When water is poisoned at source it will also have the traces of the poison wherever it flows.

What we were handed as a government was a tainted one. Upon this, most governance and leadership were patterned after. Check every tier of government and every sector. We have leaders and people who are there thinking of what they could make out of the system.

The colonial master’s primary goal is about how best they could harness their colony with the intent of maximum exploitation. The leaders they breed follow suit.

At the federal level we have been able to raise many presidents who thought the resources of the nation are theirs and to be used as they wish. Many of them successfully diverted huge sum of money for personal gains. To make it worse, they stole their people’s money to help the already settled economy of the advanced nations through diverse money laundering tactics. It was a case of an ex Head-of-State whose loots have to be expatriated over and over from different offshore accounts.
This implies that such leaders do not have their people’s interest in their heart in the first place. The citizens committed to their care do not matter to them. The programs that see the light of the day are those that have direct benefits to them or the cause they have vested interest in. They are vestiges of the colonial masters.

In the same vein, other national leaders take after the overall head. They share and plunder what rightly belongs to the populace: the colonial master’s style of governance. Everybody is looking for the opportunity to plunder and take advantage of the other. We think in terms of “my own” and not “our own”. There is no cohesive force of corporate drive for a common laurel and achievement. Each person, every tribe and religion want to outshine without thinking of his fellow’s wellbeing. This is the debased mind sold to us and which we kept on propagating. If we keep nourishing our debased mind of personal gain and aggrandizement at the expense of others, we should not expect so much from the system.
We could see the expression of our inordinate propensity for self in diverse ways and forms.

Example of the Lawmakers

Taking a look at the senate, the federal representatives and the State House of Assemblies one would notice that many of the bills passed in one way or the other do not represent the interest of the masses. Often those bills were created to protect or benefit a specific class.

The said lawmakers may want to argue that they are doing great; to these ones I say: talk is cheap – by their fruit you shall know them. No matter the line of defense, it is clear that the common man is not well favoured by most of the bills rolled out.

Nigeria is a wonderland where the laws hardly affect the super rich and powerful; they always have a way out. Don’t we wonder about the porosity of the Nigerian laws which seldom affect the high class, the rich, the nobles and the politicians? There was a case of a Nigerian leader who was acquitted by Nigerian law, but the same man was charged and imprisoned in a foreign country on the same charges.

Our laws are deliberately designed that way to protect the big guys at the expense of the rest.

Why do you think we have more bills protecting the larger corporations, rich individuals and the powerful? This happens when lawmakers are after personal gains: bribes corrupt good judgment. The conglomerates, multinationals and large firms have a way of paying dues to favour bills that will protect them: even when they are over charging or offering inferior services.

Many of the accursed bills are purported to stifle the growth of the common man, but in a subtle way. I believed that many of our regulatory agencies and controlling agencies are often paid hugely by some mega corporate firm to trample the upcoming under the guise of regulation. These nasty deals are done under the cover of this ill intentioned bills and laws.

Many of the bills and laws around us do not empower the common man; until the common man is empowered the economy will never be liberated. Empowered people build an empowered nation!

Good laws will create enabling environment and equal opportunity for all. But in a corrupt society some people are placed above the law because some powerful lawmakers are induced to tamper with the laws and constitution in a negative way. Somebody may not like what I am saying here, but clearly no name is called; what we want if you are affected is that you choose to make a change now.

The lawmakers were placed or elected there by the people and for the people but they never saw it that way. Once they get there the negative mindset goes to work: the evil model from the colonial masters that represent its own interest by lording it over its subjects.

It was a sorry expression of a man’s faculty to call his subject apes. This was the picture of a colonial master of his colony – he sees them as not better than apes (animals) to be used for personal own end. This therefore portends the colonial masters as bad leaders.

In their footstep we have raised from our own kindred worst leaders bedeviled with reckless pursuit of personal interests.

Examples of the Governors

Coming downward, we have governors of states who believe the state is their personal possession. They give the expression as if they own the people and whatever magnanimity they do is of personal benevolence. It is a common thing for a governor to come on air to blah what he has done as if he used his personal funds to execute projects. Their expression shows that they do not think deep that whatever they do are of duty of theirs, a mandate and rights of the people. Many of these governors go offshore to borrow loans which would put the future generations into bondage.

Why do most of them borrow in the first place? When they borrow, they have access to large fund, with large fund opportunity to “execute project”, to execute project is to gain opportunity to pocket some of these large sum in percentages. Self enriching at the expense of the people!
The colonial masters seem better in this wise: even though they came to pillage our resources, they left behind durable projects, structures and work. But our own native leaders who are of the same blood are demonically possessed with greed as they loot our common good to the skin.

Things are falling apart because of the height of greed and self centeredness of our leaders; everything falls from the center and decays from the foundation. The whole lot is excited into the race of greed and self.

Nigerian politicians are mostly of the same bunch which includes the lower cadres and tiers: the local government chairmen, political advisers, federal ministers and commissioners. Everyone seems to look for opportunity for personal enrichment.

There is always cause to an effect. When certain things fail and are not working, there is underlying causes. Nigeria project has not been working; and to put it on the progressive lane, we must find out the foundational problem.

The real problem with Nigeria is not the citizens or the leaders per se; though for ages each side of the divide has been pointing accusing finger to the other. The problem with Nigeria is in its foundation.

Have we not wondered that thousands of new leaders emerge during every new election years? Those new leaders were once normal average citizens but when they get to the center, they are swallowed by the system; like the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. So our ill fated leadership experimentation has continued till date without yielding expected dividend for growth and a sustained change.

