From Philip Nwosu
On Friday, April 25, leaders from governance, academia, civil society, and media gathered at Wetland Hotel in Ughelli, Delta State, for the second Advocate Publication Ltd Annual Lecture Series.
Themed “Between Governance and Politics: The Delicate Balancing to Ensure Growth and Development,” the event explored Nigeria’s growing divide between politics and governance.
Shedrack Onitsha, Chief Executive Officer of Advocate Publication Ltd, publishers of Advocate Newspaper, opened the event. He said the lecture series aims to spark vital discussions about Nigeria’s progress.
“We are disturbed by the trend where political survival overshadows governance. Leaders are sworn in and immediately begin planning for the next election,” Onitsha stated. “We must interrogate the value of politics if it fails to deliver development.” He stressed that governance must be central to leadership for Nigeria to advance.
Olorogun Austin Emaduku, event chairman, noted that governance and politics should work together. “Governance is about policy delivery, politics is about power. When power is pursued without a governance agenda, the people suffer,” he said, urging stronger institutions, ethical leadership, and active citizen involvement.
Keynote speaker Prof. Abanum Innocent Ifelunini, a development economist, blamed Nigeria’s underdevelopment on politicised governance. “When short-term political interests dominate long-term planning, meaningful development is impossible,” he warned.
He called for consistent national planning and economic policies. Speaking to journalists later, Ifelunini added, “True leadership demands that service delivery continues, regardless of election cycles.”
Amb. Pas Edewor Egedegbe, Executive Director of Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative, moderated the panel session. He urged citizens to bridge the gap between politics and governance. “Too many Nigerians wake up only during elections and sleep afterward. Governance begins where politics ends. Accountability must be year-round,” he said. Egedegbe highlighted Delta State’s political climate, adding, “Citizens must stop celebrating leaders who fail to deliver. Our silence is complicity.”
Furthermore, Onitsha decried a “national crisis of misplaced priorities.” “Even midway into tenures, politicians are more concerned with campaigns than policy. Where then is governance?” he asked. He warned that without a shift in leadership mindset, Nigeria would continue to face poverty and underdevelopment.
Other panellists, including Prof. Andrew Agboro, Amb. Stella Odika, and Mr. Emmanuel Enebeli, advocated electoral reforms, stronger institutions, and civic education to balance governance and politics.
Attendees praised Advocate Newspaper’s initiative, with one calling the lecture “a wake-up call” for Nigeria’s future.
Participants agreed that politics must serve development, not overshadow it. Governance, they emphasised, should be the heart of leadership.