The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bad governance

  • How not to end ‘bad governance’ in a democracy

    How not to end ‘bad governance’ in a democracy

    • By ESV. Olufemi Adedamola Oyedele

    Sir: There is no doubt that there is hardship in the land which did not just start last year. Hardship has been a constant decimal in Nigeria since the military coup of 1966.

    In Kano State, the #EndBadGovernance protest, which started on August 1, resulted in the killing of many protesters allegedly by security operatives. During the protest in Kano, hoodlums attacked, damaged and looted public and private properties including the newly constructed Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Industrial Park, part of which was also set ablaze. The Police Command in Kano said about 269 suspects have been arrested for their roles in the looting, damaging and torching of public properties.

    In Bauchi Road, Jos North, Plateau State, one person was killed after some youths attacked businesses with the intention to loot and injure the shop owners. In Rivers State, the protesters stormed the residence of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, along Ada George Road, Port Harcourt, forcing motorists to carry leaves in their support. They also forced traders to close shop. Economists and financial experts had predicted that not less than N300 billion will be lost to the “riots” if allowed to last for 10 days.

    The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Chapter 2, Section 14, provides that: “The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice.” It is incivility for anybody or a group of people in a country to think of ending a bad government through protest, riot or war. “End bad governance” is not the right theme to protest about bad governance. “

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    Though “Good Governance” is defined as the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law, it is also relative and cultural. While there is no internationally agreed definition of ‘good governance’, generally it covers such aspects of human life as: full respect for human rights, the rule of law, effective participation, multi-actor partnerships, political pluralism, transparent and accountable processes and institutions, an efficient and effective public sector, legitimacy, access to knowledge, information and education, political empowerment of people, equity, sustainability, and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance. According to the United Nations Organisation (UNO), good governance is measured by the eight factors of Participation, Rule of Law, Transparency, Responsiveness, Consensus Oriented, Equity and Inclusiveness, Effectiveness and Efficiency, and Accountability. A good leader who wants to practice good governance must ensure that the government is participatory and that there is enforcement of laws to ensure peace, fairness and justice.

    Where there is no good governance or where some people (either all, majority or minority) feel governance is bad, the only option they have is to protest and not to riot based on the provision of Section 40 of the 1999 constitution, which provides that: “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons and he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests”. The only restriction on and derogation from peaceful assembly of people is in section 45 of the constitution. Section 45 of the 1999 constitution states that: (1) Nothing in section 40 of this constitution shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society in the interest of defence, public safety, public order (peaceful co-existence), public morality or public health of the people of Nigeria.

    •ESV. Olufemi Adedamola Oyedele,

    Lagos.

  • Don’t complain of bad governance without PVCs – Idahosa

    Nigerians without Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have no moral right to complain of bad governance, General Overseer of God First Ministries Bishop Isaac Idahosa has stated.

    Speaking to reporters in Minna yesterday, Idahosa said prayers will not elect the next leaders of the nation.

    According to him: “It is your PVCs that elect the next governor or President, prayers will not elect these people.”

    He urged church leaders to encourage their members to get their PVCs, adding without living by example, the members will not follow suit.

    “You can preach all you know but you produce who you are. If as a leader in the church, you ask your members to get their PVCs and you do not have one, then you have done nothing. If you do not have your PVC, do not complain of bad governance,” he stressed.

    The cleric decried the incessant killings of Christians in some states, describing the situation as unacceptable.

    He called on Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of tolerance, love and be their brother’s keepers.

    Idahosa called on government at all levels to tackle poverty.

