdrop, I leave you with the core message of this book which is captured in Sonny Okosuns’ charge: Lets save Nigeria, so Nigeria won’t die!
I thank you for your attention.

Adebanwi, until recently, the Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, is the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania, United States.

Opinion

The Synergy Imperative: Integrating Transformative Leadership and Strategic Management for Africa’s Ascent

Published

24 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

“The bridge from Africa’s potential to its preeminence is built with the twin pillars of visionary leadership, which dares to imagine the impossible, and disciplined management, which masters the possible” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Africa’s journey from a continent brimming with untapped potential to a unified global powerhouse is arguably the defining narrative of our century. This transformation, however, hinges on a critical catalyst: a new paradigm of leadership. To dismantle the persistent architecture of poverty and transcend the historical cycle of mediocrity, African nations require more than administrators; they need visionary architects and master builders. This necessitates a powerful fusion of transformative leadership—which sets the daring direction—and strategic, execution-focused management—which paves the road to get there. The synergy between these two forces is non-negotiable for unlocking the innovative capacity needed to deliver tangible possibilities for Africa’s people, its dynamic corporations, and its sovereign nations.

I. The Essence of Transformative Leadership: Architecting a New Continental Consciousness

True transformative leadership moves beyond maintaining the status quo. It is an audacious practice of reimagining futures, challenging deeply embedded narratives, and mobilizing collective will toward a shared, audacious horizon.

1. Crafting a Unifying and Aspirational Narrative: The transformative leader’s first task is to be a master storyteller for the future. This involves articulating a vision that moves past diagnoses of poverty to paint a vivid, compelling picture of continental success—a Africa renowned for its innovation, quality, and strategic influence. This narrative must replace a mindset of scarcity with one of boundless opportunity, fostering a new identity where “Made in Africa” signifies excellence, reliability, and cutting-edge solutions. It is about making the idea of a continental giant not a distant dream, but an inevitable destination in the public imagination.

2. Demonstrating Unshakeable Ethical Fortitude: The battle against mediocrity is fundamentally a battle for integrity. Transformative leaders must embody and enforce an ironclad commitment to governance that is transparent, accountable, and institutionally robust. This requires the political courage to depersonalize state institutions, empowering independent judiciary, audit authorities, and anti-corruption commissions not just on paper but in practice. By becoming the chief guardian of institutional integrity, a leader builds the essential currency of trust—without which long-term investment and social cohesion are impossible.

3. Championing Radical Inclusivity: No single entity holds a monopoly on innovative ideas. Transformative leaders actively dismantle top-down governance silos to create participatory ecosystems. They facilitate sustained dialogues that bring together the pragmatic insights of the private sector, the grassroots realities understood by civil society, the foresight of academia, and the voices of marginalized communities. This inclusive approach does more than improve policy; it fosters a profound sense of collective ownership over the continent’s destiny, building a resilient coalition for sustained change.

II. The Discipline of Strategic Management: Building the Engine of Execution

A vision without a rigorous mechanism for implementation remains a mere hallucination. Transformative leadership must be operationalized through management systems characterized by precision, adaptability, and results.

1. Engineering a Performance-Obsessed Public Sector: The public administration must be fundamentally redesigned into a lean, data-driven delivery machine. This demands:

o Integrated Outcome Frameworks: Adopting systems like the Balanced Scorecard to cascade the national vision into clear departmental objectives, measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and individual accountability metrics for civil servants.

o Evidence-Based Policy Orchestration: Investing in robust data analytics units and real-time monitoring dashboards. Resource allocation and program adjustments must be driven by hard evidence of what works, moving policymaking from political intuition to strategic science.

o Relentless Process Innovation: Launching comprehensive digital governance initiatives to automate and streamline bureaucratic processes—from business licensing to customs clearance. This eliminates friction, reduces opportunities for graft, and dramatically improves the user experience for citizens and investors alike.

2. Cultivating Dynamic Innovation Ecosystems: Management’s role is to create the fertile ground where creativity and enterprise can flourish. This is a deliberate, managerial function:

o Establishing Agile Policy Laboratories: Creating regulatory sandboxes in key sectors like fintech, renewable energy, and logistics allows startups to test breakthrough ideas in a controlled environment with temporary regulatory relief, fostering innovation without compromising systemic stability.

o Orchestrating Strategic Alliances: Building structured platforms for public-private-research collaboration. Government can de-risk pioneering R&D in areas like vaccine manufacturing or artificial intelligence for agriculture, with clear pathways for commercialization led by the private sector and fueled by academic research.

o Safeguarding Intellectual Creation: Modernizing and rigorously enforcing intellectual property regimes managed by efficient, trustworthy institutions. This protects African innovators, attracts R&D investment, and ensures that breakthroughs conceived on the continent yield prosperity for its people.

