The basic structures of societies are the same as every society has sociopolitical and economic systems as well as educational institutions.....
But the performances of these institutions and the development of nations vary according to the sociopolitical dynamics of every society. In other words, every case is different because what works in one society may not be effective in another one.
Therefore, the transformation of multi-religious and multi-lingual Nigeria and its seemingly chaotic sociopolitical and economic environment require a leader with the skills and knowledge to address the systemic bottlenecks that hinder national development. That will involve changing the structure and “human consciousness” (Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013, p. 240) as well as the “mental models” (Senge, 2006, p. 163) of the political leaders from their en-grained “ego-system awareness” into “eco-system reality” (Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013, p. 11).
Although the process seems daunting because of the dis or-dered Nigerian environment, it is not by any means impossible to accomplish with collective mindfulness (Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013) as every Nigerian is a stakeholder in the affairs of the nation. However, Germer, Siegel, and Fulton (2005) have defined “mindfulness,” among other things, as a “moment-by-moment awareness” (p. 6). For Bodhi (2000), mindfulness means having awareness, attention, and remembering. However, to the already crowded definition, Davis and Hayes (2011) have added that “mindfulness is a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s expe-rience without judgment” (p. 198).
Yet others have noted that “mindful leaders” are “courageous,” they perceive the “big pic-ture” and “create environments of trust and safety,” which would “ignite innovation” (Moore, 2012, pp. 1-2).The differing perspectives on the issue of poverty are not new. It was also underscored by various speakers at the 2014 Africa Innovation Summit Cabo Verde that no country has overcome the challenges of poverty reduction, and no region will overcome the challenges of development, without prov-ing its ability to be creative and innovative.
And Nigeria is not an exception. Nigeria’s leaders appear to have a “fixed mind-set” (Dweck, 2007). The nation is choking on its democratic experiment because the leaders do not operate on principles that ally with democracy. Worse still, the system is colored by unbridled corruption, non-functional health care and edu-cation systems, and institutions and infrastructure that are antithetical to capacity development. These forces have resulted in a weak economy, rising youth unemployment, and poverty as well as insecurity in the society.
The leaders do not seem to understand that empowering the people will change the future of the society. It has been noted that no society can separate poverty from the political and economic forces in the society as well as the mind-set of the leaders because they determine the state of human condition in every nation.But what is mind-set? According to Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary (1980), mind-set is “a mental inclina-tion, . . . a . . . state of mind” (p. 725).
For the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2015), mind-set “is a set of attitudes or fixed ideas that someone has and that are often difficult to change” (para. 1). Meanwhile, for Dweck (2007), professor of psychology at Stanford, mind-set is a set of atti-tudes, or “mindsets are just beliefs . . . powerful beliefs . . . something in your mind . . .” (2007, p. 16) that need not be so set. For the author, everyone has either a fixed mind-set or a growth mind-set that can be changed. A fixed mind-set is one in which you view your talents and abilities as well fixed or that your “qualities are carved in stone.”
You are who you are, your intelligence and talents are fixed, and your fate is to go through life avoiding challenge and failure (Dweck, 2007). But a growth mind-set, however, is one in which an individual sees his or her mind-set as fluid, a work in prog-ress; that means that our fate is one of growth and opportu-nity. Furthermore, according to Dweck (2007), mind-sets are not set or “carved in stone” (p. 6) because at any time, any person can learn to use a growth mind-set to achieve success and happiness and that a change of mind is always possible (Dweck, 2007). That is what good leaders (as well as their followers) need for their nations to develop and thrive and for their citizens to reach their full potential. Given the back-ground, a person’s mind-set directs his or her action.
That, according to Dweck (2007), means that “The view you adopts for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value” (p. 6).If this writer may ask, are the mind-sets of Nigeria’s lead-ers “carved in stone?” Why is Nigeria difficult to change? Why has Nigeria failed to develop with abundant human and material resources at its disposal? Why has prosperity eluded the nation? Why are many Nigerians swimming in the deep ocean of poverty? Put differently, why is there a rising unem-ployment rate in the society? There are conflicting reports on the rate of unemployment in Nigeria because of paucity of data.
Available pertinent information shows that Nigeria’s unemployment rate is about 24% (this is a very conservative figure). However, youth unemployment rate is put at more than 50%, which represents about 64 million people (“Rate of Job Creation Insufficient to Tame Unemployment in Nigeria,” 2014). But for the new Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), Nigeria’s poverty rate is hovering around 43.3% of the estimated population of 170 million (see Emejo, 2014).It is proper to note that three groups of unemployed youths have been identified in this article: university graduates, high school graduates not yet enrolled in any university program, and those who did not complete high school education.
Others who have added to the rising rate of unemployment include people who choose to leave their current job to retire, those who went back to school to acquire new skills and knowledge for another career, and those who take a position at another organization. It is, however, proper to note that most of the unemployed youths are vulnerable to antisocial activities as they are struggling to make ends meet without any form of government assistance.Given the above background, the political leaders do not seem to be taking responsibility for these problems as every-one is blaming everyone else.
Nigeria’s leaders, it appears, hate to be held accountable for anything. It is also proper to note that the root cause of the present social, political, and economic predicaments in the society is not the making of the leaders alone, but collective selfishness. Everybody in Nigeria, it seems, wants to be in a leadership position whether or not they have the skills and knowledge to stimulate a healthy competition, increase the wealth of the nation, and thus, create economic opportunity for everyone.
Leadership is not about revenue sharing but about moving people to action to create wealth. These actions are possible with lead-ers who are committed to improving the living conditions of the people.The challenges facing Nigeria appear to be deep-rooted in the mind-sets of the leaders and the nation’s extractive politi-cal and economic institutions (Acemoglu & Robinson, 2012). As a result, there is a serious disconnect between ego-system thinking and eco-system reality (Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013). It has aptly been noted that the state of our mind-sets or mental models (Senge, 2006) affect what we do—our per-formance, decision-making process, and how we manage ourselves.
For Nigeria to move forward socially, politically, and economically, the leaders and followers (in collective leadership) should have a deeper shift in their mind-sets and gravitate toward “ecosystem awareness” from their engrained “ego-system thinking” (Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013, p. 11). According to Albert Einstein’s famous dictum, we cannot solve our present problems with the same level of mind-set or consciousness that created them. Meanwhile, because of the failure of the political leaders of Nigeria to change their mindset and embrace creative and innovative ideas that will transform and restructure the system, Nigeria’s non-functional education and health care systems will continue to threaten the growth and development of the economy as these are the engines that drive individual and national produc-tivity.
But “failure is not an option” (Blankstein, 2010, p. 1) for Nigeria. However, what Nigeria will become is the society the leaders and followers have decided to create. Without a doubt, majority of the people wants a leader who can lead from the emerging future possibilities.
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