Nigeria: learn from the ants and find ways to work together. Daily, we are focusing on scoring tribal points instead of finding how to work together. How can people advance if they do not even believe they have a shared vision? Just like in business, if you have the Tools and the Processes, but you do not have committed People, you cannot accomplish your business objectives. Left and right, for years now, strategic visions in Nigeria are done from pure tribal angles – and that is diminishing the nation.
We have deviated from the momentous elevation Obasanjo gave the nation when he made everyone believe. He ushered an unbounded spirit of communal vision, and brought people together. Competence, result-oriented and unconstrained energy to redeem a nation, locally and internationally, he ushered – and Nigerians responded. He made everyone believe in a UNITED nation and great things happened through fairness and equitability.
As I wrote on the leadership lessons of ants in Harvard, “The ants were partners and of different sizes: I will bring help and make the task our project, not mine. As much as possible, each team member will get an assignment based on his capability,” someone must unlock the comparative advantages and competitive positioning in Nigeria to advance the commonwealth. The “ants” of Nigeria must work together!
Indeed when the agency responsible to build a federal character, Federal Character Commission, is selling job slots, you know that a nation is broken.
“On the allegations of job racketeering, the FCC Chairman instructed me to liaise with one Mr Shehu who is a personal driver and PA to the Taraba State commissioner. As a desk officer, I am responsible to take whoever is employed to IPPIS for capturing. No one can go there without a letter from the chairman or Human Resource officer of FCC.
“When she came, she wrote a letter to the Accountant General instructing that no letter from FCC should be honoured except she signs the letter. So whenever there was new employment, she signs, gives to me and I take to the Accountant General’s office for capturing.
“Shehu is the one that brought those who paid monies to my account for the job, some paid N1 million others N1.5 million all to my personal account, my Eco bank account. She asked me to give cash to her which I did through POS so there is no evidence of transfer or anything,” he said.