3. Mastering Capital: Human and Financial:

o Strategic Human Capital Development: Aligning national education and vocational training curricula with the future skills demanded by the continental transformation agenda requires active management through a permanent skills council, ensuring a seamless pipeline of talent for the industries of tomorrow.

o Pioneering Financial Architecture: Beyond domestic revenue mobilization, management excellence is key to structuring and accessing innovative finance. This includes developing bankable project pipelines for green bonds, diaspora investment instruments, and blended finance models to fund the massive infrastructure required for integration, all while maintaining impeccable sovereign debt management.

III. The Tangible Dividend: Delivering Expanded Possibilities for All

The ultimate metric for this leadership-management model is the tangible impact on the ground.

· For Africa’s Citizens: The outcome is expanded human agency and dignity. This manifests as access to meaningful, future-oriented employment; quality, affordable healthcare and education delivered efficiently; and social protections that empower rather than create dependency. Citizens experience a state that is a capable partner in their aspirations.

· For Africa’s Enterprises: The outcome is a predictable, enabling, and competitive operating environment. Corporations and entrepreneurs benefit from reliable infrastructure, seamless administrative processes, access to capital, and a fair, transparent market. This enables them to scale, innovate, and compete confidently on regional and global stages.

· For Africa’s Nations and Continental Body: The outcome is sovereign capability and collective strategic influence. Individually, nations evolve into resilient, adaptive economies. Collectively, a strategically managed and integrated Africa transforms into a formidable negotiating bloc, capable of shaping global rules on trade, climate, and digital governance, and moving from being a subject of global dynamics to a definitive shaper of the world order.

Conclusion: The Imperative of Synergy

The path from poverty to preeminence is paved by the dual forces of transformative leadership and strategic management. Leaders must provide the spark of vision, the moral compass, and the political will to embark on an audacious journey. The management apparatus must provide the meticulous map, the engine, and the metrics to navigate it successfully. When these elements align in harmony—when the architect’s dream is matched by the engineer’s precision—Africa will ignite a self-sustaining cycle of innovation, inclusive growth, and shared prosperity. This is the pathway that turns the latent potential within its people, the ambition of its corporations, and the sovereignty of its nations into a manifested reality. It is how the continent will cease to be perpetually “rising” and will firmly stand, a realized giant, shaping the century ahead.

Dr. Tolulope Adeseye Adegoke is a distinguished scholar-practitioner specializing in the intersection of African security, governance, strategic leadership and effective management. His expertise is built on a robust academic foundation—with a PhD, MA, and BA in History and International Studies focused on West African conflicts, terrorism, and regional diplomacy—complemented by high-level professional credentials as a Distinguished Fellow Certified Management Consultant and a Fellow Certified Human Resource Management Professional.

Opinion

A Marriage That Changed History: Celebrating Mobolaji and Dele Momodu at 33

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

Some marriages are sustained by time, a few are tested by trials, but only the rarest are forged by destiny and proven by history. The union of Chief Dele Momodu and Chief Mobolaji Aderamaja Momodu belongs firmly in this extraordinary class, a marriage where love speaks with courage, partnership walks with purpose, and devotion quietly reshapes lives and legacies.

As Chief Dele and his remarkable wife Mobolaji Momodu mark 33 years of marital union, I am compelled to pause, not just to celebrate longevity, but to honour a love story that has survived trials, triumphed over tyranny, and blossomed into a partnership that continues to inspire generations.

I have always known them as love birds. It is almost impossible to engage Chief Dele Momodu in any meaningful conversation without the affectionate and respectful mention of his wife. He speaks of her not as an appendage to his success, but as its backbone, his confidant, his compass, and proudly, his “prayer warrior.” That alone speaks volumes in a world where gratitude within marriage is often whispered, if acknowledged at all.

Chief Mobolaji is kindness personified. Whenever I am privileged to be their guest whether at their warm Ikoyi home in Lagos or at public functions, her concern is constant and sincere. She will not sit comfortably until she is certain that everyone around her, especially her guests, is fine. That gentle strength, that instinctive compassion, defines her essence.

