Nigerian leaders are not accountable ― Tunde Ali

A medical doctor and social analyst, Dr Tunde Ali, on Tuesday, said that many Nigerian leaders and public office holders are not accountable in their public duties simply because many of their followers lack access to information through which they can be tracked.

The Ibadan-born physician who has had professional and managerial experiences in four foreign countries, felt miffed by the high rate of mis-governance in the country leading to low productivity in the economy, as well as an alarming rise in socio-political maladies, stressing that. To him, “there is the urgent need to re-orientate Nigerians on the need to have access to information through which they can make their leaders accountable to them and by so doing reduce wastes, as well as, curb corrupt practices.”

Ali said this while showcasing his book titled: ‘Accountable Nigeria’, a product of his “Future Minds Development Initiative Project”, which is aimed at identifying and calling to order “our political office holders who are not aliens nor are they foreigners from another land or country. The ‘Accountable Nigeria’ recognises an old traditional form of accountability. We need to use this legal but centuries-old powerful tool in making these systems accountable to us as a people while we manage the tools ourselves.”

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Dr Ali, said that his organisation was working towards establishing a portal where every Nigerian can have access, (especially students in primary and secondary schools, Ministries, parastatals), noting that “this will provide information access to them; enable citizen engagement, as well as, encourage citizen participation and empowerment.

“Accountability is not only in government agencies like ICPC or EFCC but in people in totality. We need to empower our regular Para leaders including those in the civil service, judiciary, police, military, community, and even religious leaders. They are critical in our demise or progress as a people and as a society, and so they must be held accountable in their services to us.

“When many of them need our votes, they make promises. If they get to offices, many of them renege. Through access to information network that we are going to put in place, they will be easily made accountable in their services to us,” Ali said.