  • Political scientists attribute insecurity, corruption to bad governance

    Political scientists attribute insecurity, corruption to bad governance

    Political scientists have blamed the endemic corruption and insecurity on bad governance by successive administrations in the country.
    National Political Science Association of Nigeria (NPSAN) President, Prof Shuaib Ibrahim, said the President Muhammadu Buhari government rode to power, based on his promise to curb the menace.
    He lamented that the promise has not ben fully fulfilled by his administration.
    Ibrahim spoke at the Second National Conference of the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN). The theme of the conference was: ‘State, governance and insecurity in Nigeria.’
    He said: “If you have good governance in place, I am sure it will sustain and rejuvenate the system to correct such economic misplacements. The thinking has always been that we have had good intentioned governments, but in terms of the leadership and those that executive policies, we have not had them. It is obvious that when this government specifically came, it actually marshaled out its.
    “The government came in with full blown acceptance and we had great expectations from this government. This has made it imperative for the government to sit down and look at those expectations of Nigerians and do a controlled experiment.
    “You know very well that when people are traumatised security wise, hunger, in terms of increasing pauperisation of Nigerians set in, you start making a rethink whether we got it right. I think our expectations have not been met. It is not yet uhuru.”
    Declaring the conference open, the Vice Chancellor of UNILORIN, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, who was represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Prof Sidikat Ijaya, said insecurity is currently the number one challenge in Nigeria.
    Ambali added: “The conference will create opportunity for a robust discussion on the state of Nigeria.  After practicing democracy since 1999 till datem, we need to ask ourselves serious question of why we find ourselves in the ditch today.
    “When you talk about insecurity what readily comes to mind is Boko Haram, but then we have the Avengers. There are different types of insecurity in Nigeria. Other types of insecurity are starring all of us in the face. They include insecurity of the stomach; school feels insecurity of employment and acceptance fees.
    “Honestly, we need to ask serious questions about the state of the nation. We need to ask ourselves who brought insecurity upon us? Of course, they are not outsiders they are Nigerians. We ought to think seriously about governance. Is governance about amassing wealth? Is governance about paraphernalia of office or about making life easier for the people we are leading?”
    A professor of Political Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Ayo Dumoye, said: “Nigeria has a deficit of good governance. I lay the blame squarely on the feet of our leaders. Since independence governance has been negative. That is why we are here today; that is why we have insecurity, corruption, unemployment and recession. I want to say that when you have bad governance then you have insecurity.
    “It is obvious that threat to national security in Nigeria cannot be reduced to military issue only. It has been suggested that human security in all its ramifications is very important. Economic insecurity, particularly poverty engendered by economic recession constitutes threat to national security. The state is expected to provide good governance through democratic, accountable and participatory political system.”
    “It is when the state ensures good governance that security threat would be adequately tackled and insecurity will be curtailed if not outrightly eliminate it.”
    In his paper entitled: Nigeria’s ‘to to’ democracy and the mounting crisis in nation-building,” professor of international relations, UNILORIN, Hassan Saliu attributed the retardation of Nigeria’s development to proliferation of many greenhorns politicians and their taste for expansive materials.
    Prof Saliu added that “our attitude to politics needs to change; our current politicians are so challenged that on their own, they cannot bring about development in our country; diversification of the economy is more urgent now than ever before.
    “We argue that the egregious level of impact that democracy has made, especially with its generation of more poverty people for Nigeria, is the root/accelerator of the nation-building crisis in Nigeria.”
    Acting head of department, political science, Dr Abdulrasheed Muhammad said that there is series of complexities in Nigeria’s “governance environment that require attention from both the state and them citizens. This is the vacuum which this conference hopes to fill.”

  • ‘APC”ll rescue Ondo from bad governance’

    ‘APC”ll rescue Ondo from bad governance’

    The Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Isaac Kekemeke, says the party is the only veritable alternative to rescuing the state from its present economic recession.

    While appreciating the people of the state for their massive support for the party, Kekemeke said the development is responsible for the high number of aspirants hoping to win its governorship ticket.

    The APC chiefyain, who is a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), spoke while receiving a governorship aspirant and Senator representing Ondo North, Prof Ajayi Boroffice, at the party’s secretariat in Akure, the state capital.

    The lawmaker was on hand to formally inform the party hierarchy of his intention to contest the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

    Confident that the party is poised to wrestle the state from the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Kekemeke thanked Boroffice for the visit. He commended him for his mature handling of the controversy over the alleged rancour among the party’s governorship aspirants.

