Good governance: Gen. Agwai tasks academic community to set an achievable agenda for political leaders to halt the nation’s backward slide.

From Cyril Mbah, Abuja.

A former Chief of Army Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (Rtd) has charged the academic community in universities and other tertiary institutions in the country to come up with well-articulated development blueprint to guide the nation’s political leaders on sound democratic practices, good governance and viable development processes.

General Agwai, who served as Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Mission (UNAMSIL) in Sierra Leone before being assigned as military adviser UN Headquarters in New York, remarked that the nation’s current leaders require proper guidance and a development based agenda to halt Nigeria’s downward drift, the rate of poverty in the country and hunger.

The army general made these remarks in Abuja while addressing the 2023 General Assembly of the Social Sciences Academy of Nigeria in his capacity as Chairman of the two-day event.

In a brief interview with newsmen, General Agwai, who elaborated on the remarks said : “I think that the most important thing for the nation now is to move with the times and we need all hands on deck to do so. We should look for ways to improve the governance, economic and political systems to reduce the level of poverty in the country.

“The assembled members of the academic community should not just discuss these important issues of development and governance without taking their suggestions to those who will implement them at the state and federal levels.

“Like I said in my opening remarks, there are lots of ideas to gain from this type of gathering with the calibre of people as members. The whole idea is to find ways on how we can improve the living conditions of Nigerians, look for ways to drive the development of the nation. I will also suggest that the group should work with the National Assembly to see how better laws that would regulate our lives can be produced.

“We need better laws to tackle insecurity, poverty and suffering in the country. We should look for how to improve the lives of our people. The professors should suggest policies that would make the people more united, encourage peace and development nationwide.”

Earlier, the President of the Social Sciences Academy of Nigeria, Emeritus Professor Funmi Togonu-Bickersteth stated that the general assembly of the association holds every two years and that at each event, members gather to discuss burning issues affecting the development of the country.

Prof. Funmi said the lecture topic of this year’s conference was relevant to the nation’s current problems especially the economic challenges, inflation, the general suffering of Nigerians and the growing opposition to democracy due to the turbulent political development in the country.

The two day conference, which has the theme “Economic, social and political foundations of democracy,” will be used to discuss wide raging subjects affecting governance, democracy and the economy.

Professor Michael Kwanashie of Veritas University, Abuja who delivered the keynote lecture regretted that governance and democracy have degenerated in the country to the point that Nigerians now rely on the Supreme Court to decide who governs them.

He said the expectations of Nigerians that democracy will bring good governance has been largely dashed by the desperation of politicians to manipulate the electoral system at all costs to emerge winners at elections.

Prof. Kwanashe recommended the adoption of politics and governance that promotes responsibility and refined ethical standards, devoid of ideological and ethnic fixations concluding that political leaders are scared of separation of powers, which would have driven rapid development in the country.

The highlight of the occasion was the recognition and honour of five eminent Nigerians, including the Acting Director General of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru Jos, Professor Ogoh Alubo by the institute. Others who were also conferred with honours are Professor Akanni L. Adeyemi, Professor Uche Isiugo-Abanihe, Prof. Laisu Adele Jinodu and Prof. Temi E. Ologunorisa.