The document is a speech given by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria, at The Future Awards Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders in 2012. In the speech, he discusses three main points:
1) The importance of grooming a successor generation of leaders through formal education, training, and mentorship in order to ensure sustained development through a planned political succession process.
2) The need for leadership to be values-driven by motivating citizens to solve community problems rather than reinforcing state control, and rebuilding public and private institutions.
3) The challenge for political leaders to reconnect democratic choices with people's daily lives
Journalism That Matters and the University of Oregon Agora Journalism Center have partnered with Mike Green, co-founder of ScaleUp Partners, to produce the first-ever Conversation on Inclusive Competitiveness (empowering underrepresented populations to compete in the Innovation Economy). The intersection of important community issues and the journalists who tell these stories creates quite a conversation around what's important to communities and what appears in media (or doesn't).
Being the paper presented by
His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI, Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria At the INTERNATIONAL REPUBLICAN INSTITUTE’S (IRI) AFRICA REGIONAL GOVERNANCE BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE, MOMBASSA, KENYA
Journalism That Matters and the University of Oregon Agora Journalism Center have partnered with Mike Green, co-founder of ScaleUp Partners, to produce the first-ever Conversation on Inclusive Competitiveness (empowering underrepresented populations to compete in the Innovation Economy). The intersection of important community issues and the journalists who tell these stories creates quite a conversation around what's important to communities and what appears in media (or doesn't).
Being the paper presented by
His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI, Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria At the INTERNATIONAL REPUBLICAN INSTITUTE’S (IRI) AFRICA REGIONAL GOVERNANCE BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE, MOMBASSA, KENYA
Pakistan, a leaderless leader in economic growth potential among emerging mar...SUN&FZ Associates
When those who are given the mandate to govern, make the country ungovernable then the only way out for the civil society is to lead the way to show the leaders that those who are mislead can lead too when the time comes. It is far more important to self-govern than handing over the right to govern to those who cannot see beyond their nose.
Building a Workforce Where Belonging Is the Rule — Not the ExceptionCognizant
Diversity has moved from a human resource challenge to a business opportunity. Companies with a diverse workforce and an inclusive work environment are better equipped to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive digital world. These organizations foster an atmosphere of trust; give employees a say in decision making; involve them in work processes; and provide the information, resources, and tools they need to succeed. By embracing different perspectives, they can anticipate challenges before they become problems, and tend to post superior financial results.
Malala mishap and global media scenario in retrospect taliban and pakistanSUN&FZ Associates
Pakistani Talibans had tried to impose their Nizam-e-Adl in Swat and were thrown out of there proving and conveying clearly and forcefully that their kind of Islam was not acceptable and workable in our country. So as Muslims what are we afraid of?
We have a more secular than a secular government. We have a dedicated Secular Media of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Secular Pakistan. We have an army ready to fight against any attempt to disturb the way we live in this world and the way we believe in the world after. When the Pakistani Talibans have failed in Swat how can they succeed in other parts of the country where we have law enforcing agencies as well as rangers and army cantonment areas? Do we think that a few isolated barbaric incidents can succeed in terrorizing entire population of Pakistan and make them Taliban Branded Shariah Compliant? Can a country that has a brave teen age girl like Malala who has the courage to defy Taliban and carry on her mission be expected to let so-called Pakistani Taliban impose their “Alien to Islam Shariat in a “RELIGIOUS COUNTRY of TRULY MUSLIMS like Pakistan”?
South Africa ranks in the top four most giving nations, we explore a new platform for social justice and accountability; and a recent survey suggests MOOCs are failing to educate the poor.
NRC, IRC-KHF and IBC would like to thank the youth who participated in the research and shared their experiences. Without their help we would not have been able to complete the report and ensure that youth issues amongst refugees, internally displaced people and their host communities in the region are highlighted. We would also like to thank the teams in the region who supported the fieldwork and analysis.
Enterprising through promoting familipreneurship for sustainable poverty redu...Mijan Rahman
This paper proposes Family Enterprise as a means of Enterprising through promoting
Familipreneurship for sustainable Poverty Reduction, Employment Generation and Economic Growth.
FAMILIPRENEURSHIP means the individual and collective power of a family member to combine and
utilize personal and family capitals individually and collectively through their bondage, bridge and
linkage. It means entrepreneurship of a family as an entrepreneurial unit which enables them to
transform their individual and collective scattered capitals into performing capitals to maximize wealth.
Familipreneurship refers to the entrepreneurial spirit running through the family as a whole and not
just confined to a single individual. The promotion of Familipreneurship will create a natural
environment of transferring inherited knowledge, skill and important lesson and experience across the
generations. This courageous collective effort will enable them to be blended together to reach their
goals. Family is the ultimate institution of mankind and is always sustainable as an economic unit.
