Great leaders are mostly products of times of great crisis. These leaders often come into public glare when the society is overwhelmed with crisis of gargantuan proportions and are in need of someone adept at providing solutions to the crisis.
Leadership and creativity are two of the most powerful forces on earth. Together they have directed the course of history and are still directing the course of history.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was such a leader. He was an obscured soldier from Corsica, who took a bankrupt and war-devastated France to defeat the most powerful nations on earth, dominating Europe during that time
By august 2, 1934, Germany became the weakest and most impoverished nation in Europe. More than 50% of the populations were poor and unemployed; the German currency fell to a value of several trillion to the Dollars.
The German national debt was many times their GDP and growing exponentially, gangsters ruled cities and Germany had a very weak military.
Through purposely leadership, within the space of 4 years 1934-1938, employment was raised to 100%, the debt stock was paid off, the budget was balanced, and the military was strengthened to become one of the strongest and most powerful in the world.
This 4 years turnaround made Winston Churchill to remark that had Adolf Hitler died in 1938, he would have been considered one of the greatest leaders the world has ever had.
Thomas Sankara rose to power in Burkina Faso between 1983-1987. Within that 4 year period, his administration built 350 schools, constructed roads, built railways, all the while refusing foreign aids and foreign loans.
Thomas Sankara didn’t stop there. He increased the literacy rate by 60%, banned forced marriages, gave poor people lands, vaccinated 2.5 million kids, appointed women to high government positions, sold off government fleet of Mercedes cars and many more.
Crisis has always been the cocoon of the greats.
Adamawa state has a poverty rate incidence of 75%. To put this in perspective, out of every 4 people in Adamawa state, 3 persons are living below the poverty line
Our fiscal performance has been dramatically poor-33rd out of 36 states and the FCT. Our GDP growth hasn’t fared any better, 32nd out of 36 states and the FCT.
We are the 15th most indebted state in Nigeria with a combined domestic and foreign debts stock approaching 400 Billion Naira.
These are visible developmental challenges that have metamorphosed into severe economic insecurity and extreme poverty needing a leader with vision to tackle them with aplomb and dexterity.
I have worn out the need for a plan of action well articulated. How does a man begin the building of a house? He first secures a plan of the proposed edifice and then proceeds to building according to the plan, scrupulously following in every detail, beginning with the foundation.
This is very pertinent. Should he neglect the plan or start building without a plan well articulated, his labor would be wasted and his building, should it reach completion without tumbling to pieces would be insecure and worthless.
We must always deal in first principles or fundamentals because good reasoning, it has been said, begins with fundamentals.
I am of the view that Adamawa’s economy between 2007 up till now is testament to how failure to articulate a plan of governance could portend grave consequences to millions of citizens-in this case, 2.45 million people living in extreme poverty, hunger, and deprivation.
I hope you are getting a handle about my fascination with Dr Ardo’s “Coming To The Rescue” manifesto where he articulated his vision and mission for Adamawa State on how to conquer hunger, disease, illiteracy/ignorance, and unemployment.
What excites me most was when he started by saying he’s going to adopt Gridcode as state addressing scheme where every inch of land in the state is measured, calculated, and given a code address. He also advocated for a biometric automation process for all citizens of the state.
In terms of security and enhancing proper planning, the importance of Dr. Ardo’s starting point can never be overemphasized. This system has proven to be efficient and effective in voice tracking, finger print and body size analysis. These are sophisticated technologies used in tracking all forms of crimes in advance societies.
Nothing helps in deterring crime and criminals such as the knowledge that they will be caught for crimes they commit. Investment and development are intricately tied to security.
Dr. Ardo’s initiative for the establishment of a large State sponsored Public-Private-Partnership-Driven Mechanized Commercial Framing is another significant aspect of his plans that I was fascinated with. Adamawa State has a comparative advantage in agriculture.
Ardo’s plan for agriculture includes the establishment of two government agencies- Economic Trees Promotion, Development, & Protection Authority, and Agricultural, Industrial, Economic Tress, & Solid Minerals Revenue Derivation Agency.
With the kind of agricultural resources available to us, we should be competing in terms of GDP and IGR with the top ten states in Nigeria, maybe not quite on their scale, but certainly on the progressive patterns.
On human capital development, what I consider as the engine oil that lubricates the wheels of growth and development, Dr Ardo went big on skills, knowledge, and ideas acquisition that drives innovation, productivity improvements, and growth development.
Most of the plans Dr. Umar Ardo has articulated are issues that aggregate sound economic growth and development. It is people-oriented and fosters progress. That successive governments haven’t dedicated focus on agro-processing industries is at the heart of our dismal economic outlook.
It is worth noting here that lack of proper planning and preparations by leaders always leads them to operate at a shallow level, as has often been said ‘failure to plan is planning to fail’.
Dr. Umar Ardo isn’t the only candidate vying for the number one seat in Adamawa state. We have HE Rt. Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the PDP (the incumbent), HE Senator Jibrilla Mohammed Bindow of the APC, Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru of the APC, Alh Umar Mustapha also of the APC, Hon. Abdulrazak Nnamdas of the APC and Senator Ishaku Abbo of the APC (I am yet to confirm if Senator has shelved his governorship ambition going by rumors making the rounds). But it is Ardo that put forward his plans and that caught my attention and made me favorably disposed towards his candidature.
Dr. Ardo has shown a deep appreciation of our problems and has put out actionable ways to solve them. In my next piece, I wish to analyze one of Dr. Umar Ardo’s plans that I consider the fulcrum of his manifesto, how far reaching it could be for not only Adamawa State but neighboring states and the entire Lake Chad region. Keep a date with me.
Adamawa shall be great.
I am your Politeracy Mallam,
Calvin Anadio Lawan.
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