It is common for our public office holders to refer to the word ‘legacy’ during political campaigns and whenever they are rendering the account of their stewardship to the people. The word legacy has been overused and polluted. However, every political officer holder intends to do something that will outlive him and his tenure in office.
On the assumption that our elected public officers want to do things they will be remembered for and in rare case devoid of its by-products- building political empires, amass wealth and becoming godfathers, we can take legacy as it is being used as a noble and acceptable slogan.
Based on the above, I will give some perspectives on the current trends and example of leaders with evergreen legacies.
Let’s look at one of the founding fathers of the independence movement in Nigeria. I cannot name the infrastructural legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo except for the Cocoa House, the first skyscraper building in tropical Africa. However, in my opinion, Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s legacy lives on. The peace, development and accommodating attitude of the people and residents of the South West of Nigeria is attributable to the level of the region’s education. Education is the crucial legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. His free education for the people of the South West is a legacy that lives forever. Without being sarcastic, I don’t know any part of the country where the residents are free to the extent at which a united Nigeria is demonstrated in the South West. The level of ethnic tolerance of the Yoruba nation to the extent of voting the other tribes into the public offices in Lagos are found nowhere in this country. Religious tolerance is second to none. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the president Nigeria never had got it right by putting his focus on education as the bastion of his political legacy. On the basis on this, the late sage stands out and should have been honoured with the Obafemi Awolowo’s Day. No doubt, some of the value chains of his administration was his political empire but those who still referred themselves as ‘Awoist’ today are doing so because they had benefitted from his legacy of educating people free of school fees.
We can trace a similar enduring legacy to Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew. His successors must have replaced all the infrastructure Yew built in Singapore. However, his legacy lives on through what he sets in motion. He set in motion the attitude of building people’s capacity and no doubt Singapore is a rare success story even in the Programme for the International Students Assessment (PISA).
In Ghana, the cleansing, structural and the anti-corruption legacies of Jerry Rawlings are evergreen. Jerry set something in motion for our African sister. Rawlings’ administration showed the world that a change of paradigm is achievable with a strong political will. What Awolowo did through education was to leave something in people. What Lee Yew and Rawlings did what to set something in motion that shapes the political behaviour of the people of Singapore and Ghana. That is exactly what Paul Kagame is doing in Rwanda. I cannot agree less with Peter Strople for saying, ‘legacy is not leaving something for people. Legacy is leaving something in people’
In the last eight years, a state governor focused on building bridges as his significant legacy and goes everywhere, claiming he is leaving a legacy for the people of his state. His state ranked above 20th out of 36 states in the WAEC examination with similar poor ranking in the state competitive index and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Never the less, he built bridges in all the senatorial districts to be seen as fair and leaving a pyramid of unfinished capital projects for his successor. One of the bridges he built is now the habitation of the hoodlums and miscreants with fewer cars on it. The community and Nigeria will have benefitted tremendously if the cost of the bridge has been used for building twenty rural roads and helped the farmers to get their farm produce to the cities effectively. The price of food would have reduced, and the farmers would have been able to send their children to better schools. The governor has used bridges for beautification purposes instead of for developmental purposes and on the need basis. I’m not saying the governors shouldn’t build infrastructure but not at the expense of the capacity of the people who are meant to use and maintain the infrastructure.
For our governors to strike a balance between creating a sustainable legacy and developing their states, they should be guided by standards. Few of the criteria that will bridge the gaps are the SDGs, WAEC Ranking, and the National Competitive Index. Any improvement done towards achieving any of these externally measured goals will not only develop your state but increase the capacity of the people you are leading. Your legacy, therefore, is not in creating a political empire, executing projects for your psychological egoism, or making money in the office. Your legacy is in the number of people that would be connected and impacted positively by your action. If you do this, you will fit into the definition of an excellent leader by Dolly Parton.
The youth will not appreciate anything aside from the opportunity for them to improve their capacity and be the best version of themselves amid the social media distractions or opportunity. The business owners want enabling environment, and we all want a life in a secure locality without the fear of herdsmen or kidnappers.
There is one thing you can do as governors to create a sustainable legacy and write your name with gold in the sand of time. It is simple. Please focus on your people. To focus on your people require you to have the right people around you. You are lions going on a mission and must have people who are lions to be on the same journey with you. The person to go with you doesn’t have to be from your state. All you need is people with the capacity to help you no matter where they are from, and I’m sure we have Nigerians who can build the bridges for you if you dare find and allow them.
Conclusively, being a governor of your state is a rare privilege given to you out of the millions of qualified indigenes of the state. It is a serious business and a clarion call to work and ensure you do your best to influence people to dream more, do more and become more in life.
Babs Olugbemi