History started from the family, one has to go back to the family to go back to the future. Family as an
entity is the oldest, largest in number, longest in existence organization of human history. Families are
unique and fundamental unit of our social systems and they are permanent, based more on moral
obligation than contractual agreement. Future generations will carry on their ancestor’s knowledge and
experience of togetherness both culturally and arguably, genetically. Familiness, especially in southern
part of the world, is so powerful, effective and long lasting that family as an organization throughout the
history exists without any oral or written constitution or standard norms. Matrix relations among the
family members enable them to combine and best utilize their personal and collective financial, human,
physical, social, knowledge, cultural, natural and spiritual capital.
Leadership in Difficult Times- Strategies for Overcoming Challenges - Reflect...Kayode Fayemi
I had the honour of delivering a keynote lecture titled "Sustainable Leadership Strategies for a Troubled Nation: Reflections of a Scholar-Politician" at the Induction Ceremony for postgraduate students in the Public Governance and Leadership Programme at the Abuja Leadership Centre, University of Abuja.
In my presentation, I focused on demystifying leadership in the African governance context and highlighted the role of leadership in promoting a just and sustainable peace. While acknowledging significant investments in leadership development in Africa, I emphasised the limitations of focusing solely on individual leaders without a robust institutional framework. Successful leadership, I argued, involves teamwork within a well-established infrastructure, addressing complex interplays of policies, politics, and power.
I stressed that leadership goes beyond placing the right individuals in office; it requires managing socio-political currents, consensus-building, and addressing structural drivers of conflict, such as poverty and inequality. Leaders must invest in managing diversity, leading by example, and addressing root causes to promote just peace. I highlighted the importance of a well-thought-out plan when transitioning from campaigning to governing and the need for policies to align with a sustainable and well-consulted plan.
The following outlines strategies that, in my belief, can contribute to the improvement of good governance in our challenging environment. First, understand that leadership is teamwork, not a solo effort. Two, pay attention to the big picture with a nuanced understanding of societal dynamics and focus on solutions; three, have a realistic plan based on wide consultations but be flexible; four, think through how to put a team together and also fund your promises to the electorate; five, don't ignore your civil service or suffocate your government with external consultants; six, own your communication and engage the electorate constantly; seven, change in government is often incremental, not revolutionary. What makes incremental change enduring is sustainability. Eight, sustainability rests on seamless succession and succession planning since governance is a continuum.
REFLECTIONS ON VALUES AND
THE BUILDING OF A SUCCESSOR GENERATION IN NIGERIA
Being the paper presented by
His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria
At the 1st Interdisciplinary Lecture of the School Postgraduate Studies, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Pakistan, a leaderless leader in economic growth potential among emerging mar...SUN&FZ Associates
When those who are given the mandate to govern, make the country ungovernable then the only way out for the civil society is to lead the way to show the leaders that those who are mislead can lead too when the time comes. It is far more important to self-govern than handing over the right to govern to those who cannot see beyond their nose.
Building a Workforce Where Belonging Is the Rule — Not the ExceptionCognizant
Diversity has moved from a human resource challenge to a business opportunity. Companies with a diverse workforce and an inclusive work environment are better equipped to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive digital world. These organizations foster an atmosphere of trust; give employees a say in decision making; involve them in work processes; and provide the information, resources, and tools they need to succeed. By embracing different perspectives, they can anticipate challenges before they become problems, and tend to post superior financial results.
Malala mishap and global media scenario in retrospect taliban and pakistanSUN&FZ Associates
Pakistani Talibans had tried to impose their Nizam-e-Adl in Swat and were thrown out of there proving and conveying clearly and forcefully that their kind of Islam was not acceptable and workable in our country. So as Muslims what are we afraid of?
We have a more secular than a secular government. We have a dedicated Secular Media of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Secular Pakistan. We have an army ready to fight against any attempt to disturb the way we live in this world and the way we believe in the world after. When the Pakistani Talibans have failed in Swat how can they succeed in other parts of the country where we have law enforcing agencies as well as rangers and army cantonment areas? Do we think that a few isolated barbaric incidents can succeed in terrorizing entire population of Pakistan and make them Taliban Branded Shariah Compliant? Can a country that has a brave teen age girl like Malala who has the courage to defy Taliban and carry on her mission be expected to let so-called Pakistani Taliban impose their “Alien to Islam Shariat in a “RELIGIOUS COUNTRY of TRULY MUSLIMS like Pakistan”?
South Africa ranks in the top four most giving nations, we explore a new platform for social justice and accountability; and a recent survey suggests MOOCs are failing to educate the poor.
NRC, IRC-KHF and IBC would like to thank the youth who participated in the research and shared their experiences. Without their help we would not have been able to complete the report and ensure that youth issues amongst refugees, internally displaced people and their host communities in the region are highlighted. We would also like to thank the teams in the region who supported the fieldwork and analysis.
Enterprising through promoting familipreneurship for sustainable poverty redu...Mijan Rahman
This paper proposes Family Enterprise as a means of Enterprising through promoting
Familipreneurship for sustainable Poverty Reduction, Employment Generation and Economic Growth.
FAMILIPRENEURSHIP means the individual and collective power of a family member to combine and
utilize personal and family capitals individually and collectively through their bondage, bridge and
linkage. It means entrepreneurship of a family as an entrepreneurial unit which enables them to
transform their individual and collective scattered capitals into performing capitals to maximize wealth.
