Dear All,
Where there is no vision, it is said, the people perish. We are glad that ultimately Nigerian Leadership has of late become vision oriented. Former President Olesegun Obasanjo blew the whistle to end the era of visionless Nigeria when he enthused that by year 2020, Nigeria will occupy a pride of place among the 20 most industrialized nations of the world. Sure, every good thing that happens to a nation starts with a presidential dream. It was however his predecessor of blessed memory, President Alhaji Umaro Yaradua who enunciated a framework for this vision by setting up a committee of eminent Nigerians to come up with a strategic plan aimed at actualizing this vision. That has been done and we have had members of this committee enlarged to 450, a number many are apt to opine is too many - more than even the Gideon army approved of God to deliver the Biblical Israel from the hands of their economic tormentors.
As members of the planning profession, we here in the Nigeria Consulate need to come in at this stage to take our pride of place in pointing the direction as to where, how and when each part of this elephant (NV2020) is to be eaten to achieve the objective its stated objectives. This is given a situation whereby things do not just happen. Rather they are made to happen. For us to lend a good helping hand, we need to be passionate about our country Nigeria. We need to be passionate about the strategic plan to achieve the objective of having Nigeria join the league of the industrialized Nation. We need to buy into this plan and see ourselves as a major stakeholder, who will lend our skills and intellectual property towards the attainment of this goal. We need to have our eyes clearly on the ground to ensure that all constraints on the way to the accomplishment of NV2020 are nipped on the bud early enough before the vision goes comatose, like the Ajaeokuta misadventure.
What does PP have to offer to Nigeria, you may ask? Will just being a good watch dog bell the cat? Sure the International Guilds for Project Planning and Control under which auspices a lot is now being re-packaged is now coming up with a standard described international community as world class. We here in Nigeria understand that a journey of 1000miles begins with a step. Even as we watch out for the steps taken by each state governor, legislator, Judge and all their subordinates as they affect the achievement of this vision and highlight their performances on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, we shall not fail to take the lead as major stake holders by defining the path on which this vision should be driven. The successful delivery of every key project slated for each constituency under the Millennium Developed Goals or any other projects that relate to the achievement of NV2020 is key to accessing the performance of each legislator.
What is more? the executive may also be judged by such criteria as the number of urban and rural roads rehabilitated, employment created for the teaming numbers of the employed, the provision of portable water to uplift the standard of hygiene of the rural populace, the upliftment of the standard of education in the rural and urban enclave, successful rehabilitation of ailing industry and the erection of new ones, to mention but a few. It is the responsibility of the planning planet to take stock of the performance of the public sector behavior with regards to achieving NV2020 and have their performance indices communicated to provide a basis for stimulating improvement.
Individuals adjudged to have done well will be accorded due recognition by various local chapters of PP and awarded certificates of merit. While departments that have not performed well will have their short comings conveyed to them, and necessary suggestions on how to for stall further slippage made. Sure, Planning Planet as a voluntary non political cum professional organization has all the resources necessary to steer NV2020 ship to safety in the midst of stormy waters and make it anchor at the expected destination at the scheduled time given the right attitude. All we need do is to see ourselves as major stakeholders who should display the I CAN spirit and be passionate about all we will set out to do, and surely we shall arrive at our pre-planned destination. As a body of planning professionals in Nigeria and in Diaspora, we shall all need to be in constant touch with the newly elected Nigerian president to lend him “our heads” and “our hands” to ensure that NV2020 becomes a fait accompli.