TheCable

Waziri Adio, former executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), on Saturday, unveiled his new book, ‘The Arc of the Possible’. 

The event, which was held at the Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua Centre in Abuja, had in attendance Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna — who was represented by Hadiza Balarabe, his deputy; Yusuf Tuggar, Nigerian ambassador to Germany; Sharon Ikeazor, minister of state for environment; and Oshubham Chaudhuri, World Bank country director for Nigeria.

Ikeazor

El-Rufai described the author as a “shining light” that every public servant should imitate.

Hadiza Balarabe represented Nasir el-Rufai

Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Muttawali Borno and chief host of the public presentation, said Adio has proven himself to be a worthy public servant.

Ibrahim-Imam

Speaking  virtually, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, former group managing director of Access Bank and founder of Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG), who chaired the book launch, described Adio as “an excellent public servant”.

Aig-Imoukhuede, former group managing director of Access Bank Plc, chaired the occasion

“Waziri, very succinctly, draws attention to the fact that if you have great leaders in public service and those great leaders have the ability to honour those who would work with them, they will break ceilings, we will have great institutions, and Waziri proved during his time at NEITI,” he said.

Presenting a chapter-by-chapter review of the book, Okey Ikechukwu, the book reviewer, said the publication must be studied by all who want to succeed in “Nigeria’s terrain” because it contains a valued narrative.

Ikechukwu reviewed the book

“One lesson from this book is the lessons for Nigerians who are called technocrats. This book impacts a lot and should be a manual for all well-meaning Nigerians, social critics, public affairs analysts,” he said.

“It offers a clear lesson on the need for those who are watching public affairs, sometimes presumptuously, to know that they do not know enough and may not perform well enough when in office.

“The book shows the reader that it is not luck or holy ghost fire that leads to success for one who wins or who swings against the current, but it is the resilience, determination, and commitment to the right set of values.

“The ‘The Arc of the Possible’ is a testimony or testimonial of someone who has come, engaged, and navigated the dangerous waters, and he is saying to everybody: ‘it is possible, it can be done, this is how I did it’.”

On his part, Tuggar said he is “very impressed” with Adio’s impact during his time at NEITI.

Tuggar with Adio and Simon Kolawole, chief executive officer of Cable Newspaper Limited

“Had Waziri not changed the approach of NEITI on the impact of policy, maybe the production amendment act may not have been passed,” the ambassador said.

Also speaking, Chaudhuri commended Adio, noting that the author displayed global best practices when he was in public service.

Chaudhuri

“The single most important ingredient in which nation makes progress, the basic aspiration of making lives better for all citizens, is the quality and the number of individuals who dedicate themselves to the nation and the public service,” he said.

The event also featured an intergenerational conversation on ‘The Promise and Perils of Public Service in Nigeria’.

The panelists included Yewande Sadiku, former executive secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC); and Joe Abah, country director of DAI and former director-general of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms.

The conversation was moderated by Samson Itodo, executive director, Yiaga Africa, and convener of the #NotTooYoungToRun movement.

In his remarks, Adio said the book tells the story of his stewardship, challenges, and “sometimes the regrets” in NEITI.

“We do not need people with extraordinary abilities or resolve to move the needle on governance in Nigeria,” he said.

Unveiling the book

View more photos from the presentation here.