Familipreneurship refers to the entrepreneurial spirit running through the family as a whole and not
just confined to a single individual. The promotion of Familipreneurship will create a natural
environment of transferring inherited knowledge, skill and important lesson and experience across the
generations. This courageous collective effort will enable them to be blended together to reach their
goals. Family is the ultimate institution of mankind and is always sustainable as an economic unit.
History started from the family, one has to go back to the family to go back to the future. Family as an
entity is the oldest, largest in number, longest in existence organization of human history. Families are
unique and fundamental unit of our social systems and they are permanent, based more on moral
obligation than contractual agreement. Future generations will carry on their ancestor’s knowledge and
experience of togetherness both culturally and arguably, genetically. Familiness, especially in southern
part of the world, is so powerful, effective and long lasting that family as an organization throughout the
history exists without any oral or written constitution or standard norms. Matrix relations among the
family members enable them to combine and best utilize their personal and collective financial, human,
physical, social, knowledge, cultural, natural and spiritual capital.
Leadership in Difficult Times- Strategies for Overcoming Challenges - Reflect...Kayode Fayemi
I had the honour of delivering a keynote lecture titled "Sustainable Leadership Strategies for a Troubled Nation: Reflections of a Scholar-Politician" at the Induction Ceremony for postgraduate students in the Public Governance and Leadership Programme at the Abuja Leadership Centre, University of Abuja.
In my presentation, I focused on demystifying leadership in the African governance context and highlighted the role of leadership in promoting a just and sustainable peace. While acknowledging significant investments in leadership development in Africa, I emphasised the limitations of focusing solely on individual leaders without a robust institutional framework. Successful leadership, I argued, involves teamwork within a well-established infrastructure, addressing complex interplays of policies, politics, and power.
I stressed that leadership goes beyond placing the right individuals in office; it requires managing socio-political currents, consensus-building, and addressing structural drivers of conflict, such as poverty and inequality. Leaders must invest in managing diversity, leading by example, and addressing root causes to promote just peace. I highlighted the importance of a well-thought-out plan when transitioning from campaigning to governing and the need for policies to align with a sustainable and well-consulted plan.
The following outlines strategies that, in my belief, can contribute to the improvement of good governance in our challenging environment. First, understand that leadership is teamwork, not a solo effort. Two, pay attention to the big picture with a nuanced understanding of societal dynamics and focus on solutions; three, have a realistic plan based on wide consultations but be flexible; four, think through how to put a team together and also fund your promises to the electorate; five, don't ignore your civil service or suffocate your government with external consultants; six, own your communication and engage the electorate constantly; seven, change in government is often incremental, not revolutionary. What makes incremental change enduring is sustainability. Eight, sustainability rests on seamless succession and succession planning since governance is a continuum.
REFLECTIONS ON VALUES AND
THE BUILDING OF A SUCCESSOR GENERATION IN NIGERIA
Being the paper presented by
His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria
At the 1st Interdisciplinary Lecture of the School Postgraduate Studies, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
See whats happening right now in Nigerian Politics. Find the latest news on Nigeria News. Visit our website today...: https://elevatenews.com/nigerian-politics/
Promoting Stewardship in Public ServiceKayode Fayemi
By
J. ’Kayode FAYEMI, PhD., CON
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria
at the
Excellence in Leadership Conference 2015
Daystar Christian Centre, Oregun, Lagos
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
There is no simple way to solving the African youth question. This book seeks to make a simple but no ordinary call on all stakeholders to take steps and help solve the youth question across the continent. This is a call, which does not require guns and machetes, but intellectual and moral weapons without which lasting results can never be secured. One other important issue worth mentioning, if even in passing, is the slur of ghettoes. Ghettoes have been known to provide safe havens for criminals and traps for the vulnerable youth especially the homeless, poverty stricken and those from hot spots. Ghettoes do not only provide fertile grounds for criminals, they also provide them with the opportunity to recruit vulnerable youth to their fold. There is no doubt that, policies have no legs to walk on into reality. The traditional track for their movement into reality is through programmes deliberately designed and religiously adhered to. On the other hand, institutions implement programmes. Thus the stronger, effective and resourceful an institution is, the better the programmes are implemented and consequently the effectiveness of the policy in the lives of the intended target. The media, with its reach, the ability to set agenda, and its 'god' status in the eyes of society should attempt to educate the youth on family values to the society. Debates could be generated on the essence of the family unit among others to psyche society up by highlighting the inherent beauty of the family system. The time has come for chieftaincy institution, to reassert its traditional duties to the youth and society. This is a call for grassroot education where chiefs and sub-chiefs would engage their societies in meaningful 'Nim-tree' and Baobab-tree discussions to establish codes and reinstate the position of the family in the society and more importantly to the youth. Two critical programmes, which could provide substantive and long-term opportunities to the youth, should centre on Incubation Centres and National Employment Programme. Traditionally, incubation centres give office space and technical advice in the early years of start-ups with the capacity, by design, to support any area of entrepreneurial direction government policies indicates. The high level of expertise required to successfully manage a business, coupled with the cost of rent, makes it necessary for the government, either singularly or in partnership, to support the culture of the business incubation centres. These incubation centres should be established with the core goal of providing the necessary technical support and protection for young entrepreneurs during the critical early stages of their businesses. As a matter of national priority, African leaders need to build and empower youth entrepreneurs. The issue of job centres with an online option would enhance the job search and security of the youth. That is to say, the government should establish job centres on campuses....
