Day 1 POST ELECTION: This movement is all about ‪#‎OfficeofTheCitizen‬

‪#‎BridgingTheIntegrityGap‬‪ 

#RaisingANewGenerationofTECLeaders

(Transformational. Ethical. Creative)

 

 

 

 

A huge congratulations to General Mohammed Buhari, (GMB), the newly elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am thankful for his tenacity, resilience and focus.

Since 1999, I have supported GMB because I see in him an exemplary leader who has the integrity, maturity, track record and discipline to tackle the major twin ills that plague Nigeria: i). Insecurity (crude terrorism) and ii). Cancerous corruption.

My unflinching support and respect for him also means I will be merciless in holding him accountable to a higher standard of governance. For too long, individually and collectively as a nation, we have settled for mediocrity. This is a new dawn of raising the stakes in our expectation from leaders and also of fully embracing meritocracy.

Congratulations also to Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. By conceding defeat, he just earned himself an enviable status as an African statesman, who respected the rule of law and will of the majority. A record that even former president, Olusegun Obasanjo cannot boast of (due to the error of his foiled 3rd term bid).

A salute to our outgoing president and our incoming president for giving us a relatively peaceful election process AND a bigger salute to the Nigerian people! WE are the ultimate winners. It’s a new dawn!

Are you still caught up complaining, making excuses, castigating, blaming and throwing shades at one another’s parties, policies and campaigns? It’s a new month and a new dawn. Let’s MOVE ON! Our watchwords now should be UNITY and HEALING, to soothe the divisive and vitriolic campaigns of the past months.

CIVILITY is a requirement. Nerves are already frayed, guard your utterances and refuse to be a party to any abusive banter on ethane-religious-party jingoisms. Our new president needs everyone to rally round and support his dream of rebuilding our nation. Our nation needs us united now, more than ever!

We’re a nation with this demographic: >60% of our population is under 40 years old! The youth played a huge part in these campaigns and must be commended. The elections have come and gone. That was the easy part. This is when we actually have to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Continue to make sure your voice and action count!

No more sitting behind the keyboards and complaining. This is the time for all of us to walk our talk and build up our nation. NIGERIA is bigger than any individual, party, leader, tribe…COLLECTIVELY, we can do so much more.

The only things I’m interested in discussing about politics/governance are the ideas, projects, action steps we’re undertaking to make our homes, communities, places of work/worship/leisure better than they are now.

All our politicians are our creation (by commission or omission). Their characters (or lack of, indict ALL of us). What we settle for is what will persist. If you want to offer constructive critiques, great! However, for every criticism and problem you point out, please proffer possible solutions too.

In the words of my friend, author, Yejide Kilanko: “Nigeria has a new president :-)The hard work begins. We need each other to make Nigeria thrive. Competent, transformational leaders need engaged, informed followers who hold them accountable, even at personal cost. God bless Nigeria!” ‪#‎NigeriaHasDecided‬

Indeed, now that the elections are over, please let’s shun the rhetorics and divisive name-calling and begin to talk solutions, ideas and results. We all know our myriad problems at heart. Let’s now step it up a notch and focus on SOLUTIONS! Pick something you’re passionate about, get a few like-minded people and let’s create positive change and transformation in our society.

Based on our coaching and training experiences with women/youth, all over Africa, in the past 4 years, our organization, Whole Woman Network, is looking for volunteers (16 years and older), both in Nigeria and in the diaspora to form ‘Leadership Action Think Tanks’ in areas of governance and leadership, especially on issues affecting women and youth (in particular, the girl-child). Contact us via email: info@wholewomannetwork.com or send a pm for more details…

Kicking it off with 2 ideas for YEAR 1:

1) Project Question: (Especially to all alumni of Unity Schools in Nigeria). How do we make Federal Government Colleges (Unity Schools), centres of academic excellence, national unity and transformational leadership?

In line with the divisive nature of our present polity and the dismal standards of education, unity schools can be developed to retain (or even surpass) their former glory of fostering national unity and a centre for developing detribalized, creative, ethical and transformational leaders.

A tour of the unity schools today will make a lot of us weep. In the past decades, funding is released from the Federal Ministry of education and always gets lost in transit (via politician’s bank accounts, private jets, fancy designer wears and exotic trips/parties). Enough is enough! We can begin the hard task of rebuilding trust and embracing MERITOCRACY over mediocrity!

