Of democracy and nation building

THe host governor and executive governor of Osun State, His Excellency, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; the Special Guest of Honour, APC National Leader and former executive governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Asiwaju (Senator) Bola AhmedTinubu; the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam; the Vice Chancellor, ObafemiAwolowo University, Professor A. A. Elujoba; the chairman of this occasion and former Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Adigun Agbaje; the Keynote Speaker and former Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Professor Dipo Kolawole; national and zonal officers of the Nigerian Political Science Association, professors, Deans of Faculties, Heads of Departments, conference participants, students, gentlemen of the press, distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

I warmly join my vice chancellor in welcoming you to the 1st annual conference of the Nigerian Political Science Association, South-West zone. Even though this conference has been late in coming considering the progress made by some other zonal chapters of NPSA such as the South East Zone, I am greatly delighted that the South West Zone has woken up. It is our hope that, as the name implies,the annual conference of the NPSA South West will be held annually to address key issues confronting our country and, indeed, the global political community.

The theme of this year’s conference “Democracy, Nation Building and National Development in Nigeria” was deliberately chosen to strike at the heart of the core issues confronting our country. Although Nigeria has had uninterrupted democratic rule for over seventeen years, it is obvious that the country’s democracy is faced with severe democratic challenges. While it is true that deepening democratic institutions and processes requires time, it is equally true that enlightenment, conscious efforts, acceptance and commitment to democratic ideals, principles and processes, especially on the part of critical actors, are imperative for the consolidation of democracy. It is noteworthy that issues of adherence to the rule of law and due process have often provoked attention in the country.

And, at a time when political parties seem to be greatly troubled with the major opposition political party in virtual disarray, when public trust in political parties is increasingly eroding, when there are serious concerns about the electoral process, when there is intense inter-group tension as well as heightened insecurity in the country, when the economy is in dire straits and poverty rapidly increasing, there is no doubt that the theme of this conference is relevant to our national needs. How and when these issues are reasonably resolved may be crucial to the health and even survival of our beloved country.

My intention is neither to dwell on these issues nor appraise policy interventions designed to ameliorate (some of) them in this brief welcome address as I am confident that these and other issues will be the focus of addresses and papers in this conference. I like to appreciate the Special Guest of Honour for accepting the offer. In selecting His Excellency, it was our considered view that not only has he been a major factor in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, he contributed immensely to the struggle against military dictatorship in the country. And, of course, one would be saying the obvious to assert that His Excellency, Asiwaju (Senator) Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains the most significant political actor in the Southwest today.

I also thank our dear governor for readily agreeing to be the host governor in spite of his very busy schedule. His Excellency, the governor of Osun State, has untiringly and committedly continued to stir the ship of our state in spite of the challenges of governance in our country. I appreciate the chairman of this occasion and the Keynote Speaker for being supportive. I must thank my very good friend and brother, the Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, the Honourable Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly.

Your Excellences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for coming and I encourage you to be part of our two days conference as much as you can. You are all welcome. God bless you and God bless Nigeria.

• Being an address delivered by Professor Obiyan, Head of the Department of Political Science, at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, last week.