Managing a Dwindling Economy under a Dynamic Leadership

By Tunde Eso 

Communique Issued at the End of the 2023 Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria Annual National Conference Held at Airport Hotel Ikeja, Lagos State Nigeria, Wednesday 25th to Friday 27th October, 2023 

The maiden Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) was held from 25th to 27th October 2023. The theme of the conference was "Managing a Dwindling Economy under Dynamic Leadership." The Acting President/Chairman of Council Sir (Amb.) Israel Egbunefu FCPM, in welcoming all delegates, stressed the need for effective leadership development skills, self-management and awareness and the need to deploy leadership tools in managing crisis situations when they arise. The Chairman of the Conference, Major General Taritimiye Gagariga (retired) FCPM, in his opening speech, identified the key variables of dynamic leadership and dwindling economy as inversely related, he gave an overview of some leadership traits and outlined the necessity for the dynamic leader to understand the uniqueness of each economic situation in order to consult experts for specific-to-challenge economic advice.

Theme Paper

The conference  theme: 'Managing a Dwindling Economy under a Dynamic Leadership,' was delivered by Professor Foluso Jayeoba, Head of Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Faculty of Management Science, Lagos State University, Ojo noted that:-

The security situation in the country had its own implications for the dwindling economy. Ironically, the dividends of democracy in Nigeria are evident in the current poor state of the economy, high inflation and free fall of the naira exchange rate.

Nigerian leaders pay lip service to the issue of poverty alleviation. There is a multi-dimensional nature of Nigeria's poverty level that requires a holistic approach to solving the hydra-headed poverty.

A dynamic leader is one with legitimate authority, responsibility, capacity and competence among other traits.

There is a strong relationship between dynamic leadership and an enlightened followership where exemplary conduct, leading by example and a committed civil society are the hallmark for achieving common national interest and objectives.

Measuring leadership should be in terms of discipline, integrity, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability. 

There is a need for comprehensive reforms in the country. This includes power devolution, reforms in education, science and technology, renewable energy, infrastructural development and encouraging manufacturing, diversification, political and electoral reforms. Yet, the need to fight corruption from all ramifications as well as enforcement of sanctions on those found guilty cannot be overemphasized.

Individual sacrifice while keeping the nation at heart and the ever increasing need for patriotism among Nigerians needs no emphasis.

Three supporting lectures leading the breakout sessions were delivered. Dr. Chinyeaka Justine Igbokwe-Ibeto FCPM, FISDS, DF, a senior lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, on the question 'Is 'Democracy Working in African Countries?', discussed the overall effectiveness of democracy in Africa, outlined specific challenges and successes in implementing democratic norms and reiterated the need for defining Africa's style of democracy. Engineer John Nwachukwu, CEO Zoro Communications Ltd, in his presentation on 'Criticism as a Guide to Effective Leadership,' explored  on how leaders can effectively handle criticism and the consequences of leaders who do not accept constructive criticism and the need to maximise the culture of feedback. Dr. Babatope Ogunniyi, a senior lecturer with the University of Lagos in his discourse on 'Economic Effect of Subsidy to a Nation,' gave an update on the impact of subsidy and its effect on government fiscal health, potential drawbacks in market distortion and creation of dependency that hinders innovation. The conference delegates in a syndicate session discussed these three lectures with the following conclusions: 

Democracy in African Countries:

African democracy is often fraught with electoral violence and fraud among others which question the legitimacy of elected officials. A way forward could be to strengthen electoral institutions as well as internal party democracy to promote a level playing field in electoral processes. It may also be necessary to institute regulations that limit campaign finance to prevent undue political patronage while upholding fairness among contestants.

Civic education on rights, responsibilities and active participation in political activities and electoral processes needs to be enhanced. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) would need to be in the forefront to provide requisite platforms for government to allay anxieties, aspirations, fears and concerns of citizens in credibility and legitimacy of any democratic process.

The policy framework that monitors freedom of the press where varied facts are provided to citizens, individual or group expression, human rights and dispute resolution where opposing opinions are articulated and promoted. A situation where a vibrant media holds government accountable is a sign of a working democracy.

A working democracy is where there is significant involvement of the citizens in decision- making processes and representation by various groups. The emphasis is on all-inclusiveness of women, youth, and marginalized communities in governance.

While democratic institutions and processes exist in Africa, there is the dire need to learn from the experiences of some African democracies where their political leadership is regarded as credible and legitimate. Countries such as Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia were identified as models of African democracy where electorates' votes count to a large extent in deciding their political leadership.

Criticism as a Guide to Effective Leadership:

Criticism often emanates from misinterpretation and misrepresentation of ideas and expressions on general issues. A 'culture of silence,' procrastination, lack of motivation, favouritism, fear of failure, religion and ethnicity owing to individual relationships between leadership and followership, are hindrances to criticisms. In this case, personal interests should be discouraged while group interest, inclusiveness and result-oriented leadership should be the way forward.

Criticism allows leaders to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments towards practical implementation. Constructive criticism thus, provides valuable insights and helps leaders refine their skills and decision making process. To this end, start-to-end thinkers were identified. These set of thinkers follow through a process or problem from beginning to end, creating plans, organizing thoughts, seeing the bigger picture, identifying obstacles and providing solutions in the complex problem-solving environments. The end-to- start thinkers were also identified as these think in reverse with the end-goal while working backwards to determine necessary steps, critical milestones, dependencies and obstacles, manageable tasks and clear objectives that ensure effective implementation.

