Opinion
Setting Measurable Goals (I)
In the concluding paragraph of my last week’s piece titled Jonathan’s New Development Agenda, I stated: “Goals and indeed targets serve as a basis for evaluating change; and they can help to stimulate and motivate the people to make their contributions towards the transformation of the nation”.
When a leader sets a goal with measurable progress, the people see the change that occurs and become willing agents of development. All government development agenda or projects require the cooperation and involvement of the people. So for government development agenda to succeed, the managers of the economy or the leaders at the various levels must properly articulate the goals of their programmes and make them attainable and relevant to the needs of the people.
Now the campaigns and elections are over. The inaugurations have come and gone. But the speeches of the political leaders are still sounding like election promises.
In fact the pledges are still being expressed in the same language: We shall provide social infrastructure. We shall focus on human capital development. We shall provide employment opportunities for the youths. We shall tackle the problems of power supply, food security, housing, corruption, and other developmental challenges of the country and make life more meaning to the people irrespective of their stations in the society.
In his inauguration address on May 29, 2011at the Eagle Square, Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan said: “I will continue to fight for your future because I am one of you. I will continue to fight for improved medical care for all citizens. I will continue to fight for all citizens to have access to first class education. I will continue to fight for electricity to be available to all citizens. I will continue to fight for an efficient and affordable public transport system for all people. I will continue to fight for jobs to be created through productive partnerships.”
In the same vein, Senator David Mark, following his return to office as the President of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly said: “As a mark of appreciation and reciprocation for the honour you have done me, I promise that I will be honest, transparent, fair and will ensure that there is equity and justice. Above all, I will preside with the fear of God”. Also in a similar tone, the newly elected speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, stated as part of his acceptance speech: “I pledge to uphold the confidence you and other Nigerians have reposed in my abilities to create the desired difference in the positive transformation of our nation. We will continue to ensure transparent, judicious, and productive application of state resources to achieve the essence of our social engagement with the Nigerian people.”
But as I have said over and over again in this column, lots of political pledges lack adequate preparation or fundamental background work including the strategies for their fulfillment. In so many cases they are made just to satisfy divergent psychological needs and expectations of the moment. And because over the years, such pledges or promises are not fulfilled, they no longer stimulate and mobilise the people for the attainment of any national goal.
Indeed, due to non-fulfillment of these political promises by past administrations, government has become virtually peripheral to the people in terms of meeting their socio-economic needs. It goes without saying that such basic needs as electricity, water, and security which are a given in other nations have continued to be provided by the Nigerian people themselves with so much difficulties and at very high costs.
If the present administration desires to make a difference, it must begin now to translate the needs and aspirations of the people into measurable goals, and goals into targets. An example of how to do this is demonstrated in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s efforts in the health sector of Rivers State. Last year, Governor Amechi set a goal of handing over sixty health centres to sixty communities in sixty days in the state.
Governor Amaechi’s goal in the health sector fulfilled the basic rules of goal setting. The goal was specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.
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