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By Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr

I cannot resist much longer the urge to intervene in the serious discussion on the way forward for our nation. I’m writing from Houston, Texas about 10,712 Kilometres from Abuja, Nigeria, I am here to attend to a recurring medical condition with my lower back and leg (which has seen me on the Wheelchair for the first time in my life) and also visit my Dear Mother.

Close friends have called to say, ‘Prof, please let Nigeria be for once, and attend to your health’, I wish I could, I truly pray I can. I woke up this morning, early enough to try to catch up with the closing segments of either THE MORNING SHOW ON ARISE TV, the SUNRISE DAILY ON CHANNELS TV, or Amaechi Anaekwe’s dish with FOCUS NIGERIA ON AIT but alas issues with jetlag and the consciousness of time having only arrived here some 48 hours ago dealt a bad one on me.

However, I was able to catch up with NEWS DAY on ARISE TV, and I was pleased to see the breaking intervention that featured the commissioning of 5 Brand-new Bus Terminals in Enugu State. This along with the various calls for more exemplary WATCHMEN in the sub-national tiers of leadership gives imprimatur to this effort issues with my health notwithstanding.

Peter Mbah with the Mantra TOMORROW IS HERE, has turned Enugu State into a huge, halcyon and monstrously formidable Construction Site. With 260 Smart Schools, 260 Primary Healthcare Centres, an International Conference Centre, a Five Star Hotel, a renewed Security Architecture that has made Enugu State one of the safest in the Country, and the go-to State for Conferences, Conventions and Retreats, hundreds of kilometres of intra-state roads, over 144 Kilometres of new roads ongoing simultaneously across the Enugu metropolis, the groundbreaking for a 5000 shop ultra modern Market complex in Nsukka, and with the springing up of Pipe-borne Water outlets across the State, the State of Enugu exemplifies our collective call for Leaders that are MAD (Making A Difference).

The 5 Brand New Bus Terminals commissioned today in Enugu State is one new to Nigeria, and indeed the West African subregion. It will not only ease movement in and around the State BUT add to the beautiful testament of profound leadership that Peter Mbah epitomizes. I hope and pray that the Governors of the 33 States not in reference here would take a cue from those who are redefining leadership in Nigeria despite the pervasive hubris of deafening Sycophancy And Debauchery.

Peter Mbah is my friend and brother, I am proud of him, and I celebrate his place amongst the few MAD (Making A Difference) lot.

Babagana Zulum the Governor of the State of Bornu inherited a State messed up by Terrorism, a State with a huge score of Internally Displaced Persons IDPs, a State where life had largely become short, brutish and nasty no thanks to the Haramists and the marauding ISWAP Fighters, and a State where profit from business and farming had gone down drastically BUT undeterred by the many minuses, Zulum has proceeded to reconstruct, rebuild, reassure and restore hope. Zulum is more about hard-work and commitment to the well-being of the people than about sycophancy and debauchery, and such is what stands him out.

He has dared bad flash floods, he has rebuilt towns and villages, he has reshaped schools, he has facilitated in some cases the return of IDPs to their homes, towns and villages, he has supported the people with resources to get back to business, and has created skill acquisition centres and jobs for the young people. Indeed with Babagana Zulum in the saddle, life, worthy life is returning to the State of Bornu, and that’s why Zulum is amongst the few MAD (Making A Difference) helmsmen.

With Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, the story of reforms, good governance and servant leadership comes alive. From very laudable Road infrastructure across the State to the return of the beautiful and the industrous City of Aba, from working on Urban Roads to opening up the Rural areas and building new roads, from clearing all outstanding salaries and pensions to funding small scale businesses for growth, from economic empowerment of Women and Youths to daring infrastructural development the story of Abia State enamours. And yes, Alex Otti is the third base of the triangle of the MAD (Making A Difference) few. I’m proud of him.

Nigeria is not all about darkness and hell. Nigeria can do a lot better when we identify the worthy apostles of good leadership and give them some flowers. Wonder what they can achieve with more resources if our pseudo-federal structure is unbundled to allow for resource control, true fiscal federalism and devolution of powers. Wonder what they can achieve when beyond politics and politricks we all learn to call a spade by its name, yes we must learn to call out and shame all underperforming public office holders. And we must in unison learn to celebrate performers.

Compatriots, countrymen and women, may we willingly enrol in the non-partisan band that applauds exemplary leadership, and may we cease to oblige underperformance whether of ones party, ones kith or kin, or of ones creed or clan. May we always celebrate and salute worthy watchmen and women for such and no other is the pathway to the nation of our dreams.

Pray for me, pray for my health and wish me well as we continue to soldier through the wild until we birth and berth a nation that works for all.

God Bless Nigeria.

Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr is the Convener of the COUNTRYFIRST MOVEMENT, a Good Governance Advocacy Group.

This post has already been read at least 1131 times!