Buratai Reappears with Research Centre

Against the background of increasing loss of faith in the Nigerian project, former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s current Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, General Tukur Buratai, initiated the Tukur Buratai Research Centre, a cutting-edge leadership think-tank to aid the troubled national development journey. Louis Achi examines the underlying vision

This is a good time to recall former French president, Giscard D’Estaing’s counsel to statesmen and world leaders: “There can be no response to history without effort.” D’Estaing’s sage warning was clearly inspired by the environment of the human crisis that defined his era. He was born during the First World War and fought in the second bloody global conflagration.

Today, the stakes are extremely high, and Nigerians are mindful that failure to achieve democratic stability, through a fair, transparent, inclusive governance process and very importantly, an untainted leadership transition process may imperil the country’s future as a coherent state.

Moreover, being Africa’s demographic and natural resources centre of gravity, Nigeria ought to lead the journey of transformative change on the continent. She ought to provide the leadership to raise Africa to her next level. But then charity must begin at home because at this period in human history, it surely would be sheer folly to tread a different path.

And that is the challenge before both the current Muhammadu Buhari presidency and successive administrations. This is also at the core of the leadership think-tank project initiated by the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Nigeria’s current Ambassador to the Republic of Benin.

Conceivably, in order to respond to the tumultuous history he has found himself in and had actually played a crucial role in as counselled by the ex-French President D’Estaing, the former COAS recently initiated the establishment of a cutting-edge leadership research centre at Gora in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria.

He stated that the Centre would collaborate with the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, in the fields of strategic studies, peace and conflict studies, environment and leadership for development. Not one to beat about the bush, the ground breaking and fundraiser for Tukur Buratai Research Centre (TBRC) held at Gora in Nasarawa State in late December last year.

When THISDAY directly asked the brawny ex-General, now an Ambassador, why he opted for this path, he provided an insight that showed his lesser known side and spoke to a hidden passion about the progressive transformation of the Nigerian state.

Ambassador Buratai said: “My simple philosophy about life is to continue to live a life of value by improving on the system that we have. As someone from the military, I reckoned the best way for me and my associates to add value to our society and make our country better and stronger is through a think-tank like the Tukur Buratai Research Center (TBRC).’’

In addition, the soldier-statesman said that Nigeria has the potential for greatness but there were insufficient capabilities to transfer those potential into socio-economic benefits for the people. According to him, inadequate research and development implementation in Nigeria create a massive void in the nation’s progress.

His words: “When properly focused research and training institutes are established, innovation and development become a natural progressive activity that benefits the nation’s life. In other words, Nigeria gains the ability to develop positively as a result of enhanced study and training.

“Corruption, insecurity due to terrorism and banditry, inadequate infrastructure, issues in governance and an inept educational system are all systemic flaws. With every amount of commitment made to research and training, as well as a strong national orientation one may be confident that we, as a people and a nation, are on the right track.

“I would like to utilize this TBRC platform to emphasize that now is the moment for us to turn within and devise home-grown solutions to our unique difficulties.”

Further, according to him, the “TBRC was his way of contributing to national development and giving back to society through a well thought-out approach that would have a long lasting impact on the country. As a result of the myriad of socio-economic and political challenges, it may be reasonable to argue that Nigeria can, to a large degree, resolve her development issues through research.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the unique initiative drew support from several stakeholders who are also concerned about the worrisome drift of the national journey. According to the Vice Chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Suleiman Mohammed, the institute and TBRC had identified their research and development partnership based primarily on security and strategic studies.

In his words: “The vision and mission of the Buratai Centre aligns with the university’s policy and strategy for impacting the society. The centre’s motto which is to promote research for leadership and development is a strong statement about the ultimate value of research to impact humanity positively. We envisage that the centre will be a hub for cross fertilization of ideas on security, peace, conflict, leadership and development issues.”

Soft-spoken Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State who performed the ground breaking donated N50 million to the Centre. Over N160 million was realised at the occasion with the highest donation of N100 million coming from the BUA Group of companies.

The emerging consensus is that Ambassador Buratai’s well-considered leadership project is certainly not coming too soon. Today, ethnic nationalism, a crucial component of the myriad challenges, has reared its head in the country with different political nuances – from the overt to the subtle. This has a history. But perhaps most importantly and to the credit of Nigerians, the country remains one entity despite powerful forces that have challenged its growth and severely tested its resilience.

These have undeniably sown the seeds of loss of faith in the Nigerian state. Former US President Bill Clinton captured something of this troubling truth at the Leon H. Sullivan Summit, held in Abuja in July 2006. His words: “There is no single tragedy in Africa more than robbing people of their dreams. The new challenge in Africa today is building a systematic capacity which will enable the people to live to make their own progress and save their own future. If you look at the miracle economies of Asia, it’s not only hard work but the opportunity to be part of a system that will reward your intelligence and hard work.”

Further prodded by THISDAY, the Ambassador made it clear that a strong and innovative think-tank would go a long way to boosting a nation’s institutional development and democracy, noting the Centre will fill the vacuum in the area of research and policy development. He then revealed the hidden historian and philosopher in him by enlisting specific examples of the place of innovative think-tanks in human development history.

Hear him: “Let me make it categorically clear to us that one of the factors that helped the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is strong and innovative think-tanks. As far back as 1831, the Duke of Wellington set up the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies with the aim of helping policymakers navigate through complex policy problems. Then the London Fabian Society which was established in 1884, home to Sydney and Beatrice Webbs, who later founded the London School of Economics.”

He accurately recalled that Lionel Curtis of Oxford University spearheaded the establishment of a think-tank to explore international problems and advocate policy solutions.

According to the ambassador, “In 1919, scholars like Lionel Curtis of the Oxford University spearheaded the establishment of a think-tank to explore international problems and advocate policy solutions. After that, we saw the emergence of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 1916, which in 1927, merged with two other institutions to form the widely acclaimed Brookings Institution. I believe that there exists a gap in our polity that TBRC as a think-tank can fill through research and policy development especially in the areas of security and defence, peace, conflict management, climate change, leadership and development.

“We need development in every sector of our national life, and this is something that should not be left for the government alone to do. As I have said in so many fora, there can be no real development without security and peace, and in the same vein, there must be economic opportunities, equity and justice for security and peace to exist which in turn serves as the foundation or pillars of development.”

Ambassador Buratai’s intervention through his think-tank must, of course, bear a human face – a scenario he has left pretty few in doubt about. It is only through this pathway that Nigeria’s current and subsequent leadership can give meaning to the four essential human freedoms espoused by that great American President – Franklin Roosevelt – whose country has supplied Nigeria with the democratic model she is operating currently.