With this new administration, we want to hold our politicians and leaders accountable to a higher standard of BEING and DOING. The future of our children is at stake. We can no longer stand on the sidelines. Let us communicate and implement a unified, strategic and powerful campaign and CHANGE the status quo. No single individual or team of corrupt politicians can withstand the RELENTLESS, FOCUSED AND MORAL will of a united people.

Let’s get together and start the groundwork now, so that come May 29, once a new minister of education is appointed, we get to work!

How can you participate? Join your alumni organizations, visit your individual alma mater, provide detailed documentation, include facts and figures, take pictures and videos, interview members of staff and students, capture the decay in infrastructural and human capital, research into the funding and allocation for each school, get to know the Federal house of representative/senator associated with the location of each school…

This is the era of social media. We saw how powerful these platforms were during political campaigns. Let’s galvanize social media as a tool for societal change and transformation. WE mean serious business! Use your FB/Twitter/Instagram/Blogs for a lot more than chitchat and selfies. #YouCreateChange

Quality education, focused on a fusion of entrepreneurship, academic excellence and sound ethical values, is the panacea for a lot of our security and developmental challenges. WE can do something about it, one idea, one project, one community at a time.

PLEASE NOTE: These same principles apply to both State/Public/Community schools….so this is open to everyone and we can train you on the program flow and provide templates on how you can effectively bring about huge changes in the shortest amount of time.

———————————

Project Question 2: How do we make the office of ‘First Lady’, both at State and Federal level more impactful on women and Youth?

Brief: The offices of ‘FIRST LADY’ have been wrought with an uncoordinated series of programs and lack of structure/continuity. This makes for wastage in resources and limits the overall level of impact.

Individually, each first lady has had wonderful ideas and pet programs, however they have not had a clear, integrated strategic intent. To make it more impactful, there must be solid structures and cohesion from one program to another. Also, because the role is not specifically constitutional, it gives room for abuse of public funds. We welcome the idea of Mrs Aisha Buhari to work under the constitutionally recognized ‘Ministry of Women (And Youth) Affairs’ and also traditional roles of first ladies worldwide.

First, we are a nation who pay poor attention to history and preservation of archives. In my one year research on Nigerian first ladies since independence, each one had fantastic programs based on their passions, skills and professions: From Flora Azikiwe to Victoria Gowon to Mariam Babangida (Better Life Program), Maryam Abacha (Family Support Program), Stella Obasanjo(Child care Trust), Turai Yar Adua and most recently, Patience Faka Jonathan (A-Aruere Reachout Foundation, AARF)…

The challenge is that there are no detailed record keeping (only Better Life program had a professional maintained archive), and also no standard project methodologies employed.

In this regard, we’re looking for volunteers to help curate all past programs and integrate them with the programs of the Ministry of Women Affairs. AND also work to create a more cohesive and impactful ministry, both at the Federal and State levels.

(There are 6 programs in total and we’ll be sharing others over the next few weeks, so watch this space!)

If you are interested in any of these programs above, please contact me via email: info@wholewomannetwork.com or send a pm for more details….

All participants/volunteers will undertake a mandatory training on Transformational Leadership, Effective Team Management, Emotional Intelligence, Fund Raising and Communication…

(If you read this very long post, thank you so much)! That’s the first part of the commitment process.

 

Be social! Read| Comment| Share|  Thank you 🙂

Love, Light & Truth!

 

-Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido, MBA (www.julietkego.com)

Poet | Master-Certified Leadership Coach-Trainer -Consultant|

Co-Founder & Executive Director, Whole WoMan Network

Raising a New Generation of Empowered, Transformational & Creative African Leaders

#BridgingTheIntegrityGap

~Take empowered ACTION towards a Healthier, Sexier, Wealthier YOU!~

[Photo credit: Pictures sourced from Google images]

—————————————————————-

Postcards From Africa is a WWN Feature about creating a new, positive narrative of Africa by Africans. This is a movement about igniting an empowered citizenry to make a difference by bridging the integrity gap. It is about changing the status quo, from waiting passively for ‘leaders’ to embracing a new paradigm that WE, are the leaders we seek. We are committed to raising and/or celebrating a new generation of Transformational, Passionate and Creative African leaders, one idea, one person,  one project and one community at a time! Do you know anyone or cause that should be featured? We’d love to hear from you: info@wholewomannetwork.com