Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, last week, charged Nigerians to pay attention to their state governors and ensure that they took the business of governance seriously.
We tracked two other stories from the seat of power, Aso Rock villa, for you reading pleasure.
1. Tinubu on holding Governors accountable
On May 24, Tinubu tasked Nigerians to tell their state governors to take their responsibilities seriously in order to deliver the dividends of democracy.
“Pay attention to your state governors. Tell them to take their responsibilities seriously and make the people the focus of their development plans. Once there is synergy, then I can assure you that Nigeria will be one of the best nations that you will see anywhere on earth,” a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said.
Tinubu may have through his admonition opened up the space for a deeper conversation on the troubled subject of leadership, true federalism, and the unfinished task of reworking Nigeria’s constitution.
He reminds Nigerians through these remarks that the relationship between and among the various federating units calls for a clear understanding of the boundaries of leadership at different levels.
The critical question, however, lies in the sincerity of the calls for responsibility and accountability when no honest attempts have been made to rejig certain aspects of constitution that bring the states in conflict with the centre.
While Tinubu’s call may sound genuine, it must be said that until the grey areas of the constitution that makes it possible for the centre to ride roughshod over the federating units are cleared, the perception is likely to remain that certain leadership woes may have been foisted on states through manipulated emergence of a few political leaders.
Two other talking points
2. Tinubu’s prescription for bad governance
Tinubu on May 22, stressed that more democracy was the right prescription for bad democratic governance.
Speaking in Abuja at a summit on the state of democracy in Africa, the President asserted that “We have learnt through bitter experience that the worst form of democracy is far better than the best form of military autocracy. Specifically, in Nigeria, we have learnt that the cure for bad democratic governance is more democracy.”
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Tinubu’s continuous preachment on democracy to African leaders, perhaps, speaks of his aspiration of becoming a thought leader in the ambitious pursuit of a continental goal to pull down the stronghold of military junta in countries such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
It, however, behoves the President to take practical steps to deepen democratic institutions and continue to pursue policies that will sustain the existence of Nigeria and position it as a bastion of democracy.
3. Shettima’s stand on Tinubu’s tough policies
On May 21, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, praised his principal, President Tinubu, saying that his tough decisions prevented the downfall of Nigeria’s economic collapse.
Represented by his Special Adviser on General Duties, Aliyu Moddibo Umar, at the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professionals Forum’s Policy Roundtable Conference in Abuja, Shettima stated: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made the difficult but necessary choices to ensure Nigeria’s long-term stability and prosperity are never in doubt. He has chosen a path that, although demanding, promises to save our nation from economic downfall.”
Shettima may have indirectly replied Tinubu’s hard core critics who are of the view that his policies within the one year of his administration had only brought economic pains to most Nigerians.
The Vice President’s statement, which aims to polish the image of the administration, appears to also serve as an affirmation that the President’s policies such as the removal of fuel subsidy, floating of Naira, among others, were well-calculated before they were implemented.
Whatever be the case, it is assumed that Shettima is not unaware that if the President’s policies fail to yield the expected fruits, Nigerians will not hesitate to hold them to account.
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