Some former governors have advocated more powers for governors to effectively tackle security challenges in their respective domains.
They spoke during a panel discussion at the Annual Lecture and International Leadership Symposium of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) in Lagos on Tuesday.
A new book by Prof. Pat Utomi, founder of CVL, titled, “Power, Politics, Public Policy Process and Performance,” was launched during the programme.
The programme, organised to mark Utomi’s 68th birthday, had the theme, “Democracy, Governance and National Performance: The Mutual Relationship.”
Mr. Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, former governor of Sokoto State, Sen. Aminu Tambuwal, and former governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Attah, spoke during the panel discussion.
Obi recalled that when he governed Anambra, he enjoyed substantial measure of power to take some security decisions. He said during the time he served as governor, then president authorised governors to act on some matters of security.
“There is always differences between one president and another. We cannot compare President Olusegun Obasanjo presidency or Umaru Yar’Adua presidency to what we have after. Under Obasanjo, the governors were in charge of security. I requested that every Divisional Police Officers (DPO) be removed and I had it. I took decisions on security with the authority of the president during time of the late Yar’adua, and every month, there was a conversation between the president and the governors. The governor have to be in charge of the state and be responsible. So, we need a president who is determined to give the governor the authority to do something.”
The LP presidential candidate called on President Tinubu to strengthen the war against insurgency and corruption in order to move the nation forward.
On economy and inflation, Obi, who decried the ‘dollarisation ‘of business transactions in some quarters, saying people guilty of the act of sabotage should be punished.
“Nigerians should be proud of our currency. We must have a system that works. These are issues that we need to deal with,” he said.
Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Tambuwal, said lately, governors were not always consulted when decisions concerning their states were being made by the president.
Citing the closure of three borders linking Sokoto with three states in Niger during the regime of Muhammadu Buhari, Tambuwal said as governor, he was not consulted or carried along.
“On matters of security, governors are supposed to be hands-on because they are the one dealing with issues of ensuring that people are secured. There is the need for us to restructure and devolve more powers to the governors so that they can work on issues of security.”
Speaking on western democracy and whether the presidential system of government is working in Nigeria, Tambuwal said the system appeared not to be working for the country.
“I believe that as someone who was in the House of Representatives from 2023 to 2015, and who was Speaker of that House, we have a lot of work to do to bring the realities of our situation to bear with the presidential system of government. We need to tinker and work the system and bring it closer home. I believe there is a lot more to do be done in terms of working the system to conform to our own reality.”
The former governor noted that the the country’s challenges were not all about the system alone, insisting they also had to do with leadership and the drivers of democracy.
“We need to change our ways. We as a people, practising this democracy, we need to imbibe the values of those practising democracy in the United States of America.”
Contributing to the question on powers of the governor in tackling security challenges, Attah, who was also the chairman of the occasion, said in a federation, the governors were supposed to be partners, not subordinates to the president.
He said he was frustrated at a point while executing his power plant project when he was Akwa Ibom governor because of the nature of the federal system in place, calling for a constitutional review.
While supporting the advocates of state police, Attah added that the electoral body must also be put on trial on some of its activities, to move the nation forward.
“We also need to develop the courage and ability to change our constitution and make it one written by Nigerians and for Nigerians to make progress,” he said
Contributing, Utomi said presidents were supposed to be good listeners, consulting with governors and taking counsel from them on matters of security.
“We need people to go into leadership positions to learn to listen and consult. If you cannot listen, you cannot lead,” he said.
Applauding the late Yar’Adua for being a good listener, Utomi said Nigeria was unfortunate to have lost him while in Aso Rock.
Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, the Keynote Speaker, who highlighted the link between democracy, governance and national performance, said that the world was beckoning on Nigeria to take its rightful place in democracy, governance and national performance.
Fomunyoh, Senior Associate and Regional Director for the Central and West Africa Programme, said that the continent was waiting for Nigeria to take the lead in human capital development, economic development, good governance, among other indices of development.