Outgoing president withdraws to the sidelines – Part 2

The Steve Oronsaye’s Panel was set up in 2011 by President Goodluck Jonathan GCFR. The committee submitted an 800-page report on April 16, 2012, which recommended the abolition and merger of 102 government agencies and parastatals, while some were listed to be self-funding.

On August 21 this year, the Federal Government received a report from the Ebele Okeke Committee that was constituted to draft a White paper on the Amal Pepple Committee report on new Parastals, Agencies and Commissions created between 2012 and 2021.

Members of the Panel included: Japh CT Nwosu; Rabiu D. Abubakar; Salman Mann; Hamza A. Tahir; Adetunji Adesunkanmi and Umar Mohammed (member/secretary).

The White paper Drafting Committee had Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (Chairman) and many top government functionaries such as: Ms. Ama Pepple,  Minister of Land, Housing/Urban Development; Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Chief Emeka Wogu, then Minister of Labour and Productivity; Mrs Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology; and Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, Minister/Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission.

Others were: Dr A. J. Awosika, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power; Engr. Emeka Eze, Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement; Dr. Ochi C. Achinuvu, Senior Special Assistant, Economic Matters, Office of the COS to the President and Mr. Femi Olayisade, Permanent Secretary, General Services Office (OSGF) who served as member/secretary.

Mr. Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye (72) is a childhood friend and classmate of John Abebe at the Saint Gregory’s College, Obalende Lagos.

His parents were from Uhunmwonde and Oredo Local Council Areas in Edo State. Oronsaye trained with the firm of Peat Marwick Cassleton Elliot (1973–1978) and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1978. He became a Partner of the firm in 1989. He joined the Federal Ministry of Finance in December 1995, as Director, Special Duties. Mr. Oronsaye was responsible for the merger of the Administrative and Accounting functions of the offices of the State House, computerisation of processes and procedures of the State House, Personnel records, Accounts and Access controls for the offices.

In 1999, Oronsaye was appointed Principal Secretary to President Olusegun Obasanjo, a position equivalent to Federal Permanent Secretary. He was later confirmed as Permanent Secretary, State House.  In 2006, Oronsaye headed the committee on the review of the Civil Service Rules and Financial Regulations.

He was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance on August 20, 2008.

Oronsaye was appointed Head of the Nigerian Civil Service in June 2009.

In government there is no vacuum. And as Chief Obafemi Awolowo GCFR (March 6, 1909- May 9, 1987) once said government is a continuity. If President Buhari fails to act on these reports, a future President may act.

Regrettably, it looks as if Buhari’s Central Government has closed shop and proceeded on a long vacation long before elections are held and long before the new President is sworn-in on May 29, 2023. In short, the Central Government has gone to sleep and abandoned us to our fate. We are not likely to have an effective government before May 29, 2023. And that is if the elections are held in February and the results of the elections are accepted by both the winners and the losers. What we are witnessing is nothing but photo opportunities by the President. I think the real work is missing.

Right now political campaigns have taken over and we are seeing less of governance. It should not be so, for the mandate of Buhari ends on May 29, 2023 and not before.

The signals we are getting shows that we are being treated like orphans. No one is attempting to rescue us. This is very sad. Our leadership does not care about what we do or what we are going through. There seems to be no compassion. He has disconnected from us. Although his poor aides tell us that it is not true but we are convinced that it is true. No tenderness. Just mere aloofness and indifference. We are just being slighted and disregarded.

Almost eight years ago we queued under rain and sun to elect a President who will ameliorate our problems. Almost four years ago we did the same. What we are getting in return now is beyond imagination. We are being ignored and our problems keep increasing and no one is coming to our aid. A beautiful country of over 200 million people has been abandoned. The level of insecurity is mounting, poverty is on the rise, institutions have broken down, all that we get in return is for the Central Government to slam its doors on us. Our numbers of displaced persons are increasing day by day.

When the floods took over Bayelsa, Anambra, Kogi, Rivers, Benue, Delta, Jigawa, Zamfara and even Edo states, a simple Presidential visit to those areas was missing.
In spite of our present tribulations, we expect a bright tomorrow, All will be well. From my experience, no matter how short a tenure is, a determined leader can still do something.

General Murtala Mohammed GCFR (November 8, 1938 –February 13, 1976) was in power between July 30, 1975 and February 13, 1976, left a lasting legacy within such a short tenure. He refused to fold his arms and faced the challenges, although he made some mistakes, but he accomplished a lot. We benefitted from his tenure. As of today, he is a reference point in terms of leadership.

In the Presidential System of Government we are operating today, the Nigerian Presidency is the centre of all actions. He or she is the only one who can call the shots. If he or she fails to lead, no one else will. Everything rests on Nigerian Presidency in Nigeria. If he or she fails, the country fails.

To me, the leader must lead and the leader alone must show the way. The greatest leader must mobilise others by coalescing people around a shared vision. The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction, and the will to carry on (Walter Lippman). One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency (Arnold Glasow). Leadership is about vision and responsibility, not power (Seth Berkley). Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing. The leader has to be practical and a realist yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist (Eric Hoffer). Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems (Brian Tracy).

Leadership is not about getting elected alone. In Nigeria of today, I doubt if these rules apply. It’s as if our leadership is on the sideline in the midst of numerous programmes we are encountering. The worst of these problems is poverty. If not checked, poverty poses a great danger to our political stability. And I hope it will not mar the elections.

To be continued tomorrow.