From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
As they get ready to leave office later this month, the 18 outgoing governors have been admonished by former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, to refrain from meddling in their state’s administration.
The former governor of Kwara State gave the charge at the farewell dinner for outgoing governors held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Sunday night.
The erstwhile chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum made the remark in his goodwill message to the governors whose tenures come to an end on May 29, 2023.
While advising them to prepare for life after office and to make the necessary adjustments to fulfill their roles in the advancement of the country, Saraki, he commended them for the services rendered to their respective states.
“When you are no longer governor, allow your successor to do their work. Go back to your families. I am sure your wives, children and grandchildren are counting the days. You are bracing up for a new phase of life which is completely different. Spend more time with your families. Save your money for hampers and rams because they won’t come as usual.”
The former governor of Kwara State, reiterated the importance of personal challenge for progress, urging the newly elected governors to begin preparing their escape from the moment they took office.
“To our incoming governors, start planning and preparing for governance. Plan your exit from day one and keep challenging yourselves.”
Sharing his experiences on life after office, former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, called on new and returning governors to prioritise the people’s welfare irrespective of their political affiliations.
“Let’s work diligently so that after our tenure, people will come back and say you have done well. To have elected you, it means the people have chosen you as their servant. Everytime, do what your conscience and the law say you should do.”
He added that there was danger in personalising power at the expense of the people.
“At times, people will say this is our time. Don’t make that mistake. A former governor who made that mistake is now walking on the streets,” Aliyu said.
He further charged the governors to be accessible and accountable to the people, reminding them that being governors does not mean they are the best and the brightest.
“That you are governors today does not mean that you are the best. Some of us were not the brightest in class. Perhaps, we were in the last 10 in the class. So, don’t think because you are governors, you must impose your successor,” he stressed.
To transit easily from office to out of it, Aliyu called on outgoing governors to immediately get busy.
“Don’t be the type that will always be at home. Be active and don’t allow your brain or physical body to go down.”
Former Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, revealed how an unnamed former governor who missed his flight to Benin City because he was at the VIP departure waiting lounge taking coffee because no one came to inform him that the flight was ready to board as was the case while he was in office. This, he said exemplified the difficulty of moving from one place to another. He urged outgoing governors to bear with the pressure of friction likely to to occur between them and their successors.
“You are retiring from work, not life. Avoid meddling into the affairs of your predecessors. As you get older, your health cannot be taken for granted. You have to bear with the pressure,” he said.
He urged the incoming governors to “begin to prepare for retirement as soon as you are sworn in. Be prepared for the visits of such institutions like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit who may ask some questions that need answers,” he added.
Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed on her part, said states must be made to work for their citizens arguing that “Nigeria cannot be great without the states. We know that we don’t have strong foundations but through hard work, this country can be better.”
She called for partnership and deliberate policies to empower Nigerian women noting that they do not have lesser brains compared to their male counterparts.
The highlight of the event was the launch of a book, “How the States are Governed: A first-hand account by Nigeria Governors” which was reviewed by Head of the Bureau for Public Sector Reform, Joe Abah, who advised the incoming governors to learn from the literary account, how their predecessors navigated the stormy waters of governance and political developments.
The event was attended by past, serving and incoming governors including Kayode Fayemi, Aminu Tambuwal, Aminu Masari, Charles Soludo, Bala Mohammed, Babagana Zulum, Dauda Lawal, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia and a host of others.