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Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy Democracy and Development (SCDDD) has identified effective and accountable leadership, not restructuring, as the solution for Nigeria’s challenges.
Savannah Centre, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has also said that the emergence of regional security outfits in the country cannot address the nation’s problems, without putting a credible leadership in place.
Executive Director of the group, Abdullahi Omaki, stated this during a town hall meeting with non-state actors and stakeholders in Rivers State, on the theme “Leadership effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD)”, held in Port Harcourt.
Omaki argued that with wrong leadership, restructuring cannot work, as it would lead to bad governance.
He stated: “Regrettably, good governance and effective leadership have continued to remain critical challenges in Nigeria, hence, lack of meaningful sustainable development and growth in Nigeria.
“Ultimately, the success of any nation like Nigeria depends on some form of effective interaction between citizens, civil society and the state.
“In Nigeria, 20 years ago, we decided to adopt a model without analysing the full implications of the fallout from such a model and system of government. It is unfortunate, today, we act as a federal state; tomorrow, we think and act like a unitary state,” he noted.
Similarly, the Executive Director, Ubuntu Centre for Peace Building and Development, Prof. Oshita Oshita, noted that the political leadership in the country had taken undue advantage of the citizens.
Oshita said: “What we are saying is, the continued laceration of the Nigerian state should stop so that we can have organised governance that delivers good things to the people.
“Good governance is that, which is sustainable. This country is drowning. It is drifting. Restructuring is not an antidote per se because it is the same people that would be in the restructured arrangements,” he stated.