Alternative Politics, Political Alternatives, and Innovative Social Change in...Kayode Fayemi
Being Text of a Keynote Address Delivered by HE Dr Kayode Fayemi, CON, at the Conference on Redesigning Democracy Held at the University of Oxford on Thursday 20 October, 2022.
Lecture delivered on the occasion of the public presentation of The Nigerian Political Turf: Polity, Politics and Politicians written by Mobolade Omonijo on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at The Muson Centre, Onikan-Lagos.
Reflections of a Scholar-Politician on the Leadership-Peace Nexus and Praxis ...Kayode Fayemi
I delivered a keynote talk at the African Leadership Centre's Postgraduate Conference held at King's College, University of London. It was an honour to have this opportunity to engage with fellow scholars and address the important topic of the leadership-peace nexus in Africa from the perspective of a Scholar-Politician.
Throughout my presentation, I focused on demystifying leadership in the African governance experience and exploring the role of leadership in fostering a just and sustainable peace. I also delved into the relationship between democracy, leadership, and peace in Africa, as well as the crucial role of regional organisations such as the African Union and ECOWAS in peacebuilding. Lastly, I shared my personal journey of transitioning from academia to politics as a scholar-politician, offering insights from my insider experience.
This topic holds great significance to me, as it has shaped my own journey and deepened my understanding of the challenges our societies face. I firmly believe that leadership plays a crucial role in matters of peace, security, and stability. However, it is not enough to engage in theoretical discussions alone; we must also focus on practical implementation. Drawing from my personal experience, I highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between academia, activism, and politics, and leveraging insider knowledge to drive positive change.
My full presentation can be found in the attached document.
Sub National Governance in Nigeria - The Ekiti Example - Copy.docxKayode Fayemi
I had the honour of delivering the Founders’ Day Lecture titled “Sub-National Governance in Nigeria: The Ekiti Example” at the Western Delta University in Delta State.
Reflecting on my experience of governing at the sub-national level, having left office just six months ago, this event provided an opportunity to address the challenge of management at all levels in Nigeria.
There are many assumptions about what happens in the states and local governments, even in academic environments. Although people in government may appear omniscient from the outside, they often feel stretched beyond breaking point by the weight of expectations and the sheer complexity of meeting them.
During election campaigns, contestants often make grandiose claims about their vision and ability to solve problems. However, once in office, they realize that governing involves finding real solutions to real problems that affect real people. Good intentions are not enough, and people demand results with the urgency of now.
The Role of Youths in Electoral Processes: An Appraisal of the Nigerian 2015 ...inventionjournals
Youths represent a significant proportion of the Nigerian Population, but in spite of this, their level of political participation and representation in the electoral process in the past has been very poor and often times undermined; being largely noticed at the level of electoral malpractices, voting irregularities and covert or overtthuggery in support of political office seekers who paradoxically have dominated the political arena to the point of total exclusion of the youths, yet all groups (youths inclusive) seek to influence dispensation of power. The research therefore sets out to analytically x-ray the issues and challenges that confronted youths in previous general elections viz a viz the tremendous effort made by youths in making the 2015 general elections a success, by particularly the use of social media as a propaganda machine and the dogged attitude displayed in the course of retrieving permanent voters card which is unparrarelled and unprecedented. The research implores the use of vivid descriptive scenarios to make sound and logical arguments on the plight and strive of youth in forestalling equity and fair play in our electoral process and also on the strides recorded thereof. Using variables such as lack of proper electoral education and sensitization in the past, religious, regional and sectional divide, poverty, deprivation, thuggery, social media, permanent voters card and so forth, the researchers conclude that youths have in the past been largely responsible for scuttling elections but were however instrumental to the success of the 2015 general elections. It therefore recommends amongst other things that, it is imperative to develop and enhance the capability of youths in the electoral process by creating a robust orientation programme and also engaging them to become financially and morally equip, so as to drastically reduce if not totally eradicate arm-twisting or manipulation of youths in the society.
