*Felivers NUJ Zone B lecture
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and immediate past Chairman of Nigeria Communications Commission, (NCC) Professor Adeolu Akande on Wednesday, tasked Nigerians to strive for a better future by fostering culture of good governance.
Delivering the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Zone B lecture, titled, “Enhancing Good Governance in a Beleaguered Economy.” held at the Osun State Council of the union in Osogbo, Professor Akande said
there is the need for a robust monitoring and evaluation framework as a panacea for the enhancement of good governance
The former NCC Chairman who was represented by Dr Idowu Johnson of the Political Science, University of Ibadan stated that the efficient utilization of resources, transparent decision-making processes, and accountability are essential factors in fostering economic recovery and sustainable growth.
Professor Akande said, ” Central to this endeavour is the adoption of effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices, which can guide policymakers in assessing the impact of their strategies, identifying gaps, and making necessary adjustments to steer the economy in the right direction.
The Professor of Political Science pointed out that ” At its core, good governance ensures that decision-making processes are fair, just, and reflect the interests of all citizens”, and that ” in the context of a beleaguered economy, good governance becomes even more critical to restore public trust and confidence”
” One of the most crucial elements in a nation’s development is strong governance. No matter how big or little, how many resources it has, or where it is located, a country may prosper with excellent government. A nation with an abundance of natural resources cannot prosper without effective government”, he said.
Professor Akande added, ” For instance, Nigeria ought to be among the most prosperous and successful nations in the world if size and resources were the deciding factors but it is not. Again, if we look at Singapore, it is clear that since it started its road towards self-government in 1959 and independence in 1965, strong governance has assisted Singapore in overcoming many of its inherent obstacles.
” Singapore was a developing nation with a meagre per capita income. Many people believed that Singapore would not be able to survive on its own. In terms of GDP per capita (PPP), Singapore is the third most developed nation in the world today. Singapore is the only nation in Asia to have a AAA sovereign credit rating from all of the major rating agencies, earning it the reputation as a tax haven.We saw it in Rwanda as it adopted more advanced institutions to rebuild from a devastating conflict.”
The NUJ Vice President, Zone B, Comrade Aderonke Afebioye Samo while speaking stressed that the nation ” is undergoing a serious economic dilemma occasioned by the total removal of subsidy on petroleum products, not forgetting that we are just coming out of the CBN infamous naira policy”.
Comrade Samo declared, ” while everybody willingly or unwillingly agreed with the removal, the government at all levels owes it a duty to ameliorate the hardship daily encountered by Nigerians as an aftermath of the subsidy removal and other belt tightening measures”, saying, ” It is also imperative for Nigerians to show understanding and bear the brunt for a while knowing fully well that tough times do not last but tough people do”.
” It is the responsibility of NUJ to educate and enlighten the citizenry to the policies and programmes of government while also drawing attention of government to the plight of the people with a view to ameliorate the hardship”, she said.
The NUJ Vice President Zone B added, “good governance at all levels is fundamental to economic growth, political stability and security. It encourages responsiveness to the yearnings and aspirations of the people in a very trying period as we are experiencing in the country today”
