Ex Governor El Rufai during the Lecture
Sam Kaye
Former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El Rufai has said that desperate candidates for any particular political job should be denied from getting it.
He said that real leaders are not desperate to get certain positions in the polity adding that if one is too desperate for a position, its a sign that such a fellow would be self-seeking instead of sacrificial to the general cause of the people.
Speaking further on leadership the former Governor said that “in life the best way to correct this deficit of good leadership which our dear country is suffering from, is by choosing those who never lobbied or asked for a particular position at all costs”
Rufai made these assertions in maiduguri the Borno State capital recently while describing the residents as lucky for having a leader with a focus on where he wants to take the state to.
He said that Professor Babagana Zulum was a real leader who never lobbied for the position that was entrusted on him and has proved himself worthy because each time he (Rufai) comes to town he finds new development amidst choking insurgency which is supposed to be an excuse for non performance.
Rufai who gave a lecture titled “leadership and Public Policy: Navigating challenges and Lessons” during a capacity building workshop on enhancing skills of government officials in policy implementation and productive human resource management in Borno commended Zulum for his giant strides in spite of daunting challenges confronting him.
“Nigeria has been a country with lots of untapped potentials within the last 200 years. What we lack is the ability to choose the right leaders to do the job by taking the country to the next level.
” We have only one problem in Nigeria and that is good leadership i repeat. We will not make progress until we are ready to correct this leadership deficit issue staring us in the face.
” I commend the new look of the state capital maiduguri because its obvious you have a leader who knows where he is going to. The people of Borno are obviously resilient people making progress even in the realm of insurgency.
” if we must make progress in development in this country, we must provide leadership that would take care of the least of the society and not just the five percent who are privileged.”
Some participants during the Lecture
On development of the country, he advised civil servants and political leaders to stop taking their kids abroad for education when quality education is right here at their door steps.
“if you are a council chair and your son is not attending the local school, you should ask yourself why because it is wrong. Stop taking your kids abroad and fix the public schools with good leaders and to do this you need effective policies. That is the only way one can enhance development.
Also speaking during the special lecture, the Chair civil service commission Dr Bulama Mali Gubio stressed that public policy is the dictionary in the implementation of programs of government.
“Policies are formulated by the state executive council backed by laws. When you divert from policy, the entire phenomenon will crumble. It is a fixated phenomenon not subject to changes just like that.
” Some civil servants fail to recognize the policy of retirement even after serving for 35 years. They cut corners and adjust the files to suit their whims and caprices.
” To stop some of these wrongs, policies must be explained to the the public by the implementors so that the public will understood accordingly.” said Gubio.
Over 250 officers benefited from the five days training for top civil servants in the state which included all the political leaders in the state.
Head of service barrister Mallam Fannami said that the five days if talk shop also included all the Commissioners and permanent Secretaries in Borno state.
The secretary to the state government who represented Governor Babagana Zulum called on participants to ensure that the knowledge gained will reflect in their productivity as it concerns the management if the service.
Ends…..