A former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has called on political leaders in Nigeria to practice politics that promote good governance through transparency, sound policies and strong institutions.
Ezekwesili, also a former Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) in 2019, made the call on Wednesday while speaking at a webinar tagged: “Fix Politics”.
Former Minister of Information, Mr Frank Nweke Jnr; a former Presidential candidate of KOWA Party, Prof. Remi Sonaiya and Seun Onigbinde of Budgit, were among other speakers.
Ezekwesili said that the country needed a kind of politics that promotes good governance through transparency, sound policies and strong institutions.
She said that such politics should “satisfy the common good” in order to improve the wellbeing of citizens.
According to her, such politics is the type that encourages investment in public goods and services as well as for a strong private sector to drive the economy.
She said the idea of “Fix Politics” came out of the findings that indeed, politics was fundamental to the economic performance of any country.
Ezekwesili said structural problems required structural solutions, adding that there was need to mobilise people to collectively demand for a new Constitution as well as political and economic restructuring of Nigeria.
“Only the Nigerian citizens working together can compel the three arms of government, the executive, the legislature and judiciary to respond urgently and avert the imminent collapse of Nigeria into a failed state,” she said.
The former ACPN presidential candidate said that she, along with other 113 Nigerians, had formed a “Work Study”, with the objective to articulate vision to entrench good governance in the country.
She said the group consists of distinguished Nigerians committed to a better Nigeria.
In her remarks, Sonaiya stressed the need for restructuring of the country as well as political and electoral reforms.
She said that people must be brought into the discussion of politics, adding: “The voices of Nigerians must be brought into political discussion.
“We have a country that excludes the citizens; we take decisions without carrying others along, and this ought not to be.
“The Constitution and Electoral Law are major constraint in moving the country forward and there must be reforms in these areas.
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“For electoral reforms, people have suggested electronic voting and electronic transmission of results,” she said.
Sonaiya said that Nigerians in the Diaspora should be given the opportunity to vote in the constitutional reforms.
“For constitutional reforms, restructuring, resource ownership and control must be given adequate considerations.
“The centralised system of government is not allowing every section of the country to develop adequately.
“There has to be a referendum whereby the voice of the people must be heard and the government is accountable,” she added.
Contributing, Nweke said the right politics was key to good governance, urging political leaders to play politics that would impact positively.
Also, Onigbinde stressed the need for governments at all levels to do the business of governance transparency.
He said politics should be about the people, urging political leaders to render impactful governance.