It is important for leaders to be open to criticism, consider different perspectives and use it as an opportunity for economic growth. Accountability, transparency, intentionality of purpose, will power and determination to ensure continuity can make criticisms positive for nation building.

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Leadership consultations with all tiers of government, at grassroots community level, with youth and gender based organizations, professional bodies and the private sector should be the clarion call. This will ensure the unity of purpose in order for any dynamic leadership to manage a dwindling economy.

Economic Effect of Subsidy to a Nation:

Subsidy is targeted within and overall policy framework that addresses social safety nets, fiscal discipline and efficiency, economic diversification, local market policies and infrastructure development. Subsidy also aims at exchange rate and debt management, poverty alleviation and the stimulation of economic activities that support industries to increase production and consumption of goods and services.

Communication and public enlightenment is needed to ensure the population is aptly engaged in subsidy management. Yet, accurate data collection is importance in order to enhance apt fiscal planning.

The fuel subsidy programme in countries such as Nigeria was fraudulently mismanaged with attendant consequences on inflation, market distortions, business struggles, foreign investment concerns, fiscal burdens on government funds, budget deficits and increased debts, social impacts and poverty strains among others.

Palliatives in Nigeria were unnecessary owing to its ineffective implementation and unsustainability and should be discouraged. For example, the cash transfer policy of N25, 000 adopted by the current APC government and distribution of food items as palliatives create dependencies on government and are not sustainable solutions to the endemic poverty in the country. The idea of borrowing money to share to indigent Nigerians as palliatives was opined as contradictory to providing a social safety net.

It is imperative that Nigeria's refineries are made functional. This would discourage the issue of fraudulent importation of refined products as well as allay concerns on the fuel subsidy narrative. Functional refineries would also be a credible source where accrued revenues could be used by the current leadership to revamp Nigeria's dwindling economy.

The CIPMN aligns with the discourse in the breakout sessions and avers that commitment and collaboration with stakeholders including government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and citizens is vital for Nigerian government to manage the dwindling economy. The APC administration should adopt holistic approach in solving Nigeria's economic crisis.

Recommendations

The CIPMN advocates as follows: 

In Building a Dynamic Leadership:

Nigeria requires selfless, missionary and visionary leadership. To this end, there is need for ethical rebirth, in that dynamic leadership puts aside primordial sentiments such as ethnicity, tribalism and religious bigotry. This would enable followership satisfy their democratic rights as they elect qualified individuals into various political positions.

The federal government of Nigeria should intensify its zeal and political will to fight corruption. In this regard, the need for strong anti-corruption institution and measures cannot be overemphasized. 

There is need for greater emphasis on transparency and accountability in the management of our common and patrimonial wealth by public office holders.  Political office holders should hold accountable for their actions and inactions.

The judiciary in Nigeria must be seen as independent and impartial, to uphold principles of justice, fairness and equality for all. Yet, winners of elections are decided by the electorates at the polling units and not the court. Thus, the need to strengthen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver credible elections with less post-election litigations.

The education system in Nigeria should be strengthened. This would include the implementation of free and compulsory primary and secondary school education, as well as vocational education. An enlightened and well-informed population is the foundation from where knowledge, skills and competencies are harnessed.

To Manage Nigeria's Dwindling Economy:

The government should reduce the cost of governance. Such personal sacrifices exemplify that dynamic leadership understands the current state of the Nigerian economy. The current practice of having federal and state ministers in the same ministry in bleeding economy do not speak well of our political leadership. 

 

Nigeria's economy should be diversified to encourage and support production. Yet, there should be a deliberate policy to promote the use of made in Nigeria goods. Nigerians should patronize locally manufactured goods in order to improve the economy. Government at all level should take the lead in this regard by for example patronizing Innoson cars rather buying foreign cars. 

The federal government should institute measures to break the monopoly given to certain individuals in the production of some goods and services in the country. This implies issuing licenses to other local investors willing and ready for the production of items such as cement, salt, flour, sugar and artisanal refining of crude oil.

The agricultural subsidy should be withdrawn and funds redirected to improve farming methods and techniques. This would include interfacing mechanized farming with start-up packages to attract youths into agro-allied businesses.

Government at all levels should come up with measures that could provide security to farmers and other agricultural activities, as well as an enabling environment for agro-allied investments and business to thrive.

The federal ministries of works and transport should not deter in its current push for the provision of good inter-state roads and transportation infrastructure in all parts of the country. This could be achieved by handing over the maintenance of most federal roads to the state governments.

For poverty alleviation, we advocate the adoption Igbo apprenticeship method as a national policy towards poverty alleviation and eradication in Nigeria. This would form a key part of the overall mentorship curriculum needed to guide teeming youths.

As a Mandate of CIPMN:

Public managers must join in the national efforts to sensitize all stakeholders on national issues and the way forward.

Public managers in Nigeria should imbibe the traits of transformational and dynamic leadership within the context of global best practices in order to individually or collectively solve the hydra-headed challenges confronting the Nigerian public and private sectors.

All inquiries about this communiqué can be made to the CIPMN Council Secretariat on info@ipm-unique.org and ipmnigeria@yahoo.com.