A former Foreign Affairs Minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has expressed dismay at the conduct of Nigerian governors who attended a leadership retreat in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

He described the governors’ decision to travel to the East African country for the programme as “shameful” and a “humiliation” for Nigeria.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had organised a three-day retreat for members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) between August 24 and 27.

The global agency said the retreat was in line with its commitment towards raising the level of governance in Africa and other parts of the world.

It also said the retreat was meant to provide a transformative platform for the governors to collectively reflect, learn, and exchange insights on effective leadership and complex challenges.

But Akinyemi, who spoke on Arise Television yesterday, faulted the decision of the governors and the UNDP to stage the retreat in Rwanda.

The former minister, also a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), said the retreat should have been organised within the country by relevant Nigerian institutions.

“When you think things cannot get worse, then they do get worse. I can’t believe we would fall into the pit of shame by 19 of our governors going to Kigali, Rwanda, to learn how to govern.

“…The UNDP has no business taking our governors there. In any case, the UNDP has no business putting on a training programme for our governors.

“Is the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) not there? We have several training institutions: the National War College is there; the Nigerian Defence College is there. These are Nigerian institutions that could put on training programmes or retreat programmes for our governors. They didn’t need to humiliate us by going to Rwanda.” (The Nation)

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