Productivity for Sustainable Entrepreneurship and EmploymentKayode Fayemi
Being the Keynote Address by
H.E. Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
Minister of Mines and Steel Development
Federal Republic of Nigeria
at the Annual Lecture of the
16th National Productivity Day organized by
THE NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE
STATE OF THE SOLID MINERALS SECTOR AND WAY FORWARDKayode Fayemi
STATE OF THE SOLID MINERALS SECTOR AND WAY FORWARD
Presented by
Dr. ‘Kayode Fayemi, CON
Minister of Solid Minerals Development
at the Inaugural Media Briefing of the Ministry
on Monday, December 21, 2015
LEADERSHIP FACTORS AND GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: KEY TO NATIONAL GROWTH AND ...Kayode Fayemi
Paper by His Excellency
J. ’Kayode FAYEMI
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria
at the 2015 Edition of the
Akintola Williams Distinguished Lecture Series
Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, Nigeria
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Intellectuals In Politics And Governance In Africa: The Lessons And Legacies ...Kayode Fayemi
the text of the paper by His Excellency
Dr. John Kayode Fayemi
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria
At the 3rd Annual John Atta Mills Memorial Lecture
Accra, Ghana
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
19 Ekiti State House of Assembly Members Letter Kayode Fayemi
19 APC members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly writes the Minister of Finance, Body of Attorney generals and Minister of Works denouncing the appointment of Commissioner for works, Commissioner for finance and Commissioner for justice in the state.
As the last child in the Fayemi household, my arrival was heralded with song and dance. Although my birth elicited genuine excitement on the part of my siblings, it was for my mother a cautious welcome. My mother’s caution was understandable having lost a boy and two girls in quick succession before my arrival.
Improving profitability for small businessBen Wann
In this comprehensive presentation, we will explore strategies and practical tips for enhancing profitability in small businesses. Tailored to meet the unique challenges faced by small enterprises, this session covers various aspects that directly impact the bottom line. Attendees will learn how to optimize operational efficiency, manage expenses, and increase revenue through innovative marketing and customer engagement techniques.
Putting the SPARK into Virtual Training.pptxCynthia Clay
This 60-minute webinar, sponsored by Adobe, was delivered for the Training Mag Network. It explored the five elements of SPARK: Storytelling, Purpose, Action, Relationships, and Kudos. Knowing how to tell a well-structured story is key to building long-term memory. Stating a clear purpose that doesn't take away from the discovery learning process is critical. Ensuring that people move from theory to practical application is imperative. Creating strong social learning is the key to commitment and engagement. Validating and affirming participants' comments is the way to create a positive learning environment.
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[Note: This is a partial preview. To download this presentation, visit:
https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg/training-presentations]
Sustainability has become an increasingly critical topic as the world recognizes the need to protect our planet and its resources for future generations. Sustainability means meeting our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It involves long-term planning and consideration of the consequences of our actions. The goal is to create strategies that ensure the long-term viability of People, Planet, and Profit.
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2. Explore the sustainability implementation model, focusing on effective measures and reporting strategies to track and communicate sustainability efforts.
3. Identify and define best practices and critical success factors essential for achieving sustainability goals within organizations.
CONTENTS
1. Introduction and Key Concepts of Sustainability
2. Principles and Practices of Sustainability
3. Measures and Reporting in Sustainability
4. Sustainability Implementation & Best Practices
To download the complete presentation, visit: https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg/training-presentations
Kseniya Leshchenko: Shared development support service model as the way to ma...Lviv Startup Club
Kseniya Leshchenko: Shared development support service model as the way to make small projects with small budgets profitable for the company (UA)
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1. Text of the Address
THE CHALLENGE OF RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP:
HOW CAN A SUCCESSOR-GENERATION DO BETTER?
Dr. KayodeFAYEMI
Governor
Ekiti State, Nigeria
At the
THE FUTURE AWARDS SYMPOSIUM FOR YOUNG AND EMERGING
LEADERS
Monday, March 19, 2012
_________________________________________________
PROTOCOLS & INTRODUCTION
Let me express profound gratitude for the privilege of being asked
to speak at this year‟s Future Award‟s Symposium for Young and
Emerging Leaders. As an abiding sceptic of flagellating awards, especially
awards that were not based on any clearly articulated, independently
verifiable scientific grounds – the type that has become so commonplace
in Nigeria, I found The Future Awards a rare exception and I have been a
long-standing admirer of its celebration of young achievers in various
spheres over the years because of its rigour that accompanies its search
and recognition of individual talent. Yet while individual talent is a major
pre-requisite in the moulding of leaders, I am even more excited that The
Future Awards has now decided to deepen its engagement of the next
generation of leaders in a number of ways beyond the recognition of the
2. heroic individual - influencing national leadership outcomes;
determining leadership needs for national development and creating a
networking platform to drive leadership projects.
The organisers asked me to offer a perspective from the inside on how to
stand out from the crowd - particularly in the moulding of a successor-
generation. Knowing that you are mostly cynical about those on the
„inside‟ and my interaction with some of you show that you are extremely
disappointed about the turn of events in our country, I guess I am
already at a disadvantage trying to convince you about the relationship
between power and leadership. So, what I am going to speak to are
essentially the reflections of an accidental politician – in the hope that
the emergent inter-generational dialogue may produce tangible
outcomes, particularly in the making of new leaders and the building of a
successor generation. Politics, if you believe the word on the street, is a
dirty game. And many people always ask politicians the same question:
Why, with all the opportunities in this world that could perhaps earn one
considerable social, financial and personal security, would anyone want
to go into something like politics, particularly in a setting as dangerous as
Nigeria? Politicians are often seen to be janus-faced – on the one hand,
charismatic, visionary, fascinating and sophisticated, and on the other,
repulsive, cynical, calculating, venal and opportunistic. My own interest
is really not to indulge in any deep philosophical or academic arguments
about these claims today, many of which you are familiar with but to
simply explore – based on my limited experience, the possibilities of
harmony in this pseudo-dichotomy – to explain that this pattern of
categorizing people is at best a luxury, and at worst irrelevant in our own
setting. Indeed, my own experience and my fundamental thesis in this
presentation is that where the younger generation is not political, there
3. can be no public service and the State runs the risk of decay and
illegitimacy.
