Nigerians must unite to develop country —US envoy

THE US ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, on Saturday, said Nigerians constitute the main asset to launch the country to greatness and not natural resources such as oil and natural gas.

The envoy made the remarks while addressing the eminent persons at the maiden Abiola Ajimobi Roundtable with the theme: The Imperatives of Building Institutions for Lasting Legacies,  organised as part of the activities marking the 69th birthday of the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi in Ibadan.

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Ajimobi also used the occasion to explain the reasons behind many of his policy decisions, especially the controversies that arose over  the state government’s intervention in the Ibadan traditional institution.

The US envoy, who addressed the gathering through an amplified electronic device, noted that oil and land were not the important asset of the country but the people themselves.

“How the people of Nigeria, working together to transform and strengthen institutions from inside out is the only way for creating trust that will ensure development, trust for people to take their hard earned capital and their very lives and invest in the country because they will be welcomed and well treated,” he said.

According to the ambassador, institutions don’t have memories and reputations, it is the leaders that drive them.

He said it was time for the people of Oyo State, Nigeria, development partners and business associates to shift attention from sustainable development to profitable development because without profit, development cannot be sustained.

Other eminent personalities, notable politicians and scholars, who spoke at the event, agreed on the need for Nigeria to move away from building strong individuals to building strong institutions as a means of achieving sustainable national development.

They all also affirmed that while strong individuals were necessary for visionary leadership, it was only strong institutions that could enhance proactive leadership, good governance, effectiveness of the rule of law and inclusiveness of the citizenry.

In his contribution to the topic, Gowon identified the civil service as one of the key institutions that any government must strengthen, noting that “protecting the integrity, confidentiality and impartiality of civil servants would enable them to give political leaders the right pieces of advice.

Governor Ajimobi while speaking at the event said all his actions and policies as governor for close to eight years were guided by intellectualism, the fear of God, courage, knowledge, determination to succeed and the need for human capital development.

He avowed that posterity would judge him right in his decision to review the Olubadan Chieftaincy declaration, pointing out that all Ibadan elders and traditional rulers actually supported the review.

Ajimobi said he, however, was not unaware that some of his policies were met with some opposition.

“There is no Ibadan elder that didn’t support the Olubadan chieftaincy review that we did, but they will not come out openly to say it because they are elders. The beauty of it is that they are all accomplished men.

“Similarly, there is none of the current Obas that did not support that review. We didn’t do it alone, but there will always be opposition to anything we do. But I take solace in the fact that the Obaship review is an innovation we require. I also take solace in the saying that the innovations of today are the traditions of tomorrow.

“There is no Yoruba town where they don’t have many Obas. Posterity will judge us right. I believe we have done what is right, he state, declaring that he had begun his 164 days countdown to leaving office, and would move out of government house by March next year.

On his choice of Mr Adebayo Adelabu as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajimobi rubbished notions that former governor of Lagos State, Senator Tinubu, imposed Adelabu on him.

He maintained that Tinubu never interfered with governance in Oyo State and his decisions as governor.

Ajimobi again avowed that he had chosen a good successor in Adelabu.

“Since I have had relationship with Asiwaju, he has never interfered with what we do in Oyo state. When we approach him and Baba Bisi Akande for advice, they urge us to do what we want to do. Besides who can tell me they have a better candidate than Adelabu. Isn’t it even better for Asiwaju who has succeeded in producing good successors in Lagos to choose for us in Oyo state? No leader is successful until he has chosen a good successor and we have chosen a good successor in Adelabu,” Ajimobi added.

While expressing gratitude to the guests, Ajimobi gave reasons for the roundtable. According to him, “all developments are sustained by visions, intellectualism, principle and the courage we need to implement what we have envisioned. We started this roundtable because we believe no social or physical development can be achieved without intellectual and human capital development.

The governor added “no leader is successful until he has chosen a worthy successor; all actions that I have taken were guided by God and the determination to make a difference. When we came, we saw broken bricks but we are leaving Oyo State with marbles.”

Reacting to his purported influence in Adelabu becoming the candidate of the APC, Tinubu said considering Adelabu’s antecedents in the private sector, he was not annoyed that he was being linked with the selection.

For Tinubu, while institutions are important, a leader cannot be deemed to have succeeded, no matter how much he has achieved infrastructural renewal and other areas of development until he developed people who could succeed him and nurture the institution that he had built.

He said: “We have seen infrastructural renewal across the state; we have seen demolitions, emotions, expressions, reforms of traditional institutions. You have proved that you don’t lack courage but you can be successful as a leader not only in terms of bricks and mortals but how many other leaders you have developed who can succeed you and build on your legacies; otherwise, as you leave, the empire crumbles; the institutions you have built will go into ruins.”

Tinubu declared Ajimobi as a leader who demonstrated the rare combination of thinking and doing, adding that he had exhibited the quality of a good leader who had the courage of not only taking actions but being ready to face the consequences of his actions.

While agreeing on the need to build strong institutions, Akande however warned against what he called the growing institution of bullies who, he said, derived satisfaction in benefitting from the public purse without providing the commensurate value.

He noted “regardless of your profession, if you take money for the job you have not done, you are a third. In other countries, when people go on strike, they do not take salary for the period. All you leaders who allow people to steal from public purse should henceforth watch it.

In his own submission, Aregbesola recalled that one of the reasons why a former US President, Barack Obama shunned Nigeria and chose to visit Ghana during his visit to Africa was due to the lack of will by our leaders at the time to support the growth of institutions.

“During that visit, Obama observed that African leaders should look at building institutions and not individuals. And for me also, even though we need strong, thoughtful, resilient, idealistic and iconic people to look up to as pace setters, but Africa can only be great if we shift our focus to building institutions which will outlive these individuals,” he said.

In his own submission, the Senate Leader said strong institutions were created and nurtured by strong men; leaders of vision and integrity who were focused, noting that after Tinubu had created strong institutions in Lagos State, he made sure that strong and competent leaders succeeded him to make the institutions sustainable.

“We also have such a leader in Governor Ajimobi. He came with a vision; he had courage and competence; he believes in probity and that is why Oyo State has had a smooth primary; the governor is more interested in people who can sustain his institutional reforms and other legacies and not in his own personal preferences,” he said.

Speaking about the governor, Oba Adeyemi noted “Ajimobi is the 20th governor that I have worked with. I have worked intimately as a son and as governor. If you are brilliant, truthful and hardworking, he will work with you. He runs an inclusive government but you can only get something from him if you key into his vision of RTR, meaning reformation, transformation and repositioning.”

During the panel discussion that was moderated by Prof. I. A. Adeyemi, the discussants including Prof. Tunji Olaopa, a retired federal permanent secretary and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. (Mrs.) Oluyemisi Bamgbose, also harped on the need for building institutions that would ensure sustainable development.

Other eminent personalities at the roundtable included a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu and wife of Oyo State governor, Dr (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi.

The list also included the former Interim national chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, former Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and an industrialist, Chief Kola Daisi, among others.