Yet, beyond her kindness lies courage. History will forever remember one defining moment on 25th July 1995 during the dark, oppressive days of General Sani Abacha’s dictatorship, a very heart-touching story. Strange, faceless men had come looking for Dele Momodu at their home. At the time, he was away in Ogun State. Without hesitation, His wife Mobolaji immediately sensed the danger coming when she suspected that those men could have been Abacha’s attack dogs. Highly cerebral young woman she was, she acted smartly by sneaking to trace the road the knew her husband was likely following to come back home. Luckily enough, she stopped him and raised the alarm. That single, decisive action changed the course of history.

Dele Momodu had already tasted detention for his pro-democracy stance where he was detained in Alagbon close. Now, he was being hunted again, this time in connection with the underground Radio Freedom, later renamed Radio Kudirat, in honour of the murdered activist Kudirat Abiola. Acting swiftly on his wife’s intuition and bravery, he disguised himself as a farmer and fled through the Seme border into Cotonou, Benin Republic. That escape marked the beginning of a three years exile in London, but also the preservation of a voice Nigeria could not afford to lose. That moment was not just the act of a wife, it was the intervention of destiny, executed through love.

In making that daring escape, Dele Momodu paid an enormous personal price. He left behind his only child in the care of his devoted wife and also his elderly mother in Ile-Ife, stepping into the uncertainty of exile with nothing but faith, conviction, and hope. That three years journey away from home would later prove transformative, culminating in the birth of Ovation International Magazine in London in April 1996, a global brand that would redefine African storytelling and project Nigerian excellence to the world. How Ovation emanated from Momodu’s rare bravery and risk taking is a another interesting story for another day.

Chief Dele Momodu has often shared that his earliest ambition was simple: to become a teacher, marry a teacher, and live happily thereafter . Fate, however, had grander plans. Their story began during their university days at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), where Dele earned a degree in Yoruba in 1982 and later a Master’s degree in English Literature in 1988. From humble beginnings in Ile-Ife, they embarked on a journey that would take them across mountains and valleys.

On their 30th wedding anniversary, Chief Dele Momodu described his wife as a “combination of brains and beauty”, a woman with whom he has “climbed mountains and descended valleys together.” Few statements capture the depth of partnership more profoundly.

Their marriage in December 1992, graciously bankrolled by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Dele Momodu’s adopted father was not merely a union of two souls, but the convergence of purpose, principle, and providence.

After 33 years today, their union stands as a testament to what marriage should be: friendship strengthened by faith, love fortified by sacrifice, and partnership tested, and proven by history.

Beyond the public milestones and historic moments lies a quieter but equally profound achievement, the family they built together. Blessed with four sons whom I refer to as “the Momodu’s 4 effects”, Chief Dele Momodu and Chief Mobolaji Momodu have raised a generation that reflects the values of discipline, faith, and excellence that define their home.

As they celebrate this remarkable milestone, Nigeria celebrates with them. Their story reminds us that behind every courageous man is often a discerning, fearless woman, and behind every lasting marriage is mutual respect, unwavering loyalty, and shared vision.

Happy 33rd Wedding Anniversary to Chief Dele Momodu and Chief Mobolaji Aderamaja Momodu, a couple whose love did not merely survive time, but shaped it.

May the years ahead be gentler, brighter, and filled with the same grace that has defined the journey so far, in good health, wealth, happiness, fulfillment and massive blessings.

Dr Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Opinion

Rebuilding the Pillars: A Comprehensive Blueprint for Overcoming Nigeria’s Leadership Deficit

Published

1 week ago

December 13, 2025

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Systemic governance reform as the critical foundation for unlocking sustainable development and restoring national promise. “Nations are not built on resources, but on systems. Nigeria’s future rests not on changing leaders, but on transforming the very structures that create them” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Introduction: The Leadership Imperative

Nigeria, often described as the “Giant of Africa,” stands at a pivotal moment in its historical trajectory. Possessing unparalleled human capital, vast natural resources, and a dynamic, youthful population, the nation’s potential remains paradoxically constrained by deeply embedded structural deficiencies within its leadership architecture. These systemic flaws—evident across political, corporate, and civic institutions—have created profound cracks that undermine public trust, stifle economic innovation, and impede the delivery of fundamental social goods. This leadership deficit is not merely a political inconvenience; it is the central bottleneck to national progress.

