By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Ayade’s Audacious Vision for Cross River Development, 7 lessons from Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai.
Earlier this year, I read the book “My Vision — Challenges in the Race for Excellence” written by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktou, the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Dubai.
A particular naration in the book caught my attention and has changed my perspective to leadership, governance and development.
For the purpose of this treatise I will not quote directly from the book but try to rephrase.
The crown prince narated an incident which took place many years ago when he was still under the tutelage of his late father.
Then he was much younger and his dad was ruler of Dubai which was yet underdeveloped like Cross River State. His father was embarking on numerous development projects including the deep sea port major highways and more.
There came a time when some people, who thought the projects, including the proposed deep sea port, were too ambitious and beyond their time, came to him and asked him to speak to his father to see reason why those projects which he dreamed where not possible and also not what was needed for their development.
On a particular day he finally summoned courage when he and his dad were at the site of the constructions and told his father what some people thought about the projects. His father listened quietly to him speak, looked down and gave no response. He went on overseeing the ongoing work for the rest of the day.
Later, as they drove home together in their car, alone, his father raised the matter with him, and impressed on him strongly, first, never to speak about anything being impossible and second, never to speak about impossibilities in the presence of the team working on a project.
His father said specifically that if he did not embark on those projects at the time he was doing it, his son would not be able to embark on them in the future due to a few factors.
Of course the rest is history, his father went on to complete those astouding projects, which have put Dubai in the frontline of developed societies, and today, he, having taken over from his father, is achieving even more exceptional successes in building Dubai.
I seek to draw lessons from this and some other thoughts from Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and the Dubai success story as our digital governor Senator Prof. Ben Ayade drives his audacious vision for the development of Cross River State.
There are similarities in both instances and these lessons will help us navigate in our effort to actualize our vision, going forward, as a people and a State.
Lesson Number 1: The Ayade Vision and Ambition are key to the bright future that Cross River State deserves.
“Without a vision to guide our path, and without ambition that knows no limits, we can never build a bright future for generations to come.”
– Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade Administration came with a clear vision of how to transform the economic landscape of Cross River State through industrialization, expanding production, provision of infrastructure, provision of electricity, economic diversification and promotion of effective delivery of quality health care and education.
These and more the Ayade Administration has found constructive ways to bring to fruition as His Excellency Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade will not rest on his oars in his effort to transform the state for the good of Cross Riverians.
The Administration’s ambition does not acknowledge limitations, having set its eyes on the big picture, and this is the hope we have to build the bright future for genetations unborn. Together, we will achieve this.
Lesson Number 2: The developmental path the Ayade administration has chosen is not an easy one.
“An easy life does make not make men, nor does it build nations. Challenges make men, and it is men who build nations.”
– Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Ayade Administration from the onset has been clear about the fact that the task ahead and the pathway it has chosen to develop Cross River State are not easy ones but the governor Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade is committed to the task and is not a man who shies away from challenges.
Indeed no leader, who ever achieved anything worthwhile, has ever chosen the easy path. To make a difference, leaders must accept the sacrifice and challenge of passing the difficult path and and must have the peseverance to make it happen.
In the words of Theodore Roosevelt , “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
Lesson Number 3. The Ayade vision at first may seem impossible to many but with determination we can bring it to fruition.
“The word impossible is not in leaders dictionaries. No matter how big the challenges, strong faith, determination and resolve will overcome them.”
– Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The vision for signature projects; the deep sea port and super highway, for the industrialuzation of Cross River State, for electricity generation and the total transformation of the landscape may sound like impissible dreams especially for a state that ranks as one of the lowest, in terms of federally allocated revenue, but they are possible.
Leaders like Sen. Prof. Ben. Ayade do not have impossible in their dictionary. With a Federally Allocated Revenue that can barely pay salaries and pensions in the state, the most logical thing would be for the governor to sit back and lament about the low income and use that as an excuse to achieve nothing.
That is however not the case in Cross River State. The Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade has not only been able to pay salaries and pensions consistently but has also been able to embark on world class development initiatiaves like the signature projects; the deep sea port and the superhighway. This is the stuff true leaders are made of.
Lesson Number 4: The success of the Ayade vision will lay the foundation for greater successes in the state.
“The future does not wait for hesitant people. The more we achieve, the more we realize how much more we can achieve.”
– Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The beauty of success is that it leads to more success. In the sphere of development, success on one plane sets a foundation for the success on the next plane. The first is important for the attainment of the second. This is the philosophy behind the developmental aspirations of the Ayade Administration. It is a total commitment to set the foundation for phenomenal development of our dear state.
As a state, we will not hesitate to act on visions that will bring the required development to our people. There are many more achievements that lie ahead of us but first we must achieve these tasks we have set before ourselves.
We would have failed our future generations if we hesitate to aspire to achieve the things we are doing presently. The future does not wait for hesitant people. Sen. Prof. Ayade is not a man who hesitates when it comes to pursuing the Cross River Development vision. His administration’s achievements will take the state to the next level.
Lesson Number 5: The Ayade vision has high goals and the administration has what it takes to achieve these goals.
“Your determination and energy will be proportionate to your goal. Therefore, set a high goal for yourself and do not settle for anything less than the very best. The best is exactly what you will get if you accept no less.”
– Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
One thing you cannot take away from the Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade is that he is a man of high goals. Our people over the years have not been known as people of big dreams, thus these high goals may feel a little unusual.
The secret of high goals however is that they unveil hidden resources, potentials and opportunities in and around us. It also draws big people and big organizations to us. It is borne of a natural law; the law of attraction. The determination and energy we need to achieve our high goals are also inspired by the goals.
The Ayade Administration thus has what it requires to reach these high goals for the good of our people. Cross River State will never again be known as a civil service state, a people of small dreams or backward state.
Lesson Number 6: The Ayade administration is in a haste to achieve its developmental goals.
“Time is limited and the dream is boundless; therefore I am always in a hurry. ”
– Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Governor Ayade Benedict has left no one in doubt that he will spare no effort and waste no time in working to bring his vision for Cross River State to fruition. He has travelled the world; traversed many coubtries even at his personal discomfort to ensure he achieves this vision.
Beyond his tenure as governor being limited, Cross River as a state has no time to spare any more in striving to reach its developmental goals. Our people urgently need the benefit of the growth of our infrastructure and economy.
The vision of the signature projects; the superhighway and the deep sea port, the industrialization of the state, commercial agriculture production, power generation and many more must be achieved in record time because time of the essence.
Lesson Number 7: The Ayade Administration will not fear to take calculated risks in its strive to achieve excellence and development.
To take risk and fail is not a failure. Real failure is to fear taking any risk
– Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Helen Keller said “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”. This is quite instructive and this is one of the philosophies behind the Ayade Administration’s Aspirations.
The Ayade Administration will continue to take calculated risks in creating the new Cross River State that we all desire.
I will butress my point in closing with this quote from Debbie Ford “To live a life of excellence, you will have to take risks. You will have to step into new territory and climb new mountains. If you’re up to something that’s as big as you are, it’s going to be scary.”
“If it feels perfectly safe, you are probably underachieving. To leave your mark in the world, you will have to stand someplace you’ve never been willing to stand before. And you will have to have the courage to aspire to excellence.”
Emmanuel Etim is SSA to Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State.
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