TheCable

The government of the future of Nigeria is a departure from the government of either the past or the present of Nigeria. I hope those who are part of the present government of Nigeria and those who are relevant to the future of Nigeria get to read through what I do have to pass on today. All of us as a people shall need to unwaveringly work out everything that is contained in this piece. If this does not happen and turn out, there will be no great future for Nigeria, our beloved country. For Nigeria to be relevant in the days to come there must be what I choose to call—a major shift in government and governance.

The question is: What does the government of the future look like? The government of the future will open for quality service 24/7, all year round. The private sector remains open for business, so why not the public sector? The government of the future is going to be like an airline—available around the clock. We need to start structuring our present government in a way that fits into the picture I am painting for you to see.

What service am I talking about? Is it the self-serving one that we have been witnessing since the birth of Nigeria? No! I am talking about Services that achieve bliss and delight for the citizenry. In the last fifty-seven years, there has been no true government in Nigeria. True government has been missing in this nation. A true government achieves joy and glee for its people. Since 1960, has there been any government that achieved happiness for Nigerians? It is my opinion that the present government of Nigeria be opened for quality service 24/7.

The government of the future will compete with and surpass the private sector in service quality. Every civil servant in Nigeria should be trained and retrained in the art of superior and excellence-centric customer service. The citizens of Nigeria are their customers. They need to learn what it takes to welcome customers, citizens more professionally than hotels. How do those who work in hotels treat their customers? They do treat them with royalty. And do they need to be bribed before treating their customers with royalty? No! Each time a Nigerian goes to any government service centre, he or she should be treated with royalty. Presently, how are Nigerians being treated by those in the public service? They are being treated like dirt! There should be a clear departure from what is happening right now at every of our government service centre.

The government of the future will be connected. Citizens should be able to complete any government transaction at any government service centre. Incorporated service centers will spare citizens long trips from one entity to another. During the last elections, many Nigerians were unable to cast their votes, because the last government was not connected. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari and prof. Yemi Osinbajo will need to become connected. This will save the citizenry from unnecessary hassle and stress. I should be able to complete any government transaction at any service centre without having to travel from one part of Nigeria to another. This is what the future government of Nigeria looks like. We all need to start thinking along this line.

The government of the future will create an environment that encourages people to generate innovative ideas, implement them and constantly measure their effectiveness. Innovation is the capital of the future. Any nation that cannot innovate in future will be very poor and broke. Petroleum is not the capital of the future, it is innovation! I counsel and encourage the current government to cheer, encourage and hearten young people to come together to generate innovative ideas and ensure that they are implemented, and also ensure that they constantly measure their effectiveness and efficacy. If this does not happen, come about and ensue, Nigeria will be very poor in the days to come.

When Nigerian leaders understand that the job of government is to achieve happiness, joy and glee for people, their days, decisions, their projects and even their interactions with people will shift and change from top to bottom. Today, projects are not being done because those in government want to achieve happiness for people; they are being done because those in government want to siphon money. This is the reason why a multi-billion naira road would be constructed in Nigeria and it would not last beyond a few months.

True and proper leaders are always and constantly thinking on how to lead their people from a life of hardship, privation and destitution to a new life of comfort and well-being, but false, counterfeit and bogus leaders are always thinking on how to lead, guide and pilot their people from comfort to hardship. Are Nigerians being led from hardship to comfort or from comfort to hardship today? You be the judge.

When governments evolve, advance and develop services to make people’s lives easier, they contribute to their comfort and happiness. When governments create opportunities for people, this makes them happy. When governments offer best education, they equip young people to build their future and so to achieve happiness for themselves. When governments provide excellent healthcare, patients cannot be happier. When governments develop infrastructure, they reduce the amount of time wasted traveling, which undoubtedly contributes to people’s happiness and comfort. When justice is served, the whole society is satisfied and reassured. There is nothing more beautiful than to create joy in people’s hearts.

President Muhammadu Buhari and prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in synopsis, this is what the future looks like and the right time to start thinking, planning and building the future is now.