Any casual observer of political developments in our nation come‟s
away with the erroneous impression that succession to leadership in
public office is a matter of “divine rights of kings” or what is known in
local parlance as “God-fatherism”. The quest by older generation
politicians to capture and hold on to the reins of power continues to exert
a debilitating influence on the political development and democratic
progression of our nation. Stemming from the prevailing background of
widespread poverty and underdevelopment, the control of political
power is frequently seen as a guarantee of access to the national cake,
with the gladiators willing to do virtually anything to capture and retain
power. This prevailing theatre of the absurd has greatly impaired our
nation's journey to national greatness.
It is instructive to note here that where there is no deliberate and
carefully planned succession process in political leadership, there can be
no hope for sustained development. The Singaporean experience
provides us a good example. Singapore's systematic and painstakingly
planned political succession sharply contrasts with succession in most
new democracies. Singapore's search to find a small group of potential
successors from a small "catchment area" had begun in the late 1960s
when Lee was still in his forties and picked up a sense of urgency after
the sudden death in 1983 of one of his closest cabinet colleagues, Finance
Minister, Hon Sui Sen. In 1980, Lee had publicly identified a team of
young Peoples' Action Party (PAP) rising stars who were to form the
nucleus of second generation successors. These individuals were tried in
office, given a bewildering array of tasks and promoted or discarded as
4. deemed appropriate. Gradually and cautiously - so as to reconfirm
investors in Singapore's economic miracle - the second generation was
given more responsibility. Recent elections in Europe and America have
also proved the importance of a successor generation deliberately taken
through the crucible of political training in their 20s and 30s and fully
ready to take over the reins of power in their early forties. What has
made this possible in countries where a leadership cadre has been
consciously groomed is a commitment to education and training –
formal and informal and sustained, time-tested mentoring schemes for
leaders in politics, private sector and the public service. The subversion
and collapse of public institutions in Nigeria, particularly the University
system under military rule over the last two decades has resulted in state
desertion by those who ought to have been groomed for such leadership
positions thus rendering leadership positions the sole arena for the
highest bidder no matter how ill-prepared and integrity deficient. I see
myself as a product of the tutelage available in the 1970s and 1980s.
Although the challenge of reforming the State has become
fundamentally structural and institutional, the issue of leadership –
particularly how we conceptualise leadership is central to it. For too
long, our political culture has perpetuated the myth that only heroic,
strong and charismatic leaders can bring about change single-handedly –
rather than convert the formal authority derived from legitimate electoral
mandate into a process of democratic renewal. In my own view, the only
way to stand out is to ensure that real leadership is values-driven and
ought to involve motivating people to solve problems within their own
communities, rather than reinforcing the over-lordship of the state on
citizens. We need to (re)build as well as strengthen public and private
institutions that can mediate between individual and group interests,
5. between human and peoples‟ rights and dismantle the physical
architecture and psychological infrastructures of oppression in our
country.
Sadly, the authoritarian residues of politics over the last decade
have however achieved the purpose of turning many away from politics
even if they want to be active in their neighbourhood associations and
their community projects. The main challenge of the political leadership
therefore is to reconnect democratic choices with people‟s day-to-day
experience and to extend democratic principles to everyday situations in
citizens‟ communities and constituencies. Understandably, if you make
political discourse more negative as it is often done in Nigeria – you
deliberately turn young people particularly off politics; they grow cynical
and stop paying any serious attention to politics. This experience is not
unique to us in Nigeria; in fact it is the crisis that democracy is
experiencing all over the world, with low turn out at the polls and scant
regard for political leaders. Yet, if we as citizens choose not to play a part
in the process of developing our communities and our country, we will
get the politicians we deserve, allow the hijack of the political realm by
special interests and ethnic jingoists who are only keen to promote their
narrow agendas. As Barack Obama memorably put it, “Change will not
come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the
ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. And the
time is now.” The essential point therefore is that leadership must not
only demonstrate a vision of transformation, rather than transaction,
show the courage of conviction and promote values that are enduring and
replicable over the long-term. Such leadership must not be fickle,
opportunistic or ready to compromise at the slightest whiff of
intimidation or harassment and demonstrate the capacity to inspire and
6. innovate. Above all, it must be ready to consciously develop a successor
generation that can take over the mantle of leadership rather than re-
cycle tired hands whose capacity to mentor or inspire remains suspect
and hardly endearing to the young and the restless.