This is the evil of the colonial masters: they put too much of power and resources to the central government. The stronger ones fight to take it and the rest who could not get to the corridor of power look helplessly waiting for the crumbs that fall down from the table of opulence. This evil is further entrenched and made us think we cannot change for better.
We have come to term that government is unquestionable and cannot be held accountable – above board and above the law. We have come to think that citizens are pawns to nourish the existence of government and those who hold the rule.

We became independent as a nation bodily but our souls are still enslaved to the pattern of government used to govern the colonized nations.

The colonial masters have a different system for ruling their subjects back in their native land and another yardstick of government in their colony.

In their native land, the government is positioned to serve the people, to satisfy their interests, wellbeing and advancement. The leaders see the people in their native land as their own citizens and are respected, ensuring that their self-esteem is preserved. Citizens of the colonial masters are protected in any part of the world. In return, the citizens are ready to give back whatever they have to preserve and move forward their common interest. Thus, this fulfills the law of give and take.

Down in their colony, the colonial masters do not go there to serve but to plunder. They colonized nations to usurp power and take advantage of the weak nations. The sole purpose of colonization is trade and exploitation. Thus the people in the colony are seen as errand boys, servants and the low class; the inferior people. The colonial masters see themselves as the superior race (the elevated citizen of the world) that must be worshipped.

In order to perpetuate their dominance, they apply force and cruelty. Goods and resources are moved from the people’s domain back to their central government in their home country leaving the nations they governed impoverished. The expression of their governance clearly shows that they are not out in the interest of the people of the colony; instead the people are seen as tools to sustain the government of the colonial masters.

This was the kind of government handed over to Nigeria in 1960. What changed was the skin colour of the leaders in government, the white man is gone, the black man turns in but the heart is the same. We kept doing things the same old way: for the art and objective of governance remain the same; to plunder.

A son who all his life watched his father bully his mom may not know any other way of handling a woman. If he does not undergo a personal rebirth or reorientation, when he gets married, he will think that the only way to win a woman’s submission is being high handed.

The first generation leaders were tutored about the art of governance by the colonial masters. Through observation they learned so much from the white men. When the masters were gone, they took turn to loot, exploit and steal from the people. They saw the white man taking advantage of the vulnerability of the citizens, so they learn to do the same. The new leaders after 1960 see themselves as the new “white” who must be served and not to serve. It has become seemingly incurable syndrome growing in magnitude by the day.

The average kid today sees leadership in any sphere or sector of the nation as an opportunity to loot and enrich oneself. To further grow the expanse of greed, we keep making the center of leadership attractive with “unlimited” opportunity to wealth and power that it becomes easy to miss the mark of leadership as a call to serve.

Going this way, we will never get it right. It is time to make the needed shift from aristocratic style of government leadership to people centered leadership.

It is time to unfold a new kind of change – The sustainable positive type!

INTRODUCTION

Over the years diverse and several intervention programs had been designed by government, corporate organizations, religious bodies and individuals to bring changes and transformation into the nation. We need to appreciate those whose efforts are of sincere hearts and purposes.

Although we are yet to be where we ought to be, those efforts together had taken us so far. Without noble efforts as such, the nation would have been worse for it: lives have been preserved, civil wars checked and unrest nipped in the bud. If there be any reprieve or rest, it is for the sake of these relentless efforts.

We need to applaud the efforts of these men and women who so believe in the future of Nigeria above the general sentiments around them. On their shoulders rest the dawn of a new era, when the nation will rise majestically in prominence in the comity of nations as we become the center of a new world;with civilized culture, transformed laws, customs and values that uphold growth and development of our realms.

We should be humbled by those great efforts, many of which are not seen by many of us. Some did these at the backside, in hunger and wants believing and stretching, hoping and wanting for the days ahead when songs of comfort will break forth from every lip: I know some of them. In this labour, some have died, yet others remain strong and steady. Together, they are the heroes on the sidelines.

You may not be known or celebrated, but I can tell you, God holds you in high esteem as a repairer of breaches and a builder of nation. I say unequivocally, may God bless you as you keep labouring for a greater Nigeria.

My own effort is like one of those unknown heroes of our nation. For some two decades ago I have had the panting and desire to see my country,Nigeria become great in every sense. Ever since, I have been busy in one capacity or the other on the project Nigeria. But all my efforts were also from the minor.

In the year 2009, I conceptualized a thought of national rebirth and rebranding: “I AM THE CHANGE NIGERIA NEEDS”, which has begun to gain momentum and recognition.

My belief is that the individuals have the power to bring changes to Nigeria. Clusters of individual efforts coming together build a nation.

Along the line a political party in Nigeria picked “Change” as their party slogan. Then I wanted to rest my oars but after a while, I realized that their concept of change was not exactly what I conceptualized, so my team began work again. This was year 2015 AD.

In the process of time, I saw a course program by The World Bank Group titled: Citizens Engagement, the Game Changer for Development? Going through the course program, I saw very much similarity to the concept of change designed in The Real Change Nigeria Needs project. Upon the completion of the course, my artefact and the sum of my project was scored to be among the best. The change project submission strongly pushed me to score distinction at the end of the course. The World Bank Group assessors recommended that the model be translated into a national intervention program, and a particular assessor believed that its usefulness could serve as a template for nations in quest of meaningful transform.

The same concept is hitherto elaborated into a book to serve the needs of hundreds, thousands and millions who might be looking for a model upon which to build a transformation ideology.

I want to believe that this book will serve you and will be of vital usefulness as you become the change the world needs.

You are the change!

WALE ADEWUMI

World Bank Certificate of Distinction
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The slide version of the artifact can be viewed at this link:

http://www.slideshare.net/fireword/final-project-sustainable-change