Good governance and nation building described with particular reference to Islamic political and social system.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE AND
NATION BUILDING;
CONTRIBUTIONS AND CHALLENGES
Compiled by:
YUSUF ADAM KHALIL
MSSN KANO AREA UNIT STATE LEADERSHIP COURSE
JULY 2017

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GOOD GOVERNANCE AND NATION BUILDING
• Outline
• Introduction – Islam encompassing all spheres of life, necessity of
leadership and qualities of a leader
• Good governance – meaning and scope.
• Nation building – Meaning and scope
• Islamic perspective of good governance/characteristics
• Contributions of good governance in nation building
• Challenges of good governance
• Conclusion – Way forward
1. INTRODUCTION
Islam is a comprehensive and universal religion for all races and classes of
people not inclined to serve a specific category or group of people but
specially aimed to address the needs of all humanity with its moral, spiritual,
social, legal, political and economic systems.
The aim of Islam is to establish the ideal human society and brotherhood
spreading general benevolence and the divine guidance among men for their
betterment and salvation.
The Prophethood mission of Prophet Muhammad (Sm.) provides guidance for a
perfect balancing of individual and spiritual life with social and material life.
“O mankind! The (Prophetic) Messenger has come to you with the truth from
your Lord. Then believe; (it is) better for you. But if you disbelieve, still,
surely, to Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth, and
Allah is ever Knower, Wise.” (4:170)
October 14, 2019
State Policy of Prophet Muhammad(SAW)
4

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Necessity of Leadership
• The necessity of leadership is very clear, considering the following points:
• The story of the aunts when their leader directed them to go back to their
respective residences so as to avoid them being matched by Suleman (A.S.)
and his troop in the chapter of Al-baqarah of the holy Qur’an.
• The prophet (S.A.W.) necessitated the nomination of a leader within three
or more persons on a journey (Abu-dawood, Tirmidhy).
• Leadership in prayer (Imam), which is the highest mode of worship.
• Ali bn Abu-Talib was reported saying leadership or governance is a
necessity within a community being it just and noble or otherwise. (Ibn
Taimiyyah; Al-siyaasah el-shar’iyyah)
• The necessity of leadership was agreed on consensus of the ulema’ both on
the basis of Intellect and Law.
Basic Qualities of a Leader
• Scholars have identified a lot of qualities required of a leader.
• Maawardy in his Ahkaam sultaaniyyah enumerated 7 qualities as; Justice,
Knowledge, Physical fitness, Healthy sensory organs, Skills/experience on
leadership, Braveness and Family clan (Quraysh)
• I have decided to summarize them in to the following:
• Knowledge which encompasses Islamic and western education, experience,
skills, wisdom, knowledge of the society and it’s custom, etc.
• Capability which encompasses physical and mental fitness, foresight,
consciousness, perseverance, patience, steadfastness, sound moral
character, etc.
• Trustworthiness which encompasses accountability, transparency, justice,
fairness, truthfulness, piety, responsibility, etc.

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Qualities – cont.
• These qualities can be deduced from the three stories in the holy Qur’an:
• The story of Taalut when Allah chose him as the leader of his people and
described him, convincingly, as:
• “……..and Allah increased him in knowledge and body (fitness).”
• The story of prophet Yusuf (A.S.) when he suggested to the king to appoint him as
the custodian of the wealth of the nation after interpreting the dream. To prove
that he is able, he described himself as;
• “……..I am Trustworthy and knowledgeable.”
• The story of Musa (A.S.) when he assisted some ladies. They suggested to their
daddy to employ him and they said in describing those to be employed:
• “……..verily, the best to be employed is competent and trustworthy.”
• In addition to these qualities, he is expected to employ mutual consultations.
PROPHET
ATTRIBUTES
SIDDIQ
(HONEST)
AMANAH
(TRUSTED)
TABLIGH
(SPREAD OUT CORRECT
INFO)
FATHANAH
(INTELLECTUAL)
MUHAMMAD (SAW) AS A LEADER - PROPHET
ATTRIBUTES
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Prophet’s excellent Morals
October 14, 2019
State Policy of Prophet Muhammad(Sm.)
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2. GOOD GOVERNANCE
The Qur’an defines good governance as the rule of
justice, a just and ethical order and observance of
rights and obligations in a society.
The Qur’an declares: “Those when given authority in
land, establish (system of) salah, give zakah and
enjoin what is good (ma’ruf) and forbid what is wrong
(munkar).
al-Hajj 22:41

