NIGERIAN governors are as politically powerful as they are influential in the political space. Since the return of democracy in 1999, we have seen the powers that state governors wield. In most cases, they often gang up, through their ‘Governor’s Forum’ to harass the Presidency. The Regional governors’ forum like the Northern, South Eastern, South Western and South-South governors’ forum are merely pressure groups not necessarily for regional interest/growth or to find common economic collaborative alliances for the good of the people but often for the interest of the governors.
The Roundtable Conversation understands that Nigeria runs a federation but it seems the federating units are not run in ways that each of the unit can coordinate and work for the welfare of the people. The governors seem to often exact pressure for self-preservation. Since 1999, it’s a bit difficult to point out governors that have truly transformed their states with enduring legacies that have made the lives of the people better in the long run beyond the pre-election razzmatazz of media ‘project flag-off and commissioning’.
With 133million people living in multi-dimensional poverty and a sad addition of extra 4million in the first quarter of 2023, the country is on a slippery slope. Understandably there are challenges from global economic issues worsened by the covid-19 pandemic but then, the Nigerian political structure seems bereft of administrative plans to engineer the states to self-sufficiency either in the security sector or for economic viability that sustains and creates jobs.
The federal government has its constitutional roles like the general provision of certain infrastructure and the internal security of the country that has been a challenge for some decades now but the Roundtable Conversation believes that the governors in Nigeria can do better with less politicking and more creativity in governance to ameliorate the poverty in the land. Most of the problem of the governors lack the creative commitment that can help them diversify their economies given their unique resources.
The near total dependence on the federal allocations seems to have made the governors behave like babies yet to be weaned of parental support. All the states in Nigeria are blessed with a lot of natural resources some of which are so priced in the tech, solid minerals, hospitality and tourism sectors but lack of accountable investments in these areas which has made them totally undervalued or left in the hands of illegal miners or some foreign poachers that ferret some of the items to other countries as raw materials.
Excuses can be pushed forward about what the federal government can do but many believe that the governors can channel the same energy they exert for their group interests at various levels to get the federal government to do the needful. But to most of the governors, party or group interests often outweigh their commitment to the people who voted them in. The state governors in Nigeria know how to work for their individual political interests despite the difficulties they might encounter so what can they not do if they are truly committed to the welfare of their people?
The state governors always pride themselves as those in charge of political structures of their political parties and that is no fluke. They play big roles before and during elections. They often determine the party delegates, candidates for state houses of assembly, national assembly and they often influence how their party members vote during presidential elections. This in local parlance is often referred to as ‘from the sweeper to the speaker’ kind of influence.
It therefore goes to show that Nigerian governors have the powers to help the people better than what has been g since 1999. The governors can do better. The level of poverty is crippling and governors must get more empathetic and creative in helping the people. Series of nocturnal meetings and talk-shops have not significantly helped the people to create wealth for economic prosperity.
One of the reasons why most governors are not creatively being productive is the team they often work with. The idea of Nigerians seeing government service as a favour often influences who is appointed. The moment governors realize that productivity stems from competence and capacity, they would understand that the engagement of those ready to work trumps the idea of just appointing some people seen as party or personal loyalists. Leadership is not often by the most intelligent but good leaders are those who can get the best teams for the jobs. It takes discernment and humility for good leaders to understand this.
The argument might be that the governors do not appoint ministers at the federal level and these ministers often superintend the sectors that ought to work for the states to benefit. However, this argument falls flat on its face because the Nigerian constitution makes it mandatory for each state to have a minister and in most cases, because the President might not necessarily know everyone, the governors who are closer to the people are given the honour to nominate their citizens. We often see them nominating not necessarily the most competent but those that they have control over in what is euphemistically referred to as loyalty.
This is exactly why most of the ministers are either unproductive or in ministries where their competences cannot work maximally. It is ironic that most times the country fails to understand the powers of the governors in a country where most of them operate as emperors given the flawed political structure that empowers them beyond measure. These same governors often influence those elected to the legislature at both state and federal levels. They often have a hold on them in ways that many analysts believe is stifling the democracy we practice. Senate screening for nominees is often influenced by their state governors.
The series of impeachments at the state houses of assembly across the country are often fallout of executive interference. At one time in Edo state during the tenure of Adams Oshiomole, there was about four speakers of the state assembly in about two years. Edo state is not alone. Many state governorsare alleged to have had interfered in the leadership of their state assemblies in their efforts to either arm-twist or have their loyalists decide what happens in the house.
In some weird ways, successive Nigerian governors have not shown that they understand the values of good governance. The politicking to them keeps them relevant and powerful so they neglect their real duties to the people and excel in the game of self-preservation. The true powers that Nigerian governors wield can be deployed positively to ameliorate the poverty in the land.
In every democracy, there must be a level of synergy between the different arms of government and institutions. This would ensure that there are no conflicts of interest in ways that certain functions are not compromised for some mundane interests. The country is blessed with huge human and natural resources so it needs leaders that have a vision for prosperity to harness the resources for the good of the people.
Political offices must begin to be seen as being held in trust for the people before governors especially can begin to be held accountable for the levels of poverty in their states. They might not be the ones in charge of all the sectors of the economy but they are very influential in the political space in ways that can make them more productively accountable.
Even though Nigeria runs a federation, the governors seem to only whip up that narrative when they are seeking self –preservation. When they push for their interest as a collective, they unit without the federating tag. The Roundtable Conversation believes the governors have either taken the people for granted for so long or underestimate their socio-political influence at both state and federal levels.
The level of poverty across the country has been documented by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics across the regions. It behooves on the state governors to take some critical look at the statistics especially at regional and state levels and coordinate how to fight the scourge. The essence of government is to see to the welfare and security of the people.
The level of poverty in the nation is alarming and while no one is underrating some efforts some governors are making, the people must feel the impact of these efforts nationwide. Understandably there are issues the federal government are constitutionally meant to handle but the governors can still use their influence to get those things done for the people without pushing the burden of party loyalty.
Already, for the twenty eight governors that were either elected for the first time of re-elected during the March 18 election, the expectations are high as more people are slipping into the poverty bracket. The political class must realize that the global political space has changed and the people are at the edge and want their welfare made a priority. The people are waiting to see actual improvement in their lives given the resources available.
The governors must think of the legacies that they want to leave behind. Today, late Micheal Okpara of the defunct Eastern region, late Lateef Jakande of Lagos, late Aminu Kano of Kano did not do miracles but their humanity and legacies have immortalized them. They might not have eradicated poverty totally but each of them have enduring legacies that the people nostalgically crave for their ilk decades after their death.
The dialogue continues…
