As Nigeria celebrates its 63rd independence anniversary, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere in the United Kingdom and Europe has called on leaders to improve on good governance by prioritising true dividends of democracy for the benefit of the citizens.
The group in a statement issued by its Secretary, Engr. Anthony Ajayi, on Sunday, October 1, 2023, said good governance at all levels requires a clear understanding of the concept.
It added that Nigerian political leaders should leverage the rare opportunity in their hands to deliver development to the people and also evaluate their performance while political parties should reinvent ideologies that reflect current realities for the resolution of the societal ills bedevilling the country.
The group stated further that in contemporary Nigeria, good governance is convivial, given her current economic, political, and social dimensions, especially with regard to issues of state and governance.
It said, "Nigeria has been in the news for the developmental crisis since independence in 1960 but is currently being referred to as the poverty capital of the world. This is unimaginable given her rich endowment in both human and material resources.
"Aside from a huge youth population, Nigeria has nothing less than 43 natural minerals. Despite these resources, hunger, poverty, inequity, and unemployment have continued to fester in the land despite the promises of good governance from every political party and politician we have seen.
"At a time when some people are complaining of hardship in the country as a result of bad governance, others are seen celebrating. This confusing state calls for clarification of what good governance is to the world in general and what it means to us as a people.
"The concept of governance as contextualized is within the perspectives of what constitutes public interest. The governance concept serves as a measurement scale in the hands of leaders for the evaluation of their performances as tied to their operational objectives in developing and less developed nations.
"Development is a pointer that good governance is a prerequisite for successful development which every country craves. In the 1980s, the concept of good governance in Nigeria was taken up from a more normative perspective, with emphasis on development criteria which sought to guide against failures of governance structures, by focusing on alternative modes of leaders helping to resolve common issues from different perspectives.
"We call on our leaders to focus on addressing four areas: the management of the public administration, responsibility and accountability in the public sector, legal framework conditions, and the transparency of public activities.
"Good governance is a concept to be applied to the political system, the exercise of governmental authority, and the ability of a government to formulate and implement political designs. If our leaders cannot make Nigeria better, who will?”
"We also call on fellow citizens to be part of the process of nation-building which would set in motion the socio-political development of the country. Citizens who are considered legal members of a nation act as one of the dominant pillars in the process of building that nation. Dynamic cooperation from every individual citizen is a major contribution towards this multidimensional concept of nation-building. Therefore, a solid and powerful Nigeria can be built from the dedication and hard work of the citizens," the group added.