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Good Governance – cont.
It further says: “O you who believe stand up as a witness for Allah in
all fairness, and do not let the hatred of people deviate you from
justice (‘adl). Be just, this is closest to piety (I’dilu huwa aqrabu
littaqwa)”
al-Maidah 5:8
3. NATION BUILDING
• According to Prof Ibrahim A Gambari, in his presentation (7th February, 2008):
• Nation-building has many important aspects.
• Firstly, it is about building a political entity which corresponds to a given territory, based
on some generally accepted rules, norms, and principles, and a common citizenship.
• Secondly, it is also about building institutions which symbolize the political entity –
institutions such as a bureaucracy, an economy, the judiciary, universities, a civil service,
and civil society organizations.
• Above all else, however, nation-building is about building a common sense of purpose, a
sense of shared destiny, a collective imagination of belonging.
• Nation-building is therefore about building the tangible and intangible threads that hold
a political entity together and gives it a sense of purpose.
• Even in these days of globalization and rapid international flows of people and ideas,
having a viable nation remains synonymous with achieving modernity. It is about
building the institutions and values which sustain the collective community in these
modern times.

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4. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
Prof Dr. Anis Ahmad said; Islamic view of good governance is
qualitative and not mechanical. Major characteristics of good
governance can be summarized under eleven points:
1. Coherent, and based on unity (tawhid). A governance which follows
dual standards and not a single principle (tawhid) in its policies and
management cannot observe ‘adl or justice.
Characteristics – cont.
2. Participation and consult (washawirhum) with them in the conduct
of affairs, and when you have resolved then put your trust in Allah”
al-i-’Imran 3:159 also al-Shura 42:38
3. Competent and Capable, Worthy of Amanah – “Lo Allah commands
you that you restore trust to those who are capable and if you judge
between mankind, that you judge justly”
an-Nisa 4:58

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Characteristics – cont.
4. Transparent and just – Decision making and their enforcement must
follow rules, and regulations. No difference between a rich and poor, an
official and an ordinary citizen.
5. Public Accountability – “…Lo the hearing and the sight and the heart –
of each of these will be asked” bani Isra’il 17:36
“Abdullah reported that Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said: Everyone of you is a guardian
(ra’in) and accountable (mas’ul) for his charge. Thus the amir is a guardian of the people
and He is accountable for them. And a man is a guardian (ra’in) of his household and he is
accountable for them; and a women is in charge (ra’iyah) of the household and her children
and she is accountable for them; and a servant is guardian of his master’s property, everyone
of you is accountable for his subjects” Bukhari, al-Jam’al-Sahih
Characteristics – cont.
6. Rule of Law – “O you who believe, be custodians of justice (and)
witness for Allah, even though against yourselves or your parents or
your relatives. Whether a man be rich or poor, Allah is the greatest
well-wisher than you. so follow nor the behests of lust, lest you
swerve from justice…” an-Nisa 4:135
7. Consensus Oriented – “…and when you have reached a consensus, put your
trust in Allah” al-i-’Imran 3:159

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Characteristics – cont.
8. Welfare Oriented – welfare of the people (maslahah a’mah) and not
of specific interest groups, privileged persons or the ruling class
should be the objective of policies.
9. Effective and Efficient – Decisions made on time and effectively
enforced make the governance good. Red-tapism, bureaucratic and
lengthy process lead to inefficiency and making governance in-
effective.
Characteristics – cont.
10. Quality Assurance – Public transactions and dealings when done
with honesty and fairness lead to confidence building in society.
The Qur’an enjoins use of one and same standards for quality
control in delivering systems.
“Fill the measure when you measure and weigh with a right
balance; this is better, and excellent its consequences”-Bani Isra’il 17:35
11. Striving for Excellence – “An amir (ruler) who accepts an office
but does not make his utmost effort with sincerity
(ikhlas), he will never ever enter jannah with other Muslims”
Muslim, Sahih, Kitabal-Imarah

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Amr bil maaruf wa-el-Nhy anil munkar
• Amongst the greatest responsibilities are amr-bil-Ma’roof (ordering for
acknowledged virtues) and nahi anil munkar (forbidding from sin).
• Allah says: “And there should be a group amongst you who invite towards
good, order for acknowledged virtues, forbid from sin and these it is that
are the successful ones” (Quran, Al-Imran, 3:104).
• The Holy Prophet SWT said: “How will it be for you when your women will
commit sins and your youth will transgress and you will not order for
acknowledged virtues nor forbid from sin? It was said to him: “Will that
happen O messenger of Allah?” Then he SWT said: Yes. Then he said: “How
will it be for you when you order for sins and forbid from acknowledged
virtues?” Then it was said to him: “O messenger of Allah SWT! Will that
happen?” Then he said: “Yes and worse than that how will it be for you
when you perceive acknowledged virtue as sin and perceive sin as
acknowledged virtue?”
5. CONTRIBUTIONS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
• The basic essence of the mission of Islam is to establish morality; hence the
leadership responsibility is described as;
• Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
• To this effect, it is expected to protect the following five fundamentals:
Preservation of Religion
Preservation of Life and security
Preservation of Property/wealth
Preservation of Sanity/mental fitness
Preservation of Personality and clan.
• Every leader is enjoined to protect these rights depending on his level of
leadership.