It is for this reason that those of us interested in re-drawing the map
of Nigeria‟s future must return to more solid grounds rather than tie
ourselves to the apron strings of power-holders that neither have a track
record nor demonstrate a vision that they are better than what we can
offer our people. This solid ground must be within a larger movement
though, one that accommodates the place of political institutions and not
simply the celebration of astute individuals as the ultimate panacea to
our crisis of governance. The most practical way to link individual choice
to collective responsibility is to participate in the institutions that
influence our lives. We must ensure that formal and informal institutions
are democratised and given more responsibilities for exercising state
power. To do it well, we have to see Nigeria as a permanent social
enterprise that has to be fought over and restructured in order to provide
cover for all Nigerians – young and old.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, this is why I see the debate
about whether young people like many of us in this room should become
politicians superfluous. Important as they are, the institutions of direct
state power and electoralism are just the tip of the iceberg in the
democratisation complex. Indeed, genuine democracy ought to rest on a
much richer ecology of associational and organisational life and should
be nourished and reproduced through every-day struggles of the citizens.
Operating in the practical field of politics, I have come to realise that
when we broadly define this everyday struggles as simply the handiwork
7. of „politicians‟ or even more narrowly the work of „civil society activists‟,
we strip them bare of spontaneity and deeper meaning and romanticise
politics as though it is a rationally ordered, codified and all-knowing
process and overplay our abilities as politicians to counter the inherent
inequities of societies. This is why perhaps the issue should not be one of
transition from activism to politics, but the extent to which we are able to
achieve citizen participation in our democracy. Yet while politics may
have lost its edge - suffering a decline, apathy or disinterest, it is also
true to say activism, even though on the rise in the form of single issue
campaigns like the Anti Fuel Subsidy Removal or Enough is Enough
campaign, such popular campaigns still suffer from a crisis of
exaggerated expectations. The reason for these crises of exaggerated
expectation that barricade activism suffer is not far fetched. The truth is
that as long as we live in the world of sovereign states, we exaggerate the
ability of the individual, even the most astute politician among us to
stand up to the power of the nation-state or the mega corporations on his
own steam.
This is why I want us to really focus more on the making of leaders
and citizens in a good society because without direct citizen participation,
the legitimacy of our political institutions will continue to decline. It is
for this reason that I strongly believe that political leaders – be they
politicians or young activists - should worry because their ability to lead
effectively is being seriously undermined by the desertion of average
citizens from the public space, deepening the crisis of legitimacy in our
State. Yet, this lack of legitimacy cuts both ways. When we the people
withdraw our trust in leaders or discountenance politicians, we make our
democratic institutions less effective and risk making ourselves
ungovernable.
8. Yet, young activists, social entrepreneurs and progressive politicians
must not only reject the false debate between Activism versus Politics, we
must also insist that it is not only narrow human rights that matter and
contend that economic and social rights are also human rights and social
justice questions matter as much. This is important for many of our
youngsters who take an instrumentalist view of democratic struggle and
focus more on the existential issues of immediate survival. There is no
doubt that a young person in a state of deprivation draws a direct but
tenuous correlation between his personal deprivation and state decay. In
situations where the linkage is effectively drawn, the response is often a
call to arms for radical change rather than reconstituting the state on the
pivot of democratic governance to serve the interests of the broader
citizenry – and this is why young people are often quick to agitate for
equivalents of „Arab springs as a response to bad governance in Nigeria.
For the state to be worthy of preservation and protection therefore,
it must be a State which provides with sensitivity to its citizens‟ needs
with the same level of care that companies must show to their customers
if they are to stay afloat; not today‟s structures of command and
corruption, where the developmental role is clothed as the personal
benevolence of the President or the Governor. Citizens must feel and
actually be empowered to have oversight of their own state agencies and
functions, and be given local input and control in a genuine and open,
not tokenistic and patronage-based, manner. That‟s what informed our
citizens‟ based budget in EkitiState this year. It is also what informed our
domestication of the Freedom of Information Law as well as our Gender
Based Violence Probition Law. Giving communities a role in their own
development is the essential part of dismantling the command mentality
9. which plagues our country today and the most attractive tool for enlisting
disinterested citizens in the political arena.
I am therefore not sure that the solution to the current deficit that
our democracy is experiencing can be solved with posing the young in
binary opposition to adulthood or politics in opposition to activism but to
locate the social construction of youth as part of adulthood and recognise
the importance of deliberate, organic and planned succession therein.
For autonomous institutions to play a different role in mediating citizens‟
democratic choices, their organic development must be combined in a
more nuanced manner and a more systematic way with the use of public
and state power. In my view, our young people should stop agonising
about the problems of the NigerianState which will not disappear in a
hurry and begin to organise in a manner that places citizens as drivers of
change in our quest to restore values-driven leadership and a future of
hope and possibilities for our people.
