Speaking yesterday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the opening of the two-day Policy Dialogue on the implementation of the Agenda for Change organised by the Policy, Research and Strategy Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Blair said Nigeria surprised everyone with its smooth transition of power. Represented by Peter Mandelson, the former British secretary of state for trade and industry, Mr Blair said the successful conduct of the presidential elections has placed enormous responsibility on the shoulders of the new government.
Mr Blair said: “Those who felt Nigeria will never see the successful transfer of power, who felt the election would divide Nigeria, have been proved wrong by Buhari’s election. I am glad to be here at this time for this reason as there were many in the international community who doubted you, who said that Nigeria would never see truly free and fair elections or a peaceful transition of power.
"There were others who said that the differences in your country, between Christian and Muslim, north and south, haves and have-nots were too great to be overcome, that an election would only divide Nigeria and make her weaker and you have proved those people wrong. You deserve to be congratulated and to celebrate your success but at the same time I am sure you all know that the hard work is just beginning, both in respect of the economy, especially given the fall in oil price, and security.”
He urged the new government to dare to ride on the wings of its popularity to effect tangible changes in the lives of the country and its people and earn their confidence, adding that the hope of the African continent is in the hands of the government. Mr Blair who traced the genesis of the rise of the rebranded Labour Party of Britain to political prominence in 1997 and its loss of power in 2010, said there are some similarities in the circumstances that led to that popularity of the new labour and the APC-led government.
He however warned the incoming administration against losing focus in its delivery, which according to him, was the misfortune of the Labour Party. According to Mr Blair, the major lessons to be learnt from the Labour Party’s experience, is that the skills that take a party to government are not the same skills that make you successful in government.
“You have to move from being a persuader to being a chief executive, one is about words and the other is about deed. You have to apply a simple science of delivery, a science of priorities, of proper planning, of defining goals, creating data systems that track progress," Mr Blair added.
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