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Contributions/responsibilities – cont.
• According to Ibn Taimiyyah; leadership responsibilities are:
• “Amaanaat” which involves representation and accountability of property.
• “Ahkaam” which involves punishment on crimes and settlement of civil
cases.
• “Allah has enjoined you to present ‘amaanat’ to those who deserves it and
when you are to judge between persons, judge with justice (and
fairness)…” (Nisa’)
• Maawardy classified functions of leadership in to 4 groups:
• 1, General functions in general matters, eg Deputization/Assistance
• 2, General functions in specific matters, eg Governorship of states
• 3, Specific functions in general matters, eg Chief judge
• 4, Specific functions in specific matters, eg Jhudge of a state

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6. CHALLENGES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA
• The challenge of history:
The historical legacies of colonial rule create some challenges for nation-
building in Nigeria.
Colonial rule divided Nigeria into North and South with different land tenure
systems, local government administration, educational systems, and judicial
systems.
While large British colonies like India and the Sudan had a single
administrative system, Nigeria had two, one for the North and one for the
South.
 It was almost as if these were two separate countries, held together only by a
shared currency and transportation system.

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Challenges cont.
• The challenge of Socio-economic in-equalities:
An important aspect of nation-building is the building of a common citizenship.
But how can we have a common citizenship when the person in Ilorin has a radically
different quality of life from the person in Yenagoa?
Or when the woman in Gusau is more likely to die in childbirth than the woman in
Ibadan?
Through the development of the economy and equal opportunities for all, or through
the development of social welfare safety nets, mature nations try to establish a base-
line of social and economic rights which all members of the national community
must enjoy.
Not to enjoy these socio-economic rights means that the people involved are
marginalized from national life.
That is why in many Western European countries, contemporary nation-building in
about preventing ‘social exclusion’ or the exclusion of significant segments of the
population from enjoying basic social and economic rights.
Challenges cont.
• The constitutional challenge:
While we all agree that Nigeria must be a federation,
we have no clear consensus on the nature of that federation,
on whether we should have territorially defined states or ethnically defined
states as some are demanding.
We also do not have a consensus on the number of states or federating units
we should have.
While some are satisfied with the current 36 states, others are calling for
more states for their own groups.
On the other hand, yet others are arguing that the number of states should
be reduced to 6.
Here again, there is little by way of consensus.

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Challenges cont.
• The challenge of building institutions:
Institute for public service delivery
Judicial institutions
Institutions for economic governance
Institutions for fostering public integrity
Challenges cont.
• The challenge of leadership:
The standards for recruitment and the performance of our individual leaders over
the years have left much to be desired.
We do not need leaders who see themselves as champions of only some sections of
our population. We do not need leaders who do not understand the economic and
political problems of the country, not to talk of finding durable solutions for them.
We do not need leaders who are more interested in silencing their opponents, than
in pursuing justice.
We do not need leaders, who preach one thing, and do the exact opposite.
We do not need leaders who place themselves above the constitution and the laws
of the country, but leaders who lead by upholding and respecting the law.
We do not need leaders who have no sense of tomorrow, other than that of their
private bank accounts.

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Challenges cont.
If we are to succeed in nation-building,
we must have a leadership that is committed to the rule of law and has a
demonstrable sense of fairplay and democratic tolerance;
a leadership with ability and integrity;
above all else, we must have a leadership that can see beyond the
ostentatious pomp of office.
We must have leaders who have a vision for a Nigeria better than the one
they inherited;
leaders who will lead by deeds and not by words; achievers, not deceivers.
We need a leadership that will not only leave its foot-prints on the sands of
time, but one, which by dint of hard-work, fairplay, dedication and
commitment, will live forever in the hearts of Nigerians.
7. CONCLUSION
• Dr Hassan Abbas (26/07/2013) states the purpose of governance in
Islam as follows:
• “Islam encourages the formation of a just society based on the
principles of equality, justice, rational thinking, tolerance and equity.
• The two primary goals of establishing an Islamic state are promoting
justice and pursuit of knowledge.
• The Islamic idea of governance is to nurture humane and accountable
leaders who would focus on the wellbeing of ordinary people by
establishing different institutions.
• If we go through these teachings in more detail, we shall realize that
they are valuable for any person aspiring to become a future political
leader even in the modern world.”

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Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The Ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments
of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of
challenge and controversy.”
32
Arab poet Ahmad Shauqi Bey
puts it:
“Nations survives as long as
their morality is
alive. When their morality is gone,
they too perish.”