By Dr. Muazu Shehu
It is impossible to be a perfect leader. The perfect human being does not exist, since we all have flaws. Therefore, a good leader is one whose strengths exceed his weaknesses. The following are ten (10) examples of His Excellency’s excellent leadership qualities beyond his limitations:
1) Dedication to duty and hard work: Effective leaders are committed and hardworking. It is a great achievement for this state to have such an attentive and hardworking governor as His Excellency. His work schedule includes weekends and public holidays.
2) Patriotism: As the governor’s actions and deeds demonstrate, he is patriotic and devoted to the development of the state. He has attracted more foreign and local development assistance to the state than any other governor in the state’s history.
3) Talent hunting: Leadership at its best is about focusing on your strengths and finding others who can compensate for your weaknesses. His excellency is one of the few leaders in the country that have assembled a team of highly effective technocrats and young leaders. In many sectors, the team has achieved record breaking performance, including education, health, revenue generation, infrastructure, budget reforms, and good governance.
4) Financial intelligence: Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s hands-on knowledge of public finance and resource management is one of his greatest strengths. He has used this quality to improve the state’s finances and accomplish a lot with limited resources. He has also minimised financial leakages and wastefulness.
5) Perseverance: As the governor, His Excellency doggedly commits himself to achieving results regardless of difficulties and discouragement from people. While moving toward an important goal, he seems unaffected by obstacles. Because of this, he has not abandoned any project, regardless of its size or cost. Ko Gezau is a fitting name for him.
6) Visioning: Governor Yahaya seems more concerned with the next generation than the next election. He is obviously sincere in his concern for the state’s future beyond his tenure. In order to put the state on the path to sustainable growth and development, the Governor opted for tough measures as opposed to populist decisions that might enhance his political fortune.
7) Special interest and concern for the poor and less advantaged members of the society: The governor has demonstrated beyond any doubt that he cares deeply about the poor and less privileged members of society. The investments he has made in basic education (including almajiri), public health in rural areas, basic infrastructure for low-income areas, affordable healthcare for the vulnerable, etc. Clearly, Gombe state’s governor does not place the interests of the rich elite above the wellbeing of the masses, as has traditionally been the case.
8) Problem-solving: Yahaya has demonstrated his ability to solve problems. Several policies aimed at addressing complex problems have been introduced and diligently pursued by him. Some of these initiatives include the 3G environmental restoration programme, gully erosion control measures, contributing health plans, and Almajiri school modernizations under the BESDA initiative.
9) Ability to innovate: As acknowledged by the Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Yahaya is one of the most innovative governors in Nigeria. This is evident in the number of reforms he introduced to bring rapid progress and development to the state.
10) Monitoring and follow-up: Governor Yahaya consistently monitors the implementation of his directives and instructions. He has maintained a constant level of engagement among all his appointees, which has led to successes in service delivery and policy implementation.
Evidently, the governor’s outstanding leadership qualities far outweigh his shortcomings. Our hope is that he will build on his strengths and improve on his weaknesses. As well as pondering over these qualities, it is hoped that the people of the state will forgive him for his shortcomings. Gombawa, don’t change a winning team. Don’t change horses midstream.
Written by Dr Muazu Shehu from Gombe State