    Promising that the party would provide a level playing field for all the aspirants, the APC chieftain urged them to campaign as team players, noting that the main goal of the party is to win the forthcoming governorship election in the state, regardless of who is the party’s standard bearer.

     

  • Ondo APC to PDP: Apologise to Nigerians for bad governance

    Ondo APC to PDP: Apologise to Nigerians for bad governance

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to apologise to Nigerians for inflicting what it called “bad governance and mismanagement of the country’s resources for 16 years, and most particularly in the last six years.”

    In a statement made available to reporters in Akure, the state capital, the Publicity Secretary of the party Abayomi Adesanya, said with the huge mess inherited by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, nothing short of tendering an unreserved apology by Jonathan and his party would assuage the pains suffered by Nigerians for 16 years.

    The party added, “Jonathan and PDP brought this country into domestic and international odium and disrepute, serious economic crisis, insecurity, unemployment, unprecedented corruption at all levels, abuse of state apparatus (Military and Police), disobedience of court orders, religious crisis and ethnicity, among others.

    “But rather than for PDP and Jonathan to be remorseful and apologetic, they were making unwarranted excuses and cover- up that is baseless and insulting to the sensitivity of Nigerians.”

    It added, “It is laughable listening to the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, saying his party was considering 30 days before appraising President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

    “Only of recent, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed that the current administration under Buhari has increased Nigeria’s foreign reserves from $29 billion to $31.89 billion in just one month.

    “What more, the anti-graft bodies that were hitherto moribund, are now active and responsive, docking former governors and bureaucrats.”

  • ‘Bad governance breeds insecurity’

    corruption, inefficiency and  imbalance in the distribution of the national resources are the bane of the country. Thus, Nigeria is burning its candle from both ends of the stick and, if appropriate steps are not taken to address the anomaly and move the country away from the brink, the America prediction may become a reality. This was the conclusion drawn by the immediate past chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, Mr. Monday Ubani, at a lecture organised by the old boys’ association of Ibadan Grammar School, 1965 to 1971 set, recently in Lagos.

    Ubani, who was the guest lecturer at the ‘October Roundtable’ said the unity and development of the country is held back by corruption, impunity and imbalance in the distribution of the national wealth.

    At the roundtable, which took place under the theme, ‘Democracy, Security and Good Governance’, Ubani emphasised that the country cannot change through the actions of the oppressors alone. “Unless every Nigerian gets angry with the system and resolve to play an active role in turning the situation around, Nigeria would not make progress,” he added.

    Drawing a correlation between good governance and security under the democratic set up, Ubani said there would be no development and that insecurity would continue to distabilise the country.  He noted that wastefulness associated with the current structure of the Nigerian federation robs it of the wherewithal to finance the development of infrastructure, to provide the enabling environment to attract investment from within and without.

    Therefore, he urged the ruling elite to dismantle the over-centralised structure of the federation, which gives 54 per cent of allocations from the Federation Account to the government at the centre, leaving the state and local governments that are closest to the people to share the remaining. Besides, he said 75 per cent of the annual budgets at both the federal and state levels are allocated to recurrent expenditure, leaving only 25 per cent for capital projects.

    As a result, he said there is a criminal neglect and abandonment of the health and educational sectors. For instance, he said: “It is obvious that in Nigeria, neither the federal nor state governments have built major modern medical facilities and centres to cater for the teeming Nigerian population in the last three decades. It is obvious that the rich always go overseas for their medical needs while leaving the rest of Nigerians to suffer at home.”

    Ubani, who holds a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Lagos, said the system naturally breeds frustrated and traumatized Nigerians who are easily provoked at the slightest misunderstanding. This is why crime is prevalent in the country and those behind Boko Haram insurgency can easily recruit foot soldiers to join their ranks.

