Opinions

Saraki: Harnessing private, public sector skills for governance

A former ogvernor of Kwara State and leading Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant in the forthcoming election, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, is seen not to rest on his oars to sail through his ambition of becoming President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor against all odds. Saraki, a relatively young political colossus, according to Nigeria’s political lexicon, has the capacity and experience needed to lead a country that is diverse in culture, language, and beliefs.

Smart, intelligent, and cerebral as he is, Saraki retrospectively in 2015 won the Presidency of the Senate election on the basis of competence and ability to negotiate, lobby, and canvass for support from his friends in the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus to ally themselves with Senators of the PDP. The PDP Senators were able to turn their votes in favour of Saraki, who had refused to raise a finger against the popular choice of Ike Ekweremadu as Senate Deputy President.

The process was conducted in a free, fair, transparent and credible manner which subsequently gave him the strength and enablement of performing his legislative duties in the full stretch of his tenure as the number three citizen of Nigeria. This was an uncommon feat in the annals of Nigeria’s political history. Nigeria truly needs a well-rounded leader like this that has excellent persuasive skills, the capacity to break barriers, unlock opportunities, and sees obstacles as stepping stones to greatness.

Saraki as former governor of Kwara State succeeded in reforming the civil service, reducing corruption, and improving state infrastructure. His payroll-system reforms removed many fiscal flaws from the system and applied principles he learned in the corporate world to the public sector reform effort. He brought back expatriates to improve the agricultural system, yielding an increase in food production, capacity building, and a boost in internal revenue generation. He also touched on the difficulties in working with a federal government that sometimes undermined reform efforts.

Saraki, an astute politician, in a parley with some friends and media executives on May 12, 2022, said: “It is no longer news that I am in the race for the PDP’s ticket to contest for the Office of the President. But I have decided to convene this session to let you know why I am in the race.

“For all that we have experienced in the last couple of years, the 2023 Presidential election looms large as another watershed moment in our political history. We must all acknowledge that some things have happened in this country in the last couple of years that no one could have imagined possible only less than a decade ago.

“2023, therefore, presents us with a great moment of decision: the moment to choose hope over hopelessness; the moment to choose peace and security over fear and terror; the moment to choose unity and inclusion over division and exclusion; the moment that we draw a bold line in the sands of history and say, “no more,” and then move ahead as one people, as one nation, towards our God-assigned destiny as the greatest black nation on the face of the earth.”

He also said: “We all have reasons to be worried about the future of this country. But this is not the time to surrender and wallow in despair. Rather, this is the moment, when all patriots and citizens of goodwill must show courage, rise above those lines of divisions that have kept us apart over the years, and ask this very important question: “where do we go from here?”

“I do not have grass to grace story to tell. Some may even consider me privileged. But I never take my privileges for granted. I learned as a young boy growing up under the watchful guidance of a father who loved this country so dearly that to whom much is given, much is expected. Therefore, I can say that even the privileges of my childhood were easily matched by a dominant culture of giving, created by a father whose politics was defined by a deep commitment to helping and uplifting others. I learned from him that life is truly worth living only when it is lived in the service of something that is bigger than yourself.

According to him, “I decided to become a doctor because of this ingrained desire to help and to serve others. And when in 1999, I joined the government as Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo, I became even more acutely aware of the limitless possibilities for service through government; and of how political power in the hands of a committed, competent and courageous leadership can solve real problems and uplift the destiny of a nation and her people. It was this same realization that motivated me to contest and win the election as the Governor of Kwara State in 2003.

“Even back then, many did not give me a chance to succeed. They thought I was too young and too much of a political neophyte to make an impact. “He is from the private sector and privileged,” they said. “So how would he understand what the poor people in the state want or what they are going through?” But I believe I proved them wrong in the end. Armed with a deep passion to serve, and to make a difference, I did my best to impact lives and leave a lasting legacy.

“I did not solve all the problems, but in eight years I left Kwara State better than I met it. We were able to confront old problems with new and innovative solutions. We implemented bold education reforms that brought children back to school and improved the quality of teaching across the state. We established a State University and the International Aviation College to create jobs and expand access to higher education.

“We rolled back malaria, we defeated polio, and we introduced the first community health insurance in the country that brought thousands of rural poor under insurance coverage. We opened our state to commercial aviation and built road and housing infrastructure. We ensured value-for-money in government expenditure and became the first sub-national government in Nigeria to submit itself to a Fitch Rating, which returned with a national long-term rating of AA-.

“As a Senator, I was able to rise above ruinous partisanship and challenged the massive scam perpetrated under the cover of fuel subsidy. As Senate President, I defended the integrity of the National Assembly, sometimes, at great personal cost.

And even in the face of daunting challenges and conspiracies, we passed important legislation to make legitimate business easier in our country, and to support enterprise.

“We developed a 21-point Economic Agenda and designed a new security architecture that if fully implemented would have left us in a different place in our fight against terror. We promoted youth participation in politics and passed the law to lower the entry barrier for young people. We did so much more.”

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