Risks aside, for sustainable development to thrive, more emphasis should be on Investment Drives than concentrating on Internally Generated Revenues through fees, levies, and fines. That's like Ashawo Adventure, with no incentives in contemplation or waiting for deployment. Anybody can do it, and customers are readily available, provided the service providers are willing to walk the streets. Its major problem is that it kills motivations for alternative or more dignified means of income and livelihood. In like manner, anybody can collect rent, taxes, fines, and levies. Investments, on the other hand, are more encompassing, though complicated. It takes genius, risk, wisdom, and creativity to define and craft investment goals that will create value in the long run.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Action Groups followers were into investments. And the city of Ibadan was a citadel of excellence where the late Papa Awo would task a coterie of eggheads and advisers to put their money where their mouths are and engage in structuring people-focused policies in line with his (Papa Awo) populist ideological bent. And it is the same standard when called upon to implement a given project or program. He would task them to do the impossible - a trail-blazing attitude was the norm. There was no easy route, and harassing market women or hemorrhaging motorists of their hard-earned money was an aberration. Rather, they pursued industrialization and R&D with unparalleled vigor. They didn't have crude oil proceeds flowing down monthly from Ribadu Road, but they had men, great men and women at Ibadan, working their brains out so that Awo's free education and Healthcare programs remain sustainable.
Therefore, if a Papa Awo is missing in a political system, audacity, hope, and vision would be missing; motivations would be missing; an inspired workforce would be missing; and great expectation would be missing and supplanted by a culture of low expectation. There is another name for it: Business as Usual. Unfortunately, the culture of Business as Usual cannot be eradicated by slogans or word of mouth per se. You do it only by action and leadership by examples. It is by setting a benchmark and asking the simple question: What would have been Awo's approach? Let that be the national performance credo. As a progressive-leaning party, there's going to be resistance, if there are no traces of liberalism on the ground. You're expected to do great things; stop corruption and revenue leakage, and you will. Insha Allah. Happy Eid Kabir, once again.
ADDENDUM
In the last couple of weeks, there were about two reported bandits-related killing incidents in Plateau State. I'm yet to read about the fast and furious, ground-to-air massive response and apprehension of the perpetrators. If that had happened, it would have sent a message - DO NOT DARE ME, BUDDY! But we didn't. We failed the test, their test. And it epitomizes the spirit of the recent past in the war against banditry.
Now they are more inclined to negotiate from a position of strength. The best approach is to take a stand, a firm stand - fish them out. That's what President Obama would have done. Right now it seems like Abuja is not aware of what happened in Jos. And that's not cool - not a good start. I would have urged the President to send the IGP and the Chief of General Staff to go to Jos to drum it into the ears of would-be bandits that it's not business as usual - you do the crime YOU WILL DO THE TIME VERY UNCOMFORTABLY.
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