    He added: “If the political leadership of the country and the state/regions create programmes to maintain the public welfare, there will be less inclination towards being antagonistic to the government. In Nigeria, there is no public welfare programmes geared toward reducing the suffering of the people. Thus, a generality of the population are on their own. The suffering can instigate actions that threaten the national security.”

    The guest lecturer said there is bad governance because political leaders allow corruption to run wild. “The nation’s wealth disappears into private pockets of the same officials who suppose to use the wealth of the land to develop the state. Imagine that Nigeria (that prides herself as the giant of Africa) do not have sufficient weapon to fight Boko Haram insurgency in the North,” he noted.

    Ubani believes good governance entails a political system in which the leadership is responsive, transparent and accountable to the citizens. He said: “Good governance entails respect for the constitution and the rule of law by all, including the head of state, governors, high public officials and political representatives… Good governance requires a fair distribution of the national wealth so that all citizens, groups, states, and regions of the country benefit.

    “Good governance entails building accessible public health care facilities, so that Nigerian citizens can take care of their medical needs without having to pauperize themselves by going to exorbitant private medical clinics.” It also requires the creation of sustainable economic ventures in both the public and private sectors that are capable of employing thousands of citizens annually, he added.

    Ubani’s emphasised that democracy and good governance are necessary requirements of enthroning security in the polity.

  • Unwanted babies of bad governance

    Some years ago, there was global economic recession when the biggest economies of the world suffered some set-backs. Expectedly, some serious countries who care much for their citizens and who are well known for moral and financial discipline like Britain, USA, Germany, Japan and China promptly introduced measures which stabilised their economies. In Nigeria, measures to stop official stealing and corruption with a view to achieve a buoyant economy for the well-being of Nigerians were too weak and ineffective. Consequently, what we have here and there, in Nigeria, was bad governance which gave birth to ‘unwanted babies’.

    For instance, in the North East, Boko Haram insurgency was born; in the South and East kidnapping of wealthy and elderly citizens was born; in the South West area boys’ menace and violent armed robberies became rampant while in the far north thousands of Almajiris, old and young, roam the streets.

    Furthermore, the general fear of insecurity by Nigerians rose to a level never witnessed in Nigeria’s history due to this political virus. Consequently, after many years of continuous deceit and bad governance, the down trodden Nigerians have since realised that the billions of naira appropriated yearly for the development of their economy, improvement of security and to up-grade welfare services for them were frequently mismanaged, stolen and cleverly laundered into foreign accounts.

     

    – Mr. Falana Williams Adewole

    C/O Araromi Oke-Odo Market, Lagos.

  • Bad governance is Nigeria’s problem

    The problem facing Nigeria as a nation and threatening its existence as one indivisible nation is nothing but greed and corruption. If I am saddled with the responsibility of drawing up an agenda for the country, I would list corruption as the only one.

    Asides from corruption, cultism is another big problem that has become worrisome to patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians owing to continued silence and pretence in the society.

    It is also high time all Nigerians both at home and abroad got hyped up to foresee the inherent dangers in allowing our society to continue to be a largely cult-driven one. There is no doubt that the forging of an egalitarian society will continue to be a day dream should concerted efforts not be made to say no to cultism in all ramifications in Nigeria. Now is the time for all Nigerians in positions of authority, especially the policy and decision makers, to come out openly to identify with the fight against cultism in the society by shunning membership of any secret cult.

    It is pertinent for all politicians irrespective of political affiliation to denounce their membership of any secret cult or association, as until this is done and addressed seriously, politics in our country will continue to be tagged, not only as a dirty game but a game where cultists are seen as movers and shakers in party politics.

    It is high time the issue of cultism was addressed as a bane to the emergence of an egalitarian society in Nigeria. There is no doubt the need for an attitudinal change, whereby religion in the country is being used as a smokescreen to promote corruption and cultism. The million dollar question is: For how long shall we continue to chase the shadow while leaving the substance of the problems facing us as a nation? Restructuring or balkanisation of Nigeria is not the problem but corruption and cultism. Time will tell.

     

    Odunayo Joseph

    Mopa

    Kogi State