The lawmaker, representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency at the green chamber of the National Assembly Abuja, Hon Chris Azubogu, has called for urgent reform of the nation’s political process as a catalyst for the emergence of quality leadership at all levels.
Hon Azubogu argued that stakeholders in the polity must do something different to achieve a different result in the quest for people-oriented leadership in all elective positions.
The lawmaker who is also aspiring to succeed Governor Willie Obiano in the forthcoming 2021 governorship election in the state, under People Democratic Party (PDP), stated this yesterday, at the sidelines of a two day Interactive session with themed” Reform of the political process in Nigeria: reform and practices” organised by the Centre for Strategic Leadership and Youths Orientation (CENSTLEYO), held in Awka, the Anambra state capital.
“We have to begin the process of reforming the political processes in this country. I believe part of the process is what brought us together here to discuss this critical process because political process is where public policies are conceptualized to achieve the desired impact in our lives.”
He insisted that there must be a strategic mechanism to screen people aspiring for leadership positions to determine their competence, skill, passion and antecedent.
The lawmaker said that most of the nation’s policies were not functioning effectively because the critical stakeholders were not carried along during formulations.
“Why most of the public policies don’t work, it is because the process of formulation, implementation and enforcement are faulty,” he said.
According to him, if the process of the formulation was faulty, its implementation would certainly be faulty.
“Citizens participation in policymaking is very critical. That is the duty of the civil society to ensure that people are involved in the policy formulations. Policy is not all about electoral policy or law-making or programmes, it is from the policy that good laws can be made,” he stated.
The lawmaker added that public policy can only work effectively when the people are involved in the formulations and they also buy into it.
“If the people have buying or the ownership of the policy, the enforcement becomes easy, compliance becomes effortless,” he added.
According to him, if there are policy and no compliance by the people, means that something was fundamentally wrong with the policy.
He noted further that the process of making Public policy must involve critical stakeholders, even when theoretical developed, you take up a step to educate the people.
The lawmaker therefore, enjoined the electorate to imbibe the culture of interrogating aspirants who often made lofty campaign promises to determine how such promises could be implemented to touch their lives.
The Founder of the
Centre for Strategic Leadership And Youth Orientation ( CENSTLEYO ), Mr Felix Imah, in his welcome address, noted that the workshop was aimed to proffer means of transforming the nation’s political landscape to an all-inclusive and sustainable governance structure.
“We have to proffer a road map that could lead us into political rediscovery in order to achieve what we consider to be our apparent destiny. We must appreciate our potentials and our struggles for a better political system in the nation “
So, the process of enthroning leadership should be seen to be more important than the result.