Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has called for a paradigm shift from the culture of tribal sentiment, corruption and tax evasion for the country to move out of the pervading economic woes and civil strife.
The governor made the call while delivering the 2015 convocation lecture of the University of Ibadan, entitled, `Challenges of Good Governance in an Emerging Democratic Setting: The Nigerian Perspective,’ in Ibadan, on Wednesday.
He also expressed worries about the wide gap currently existing between the rich and the poor, which he said was antithetical to the growth and development of the country.
Ajimobi spoke to an audience comprising the academics, professional groups, politicians and members of the university community at the capacity-filled Trenchard Hall of the 67-year-old premier university.
According to him, for things to work well in Nigeria, there must be a complete shift from the status quo, stressing the need for the public sector and the political space to be sanitized.
The governor identified the challenges to good governance in contemporary Nigeria to include under-developed institutions, poor political governance and representation, as well as weak social structure and institutions.
He said, “Many people in Nigeria do not yet understand the workings of democracy itself. This is why people can be bribed to vote for a candidate of questionable character during elections.
“There have been instances where people without education nor adequate knowledge won elections against good candidates. Rigging of elections and snatching of ballot boxes are usually witnessed and even common in Nigeria.
“This leads to poor representation at the level of governance. There is no way such incompetent candidates who won elections through rigging can perform well in positions of authority.’’
Ajimobi also noted that the country’s social structure and institutions were fraught with a lot of problems which hinder good governance.
Listed among such problems were ethnicity, tribal sentiments and vote buying, adding that the electorate vote for some candidates during elections based on ethnicity and tribal sentiments.
The effects of these challenges, according to the governor, were lack of respect for the rule of law and human dignity, general indiscipline among the populace, bribery and corruption, and wide inequality between the rich and the poor.
Also included were insecurity and threat to life and property, poverty, under-developed economy and poor public planning habit, poor attitude to work and lack of job commitment, illiteracy, lack of dependable data for economic planning, among others.
The governor noted, “In a cursory look, Nigerian economy is under-developed. It is saddening to note that since independence in 1960, Nigeria is not food secured. “A country that cannot feed its citizenry but imports rice, fish, toothpick and other food items is not toeing the path of good governance.
“Today, we are not operating federalism in the true sense of the word. We need to reexamine the concept of true federalism and operate it accordingly. What we have in place now encourages a system of robbing Peter to pay Paul, thereby making the system to be convoluted.”
As a way out of the quagmire, the governor recommended a robust town-gown synergy for community public impact, as well as mass mobilization of the citizenry in pursuit of good governance.
The governor also recommended the adoption of the United Nations Commission charter on human rights, which linked good governance to the provision of an enabling environment conducive to the enjoyment of human rights and sustainable human development.
Ajimobi added, “Other remedial measures to enhance good governance are the promotion of good political governance through credible political representation, good economic governance and eradication of bribery and corruption.
“Enhancing good governance in a federal arrangement is a function of equity and justice among diverse ethnic groups and this can only be guaranteed by scientific application of federal character principle.
“In public and private sectors, subjective interview process may have to stop. Where selection process is tailored to favour a candidate the outcome becomes subjective. Where juniors are promoted far and above their seniors it does great damage to the system.”
Speaking earlier, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the institution’s governing council, Dr. Umar Musa Mustapha, said the topic was apt in view of the myriad of challenges currently confronting the country, particularly in the area of good governance.
He said that Governor Ajimobi was particularly qualified to speak on good governance, being a former senator and having broken the second jinx in Oyo State, with his re-election in the last general election; a feat which he attributed to the delivery of good governance in his
first tenure.
In his opening remark, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ambrose Ayelari, commended the governor, who he described as a performer, for his support for the university at all times.