Addressing this challenge requires moving beyond cyclical criticism of individuals and towards a deliberate, strategic reconstruction of the systems that produce, empower, and hold leaders accountable. This blog post presents a holistic, actionable blueprint designed to seal these cracks permanently. It offers a pathway to cultivate a leadership ecosystem that is transparent, accountable, performance-driven, and ethically grounded, thereby delivering tangible possibilities for Nigeria’s people, empowering its corporate sector, and restoring its stature on the global stage.

Section 1: Diagnosing the Structural Cracks—A Multilayered Analysis

A precise diagnosis is essential for effective treatment. Nigeria’s leadership challenges are multifaceted and mutually reinforcing, stemming from three core structural failures.

1. The Governance Architecture Failure

The current system suffers from a fundamental contradiction: a hyper-centralized federal model that stifles local innovation and accountability. Critical institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the judiciary, and the civil service, frequently operate with compromised autonomy, inadequate technical capacity, and vulnerability to political interference. Furthermore, the intended checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches have weakened, creating avenues for impunity and concentrated power that deviate from democratic principles.

2. The Leadership Pipeline Collapse

The mechanisms for recruiting and developing leaders are fundamentally broken. Political party structures too often prioritize patronage, loyalty, and financial muscle over competence, vision, and ethical fortitude. There exists no systematic, nationwide program for identifying, nurturing, and mentoring successive generations of public servants. This results in a recurring leadership vacuum and a deficiency of cognitive diversity at decision-making tables, limiting the range of solutions for national challenges.

3. The Integrity Infrastructure Erosion

Perhaps the most damaging crack is the erosion of public trust, fueled by opacity and impunity. Decision-making processes and public resource allocations are frequently shrouded in secrecy, while accountability mechanisms are rendered ineffective. The consistent weakness in enforcing ethical codes across sectors has allowed a culture of corruption to persist, which acts as a regressive tax on development, scuttles investor confidence, and demoralizes the citizenry.

Section 2: A Tripartite Framework for Sustainable Transformation

Lasting reform necessitates concurrent, mutually reinforcing interventions across three interconnected pillars.

Pillar I: Constitutional and Institutional Reformation

Implementing True Cooperative Federalism: It is imperative to undertake a constitutional review that clearly delineates responsibilities and revenue-generating authorities among federal, state, and local governments. This empowers subnational entities to become laboratories of development, tailored to local contexts, while fostering healthy competition in providing public services. Fiscal autonomy must be matched with enhanced capacity-building initiatives at the state and local government levels.

Fortifying Independent Institutions: Key democratic institutions require constitutional protection from executive and legislative overreach. This includes guaranteeing transparent, first-line funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and establishing rigorous, meritocratic panels for appointing their leadership. Strengthening bodies like the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Public Complaints Commission is equally vital.

Professionalizing the Political Space: Electoral reform must introduce systems like ranked-choice voting to encourage more issue-based, inclusive campaigning. Legislation should mandate demonstrable internal democracy within political parties, including transparent primaries and audited financial disclosures, to reduce the capture of parties by narrow interests.

Pillar II: Cultivating a Leadership Development Ecosystem

Establishing a Premier National School of Governance (NSG): Modeled on institutions like the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, a Nigerian NSG would serve as the apex institution for executive leadership training. Attendance for all senior civil servants, political appointees, and legislators should be mandatory, with curricula focused on strategic public administration, ethical leadership, complex project management, and national policy analysis.

Catalyzing a Corporate Governance Revolution: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) must enforce stricter codes requiring diverse, independent, and technically competent boards. The private sector should be incentivized—through tax credits or preferential procurement status—to establish leadership fellowship programs that place high-potential private-sector executives into public sector roles for fixed terms, fostering cross-pollination of skills and perspectives.

Instituting a Presidential Leadership Fellowship (PLF): This highly selective, merit-based program would identify Nigeria’s most promising young talents (aged 25-35) from all fields—technology, agriculture, law, the arts—and place them in intensive two-year rotations across critical government agencies, private sector giants, and civil society organizations. This creates a nurtured cohort of future leaders with a national network and a deep understanding of systemic interconnections.

Pillar III: Architecting Robust Accountability & Performance Systems

Deploying a Digital Transparency Platform: A mandatory, open-access National Integrated Governance Portal (NIGP) should display in real-time the status, budget, and contractor details of every major public project. Strategic use of blockchain technology can create immutable records for procurement contracts and resource distribution, significantly reducing opportunities for diversion.