This is why I am in politics. It is my belief that a committed
leadership must help provide the roadmap that will give our people
control over their own destinies and lives. It is the belief that public office
is too serious to be entrusted in the hands of charlatans – old or young -
and that when serious people turn away from politics, the field is left
wide open to those who have nothing to offer in terms of values and
character other than crass opportunism and damage to the people‟s well
being. We must – politicians, social entrepreneurs and young activists
alike - be determined to ensure that the State empowers rather than
dictate, enables rather than control, pushes power down to the people
and shares the responsibility of governing with them rather than turn
them to supplicants at the table of the masters daily wracked by their
own inferiority complex. Unfortunately, today‟s politics is characterised
10. more by so-called leaders who would rather turn young people into
permanent supplicants serving their illicit agenda, not mentors
interested in the making of a successor-generation.
The Need for a Collective Rescue Mission.
Having spent the last few years in partisan politics and participating
in grassroots organising, my belief in the need to take politics beyond
political parties is even more reinforced. The immediate challenge for all
of us is to concentrate on how to rescue our people from bad governance.
Unless the critical mass of our people cutting across age, gender, zones
and party political affiliations adopt the same positions, with a more
clearly defined collective agenda, the current approach to solving our
problem will not suffice. There is an urgent need to build coalitions and
permanent platform in the public sphere that is beyond party and
personalities, but all embracing enough to accommodate those who
subscribe to the core values of character, competence, compassion,
integrity, honesty and dedication to transformation in Nigeria. We must
move away from the cult of building individual stars which devalue
communities and undermines the distributed leadership that make
things run.
This all-embracing platform could address a variety of issues, but
none is more urgent today than the question of restoring faith in the
democratic process by making the votes of the people count and
developing an accountable and transparent governance process. Almost
everyone is fed up with the quality of governance in our country. The
impression that those who govern Nigeria – whether at the State,
National Assembly or Federal executive level – are mediocre – is
11. widespread and many trace the roots of bad governance to the lack of
accountability to the citizens on the part of such elected leaders. But the
task of such an all-embracing platform must not be limited to reforming
the institutional framework of governance alone. It must also focus on
Conduct in Public Life; The Constitution and the Legal Framework of the
Federal State; Human Rights, Militarism and Civil Violence; Public
Sector Management, Transparency and Accountability, viable human
capital development agenda as well as visible economic progress for the
ordinary citizens. This is not an exhaustive list, but it certainly provides
civil rights activists and progressive politicians with a template for
democratic renewal. I see a major role for our young people and the
“senior youths” in championing this all important cause.
Ladies and Gentlemen, based on my own trajectory and experience
from direct anti-establishment confrontation at the barricades as a young
Students union activist and a pro-democracy subaltern through civic
engagement with political actors and public officials to my current
partisan political involvement, I am convinced that through a carefully
and consciously developed formal and informal leadership development
schemes, we can build a pool of young Nigerians who are committed to
social transformation and genuinely want to work for change. This is why
we must not hesitate to criticise those who have enjoyed the privileges of
the Nigerian state as youngsters, even cynically promoting so-called
„new-breed politicians‟ in the process - only to turn around and deride
young people‟s lack of experience and inability to lead. I am glad that this
dismissive statement by a former military ruler has gingered many
youngsters out of their self-imposed lethargy to embrace the place of
politics in the transformation of Nigeria. Let us now translate this into
concrete power given the opportunities that abound among the youth.
12. Herein lies my hope about the future. This hope is certainly not
bleary eyed optimism. It is not even the optimism that the crisis of
governance in our land will simply go away because we all know that this
country is tottering on the brink. I am talking about the hope of our
founding fathers in the struggle for independence and freedom and their
unshaken belief in our inalienable right to rule ourselves. It is the hope
that led us to resist the military oppression in our land because of our
belief that another Nigeria was possible – one that will be accountable to
its citizens, legitimate in their eyes, transparent and respected around the
world; the hope that allows us to hold our heads high, proud of our
accomplishments and contributions to humankind; the hope that the
time for change is now.
I believe we can revive the Nigerian State in a qualitative manner
and make democracy more meaningful to our people, provide jobs for the
jobless, improve healthcare, modernise agriculture and reclaim our
young people from a future of violence, decadence and despair by linking
social enterprise, youth activism to politics and not drawing artificial
divisions in our promotion of values-driven leadership. Renewing our
democracy through the strengthening of institutions and public
participation increases our collective capacity to tackle the major
problems facing our society – with a corresponding achievement of
individual contentment even as we pursue the common good. We need
leaders who have a clear vision of the future, who see character as
destiny, who advocate values-driven reorientation, who are committed
about transformation, who are compassionate about changing the
decrepit plight of our people, who act with integrity and ethics, who
create an entrepreneurial mindset and capabilities in followers, who see
leadership as service and responsibility, who are in a hurry to make a
13. difference and who are not content with mediocrity. That is what I have
been doing in the dedicated quest to make poverty history in EkitiState.
Many of the young leaders in this room fit the bill but remember my
earlier quote from Barack Obama, „Change will not come if we wait for
some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been
waiting for. We are the change that we seek. And the time is now’. It is
the only way to consolidate this civilian rule and not suffer dire reversals
as we perch on this very dangerous precipice.
Thank you very much for listening.
Dr. Kayode FAYEMI
Monday, March 19, 2012