SOME prominent persons have listed cut in the cost of governance, restructuring, single term of five years for president, governors and lawmakers, strict adherence to the Federal Character principle and review of the country’s justice system among core issues that the president-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, must prioritise to deliver good governance and leadership.
A professor of International Law and Jurisprudence and former vice chancellor of the University of Ado Ekiti, Akin Oyebode; former general secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Frank Kokori; an Anglican bishop, Professor Dapo F. Asaju and a former minority leader in the House of Representatives, Dr Wunmi Bewaju, said those issues are at the heart of the age-long predicament of Nigeria.
In separate interviews with the Nigerian Tribune, they said the incoming government should not compromise on the issues in order to meet the aspirations of Nigerians for good governance and a sane political environment.
At the moment, there are frenzied preparations by the Federal Government for the inauguration of the incoming administration on May 29 in Abuja as the eight-year tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari begins to wind down.
Speaking on how to fix the country, especially on the issue of good governance, Professor Oyebode urged the president-elect to make his cabinet full of capable hands that will help his administration overcome difficulties currently ravaging the country.
The erudite scholar said the quality of leadership is measured by those Tinubu chooses to surround himself with, while advising him to set his priorities and implement policies and programmes that can rescue Nigeria from its current quagmire.
“Tinubu’s antecedent, as a locator of capable and appropriate persons for the right jobs, he is expected to make a right choice of those to work with him,” Professor Oyebode stated.
He said Nigeria is currently battling with humongous problems politically, economically and socially.
According to him, “And since a leader is only as good as the men and women surrounding him, Tinubu should set his priorities and ensure the implementation of his policies, programmes and plans with a view to rescuing the country from its current quagmire.”
Oyebode added: “Almost every Nigerian claims to be an expert on Nigeria’s predicament and, therefore, it would not be a problem for Tinubu to map out the modalities for exiting Nigeria’s current travails.
The ex-vice chancellor noted that inasmuch as “No one can also teach an old dog new tricks, the high hopes of Nigerians in the capabilities of Tinubu to solve the country’s problems are not totally misplaced.”
Also speaking, Professor Asaju, who is the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Ilesa and president of the Synod, said there must be a paradigm shift in the running of government, existing structure and far-reaching reforms under the incoming government to save the country from bad governance and other crippling challenges.
Professor Asaju said the incoming administration must reduce the cost of running governments, stressing that, “The cost of maintaining president and governors is scandalous and fraudulent.
“Our leaders must be made to realise that they are public servants and civil servants and not House of Lords.
“The tenure of the president and that of governors should be a single term of five years non-renewable to put an end to second term syndrome,” he said.
The cleric also asked that the presidency should be rotated among the four regions: North, West, East and Middle Belt in a sharp contrast to the existing six-zone structure, just as he proposed a constitutional reform such that lawmakers should be tenured to five years or, at most, two terms of four years as opposed to the current open-endedness.
Apart from advocating reforms in the justice system to guarantee equality of all citizens before the law, Professor Asaju warned: “We cannot have violent thugs run a parallel government in our society just because they are serviceable to evil politicians.
“Persons who have served as governors should be prevented from transiting to the Senate or House of Representatives until they have spent not less than four years after their initial office.
“The present situation, where failed and corrupt politicians recycle themselves and endlessly in politics is abnormal.”
He advised the incoming government to implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference and a return to the federal structure of regional governments that allows each region to exercise most powers and initiates necessary policies for good governance and development.
Ex-NUPENG general secretary, Kokori, advised the president-elect to put the necessary machinery in motion to restructure the country.
He claimed that whereas former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari have missed it, Tinubu, for the sake of posterity, must not miss the chance of restructuring the country, to salvage it from protracted crises stalling its efforts in attaining nationhood.
He stressed that restructuring the country will meaningfully address insecurity, terrorism, bad economy and its attendant variables, adding that only Tinubu among the crop of past presidents was truly prepared to govern the country.
“I know he (Tinubu) is the only person who is fully prepared to be the president of Nigeria.
“Obasanjo wasn’t ready to be a civilian president, (Umaru) Yar’Adua wasn’t ready to be president too. Goodluck became president by accident and Buhari was just a lucky man in Nigeria and he wasted the goodwill given to him.
“So, Tinubu has been a man who wanted to govern Nigeria. He was a committed democrat during the struggle and we struggled together, so he knows the struggle for freedom and democracy and I believe he won’t let the people down.
“I am only praying that his health should continue to improve because as we are ageing, we all have our health problems,” Kokori averred.
Speaking further on the areas he would want Tinubu to hit the ground running, the septuagenarian said: “The first agenda, which we expected Obasanjo to do at that time, was the restructuring of Nigeria by making it a true federation.
“When Nigeria was a real federation, we saw what Awolowo, Azikiwe, Ahmed Bello and the rest of them did.
“Everybody was ready to put in the work, not just going to Abuja to collect oil money. We in the Niger Delta did not enjoy anything because the whole oil money has been stolen by the politicians and the little ones they brought to Niger Delta were stolen by the Niger Delta governors.
“The number one thing Nigerians want is restructuring and this he will do though he didn’t speak on it during his campaign.
“If he does not do it, forget about his second tenure. The whole problem of Nigeria is built on restructuring and Tinubu knows that.
“Any leader coming to lead Nigerians that does not take insecurity seriously is not ready.
“The question of economy is another aspect that he needs to look into. Economy is a generic word for all things such as unemployment and so one. He must revamp the economy and must fight corruption.”
Bewaji said the president-elect should constitute an all-inclusive government that listens to the agitations from stakeholders in the country.
He said such arrangement would foster a sense of belonging among the people and strengthen the bond of national unity by dousing tension.
“What I want is a situation whereby the incoming administration will run an inclusive government.
“By an inclusive government, I am not talking of who gets what appointment, no. This is because who gets what appointment and in what position, is always within the political class.
“So, inclusive government means a government rooted in dialogue. I will like to have a president that makes the Villa become a place people can assemble to address pertinent national issues.
“From my experience, when people meet and they talk, especially under the umbrella or under the auspices of the president, it lowers tension.
“When President Umar Yar’Adua brought Tompolo to the Villa, that was magical. Yes, it was magical and we achieved a lot through that. That is the kind of thing that I will like to see, an all-inclusive government that promotes dialogue, that will eventually engender unity and a sense of belonging,” he said.
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