Empowering Oversight and Consequence: Anti-corruption agencies require not only independence but also enhanced forensic capacity and international collaboration. Performance tracking must extend to the judiciary and legislature; publishing annual scorecards on case clearance rates, legislative productivity, and constituency impact can drive public accountability.

Embedding a Culture of Results: All government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) must operate under a National Key Results Framework (NKRF). This performance contract system would define clear, measurable quarterly deliverables tied to national development plans. Autonomy and discretionary funding should be increased for MDAs that consistently meet targets, while underperformance triggers mandatory restructuring and leadership review.

Section 3: The Indispensable Cultural Reorientation

Technocratic fixes will fail without a parallel cultural shift that venerates service and integrity.

Embedding Ethics from Foundation: A redesigned national curriculum, from primary through tertiary education, must integrate civic ethics, critical thinking, and Nigeria’s constitutional history to build an informed citizenry that values good governance.

Launching a “Service Nation” Campaign: A sustained, multi-platform national campaign, developed in partnership with respected cultural, religious, and traditional institutions, should celebrate role models of ethical leadership and reframe public service as the nation’s highest calling.

Enacting Ironclad Whistleblower Protections: Comprehensive legislation must be passed to protect whistleblowers from all forms of retaliation, including provisions for anonymous reporting, physical protection, and financial rewards, aligning with global best practices to encourage exposure of malfeasance.

Section 4: A Practical, Phased Implementation Roadmap (2025-2035)

Phase 1: The Foundation Phase (Years 1-3)

Convene a National Constitutional Dialogue involving all tiers of government, civil society, and professional bodies.

· Establish the Nigerian School of Governance (NSG) and inaugurate the first cohort of the Presidential Leadership Fellowship (PLF).

· Pilot the National Integrated Governance Portal (NIGP) in the Ministries of Health, Education, and Works.

Phase 2: The Integration & Scaling Phase (Years 4-7)

· Enact and begin implementation of the new constitutional framework on fiscal federalism.

· Graduate the first NSG cohorts and embed training as a prerequisite for promotions.

· Roll out the NKRF performance contracts across all federal MDAs and willing pilot states.

Phase 3: The Consolidation & Maturation Phase (Years 8-12)

· Conduct a comprehensive national review, assessing improvements in governance indices, citizen trust metrics, and economic competitiveness.

· Establish Nigeria as a regional hub for leadership training, offering NSG programmes to other African nations.

· Institutionalize a self-sustaining cycle where performance culture and ethical leadership are the unquestioned norms.

Conclusion: Forging a New Path of Leadership

The task of sealing the cracks in Nigeria’s leadership foundation is undeniably monumental, yet it is the most critical work of this generation. It demands a departure from transactional politics and short-term thinking toward a covenant of nation-building. The integrated blueprint outlined here—combining institutional redesign, leadership cultivation, technological accountability, and cultural renewal—provides a viable pathway.

This is not a call for perfection, but for systematic progress. By committing to this journey, Nigeria can transform its governance from its greatest liability into its most powerful asset. The outcome will be a nation where trust is restored, innovation flourishes, and every citizen has a fair opportunity to thrive. The resources, the intellect, and the spirit exist within Nigeria; it is now a matter of courageously building the structures to set them free.

Dr. Tolulope Adeseye Adegoke is a distinguished scholar-practitioner specializing in the intersection of African security, governance, and strategic leadership. His expertise is built on a robust academic foundation—with a PhD, MA, and BA in History and International Studies focused on West African conflicts, terrorism, and regional diplomacy—complemented by high-level professional credentials as a Distinguished Fellow Certified Management Consultant and a Fellow Certified Human Resource Management Professional.

A recognized thought leader, he is a Distinguished Ambassador for World Peace (AMBP-UN) and has been honoured with the African Leadership Par Excellence Award (2024) and the Nigerian Role Models Award (2024), alongside inclusion in the prestigious national compendium “Nigeria @65: Leaders of Distinction.”

Dr. Adegoke’s unique value lies in synthesizing deep historical analysis with practical management frameworks to diagnose systemic institutional failures and design actionable reforms. His work is dedicated to advancing ethical governance, strategic human capital development, and sustainable nation-building in Africa and the globe. He can be reached via: tolulopeadegoke01@gmail.com & globalstageimpacts@gmail.com