Nigeria’s Democracy needs quality control to promote good governance ― Comrade Aremu

Director-General, Micheal Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies, Comrade Issa Aremu has stated that Nigeria’s democracy needs quality control that would take cognizance of power sharing that is gender-based and promote good governance.

Comrade Aremu stated this while delivering the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Distinguished AANI lecture series 2022 with the theme: “Governance and the Consolidation of Democracy in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges.

The Director General who condemned the mode of power-sharing by the political parties in the country averred that none of the 18 political parties in the country is gender sensitive enough to bring up a female president, Vice President and Governor despite their numerical strength.

” Nigeria democracy needs quality control, if want to proper share, I think we should be talking about a female president, a female Vice President or a female governor. Why is it difficult for a leading party not to pick a woman as a running mate?

“If you want to use class criteria, when would a poor worker become a president or a governor? Can we produce another Jakande as a governor or another Aminu Kano, with this movement to plutocracy in which Presidential nomination form cost N100 million, we couldn’t have produced great leaders like Zik of Africa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sardauna of Sokoto, these are great leaders. Now the election is for sale, we need quality control to run our election” he said

He further pointed out that political parties must be run on ideologies if they must make an impact on the development of the country adding that the present crops of political parties have no clear-cut ideology.

“The political parties in Nigeria must return to ideology, previous political parties are known by their ideology. The difference between the present eighteen political parties is not clear, we have butterfly politicians, they join one party in the morning and another one in the afternoon.

” We can’t continue to run this country like this, whoever stands for nothing will fall for everything and many of them are falling for everything. I want to suggest that we do proper quality control” he said

Comrade Aremu said the serial jailbreak in the country should be a thing of concern to every Nigerian and the National Institute in particular adding that it was unacceptable when you have a convention service headed by a member of the National Institute and this kind of thing happening.

He added that if those saddled with the responsibility could not manage the prisons they should quit and allow somebody else to come in adding that it is not the president that would manage such places but those placed in charge.

In his welcome address, the Director General of the National Institute Professor Ayo Omotayo commended the Directorate of Studies that put up the programme adding that four thematic areas have been arrived at from which the lecture themes and topics would be drawn up for the lecture series.

He commended all the resource persons for distinguishing themselves out of the so many persons considered, by meeting the eligibility criteria.

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Nigeria Democracy needs quality control to promote good governance