Scholars have just embarked upon a study to unravel the country’s governance crisis. Its outcome will be unveiled in March next year to coincide with the 75th birthday anniversary of Olawale Oshun, Chief Whip of the aborted Third Republic. In this report culled from The Nation, the paper’s Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, who monitored the roundtable dialogue organized to launch the initiative, reports

The serene and idyllic setting of Ijebu-Imushin, in Ijebu Northeast Local Government of Ogun State, was the venue for the event. Ijebu-Imushin is the hometown of the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives during the aborted Third Republic, Hon. Olawale Oshun. The date was Tuesday, March 26, 2024, and the gathering was a one-day roundtable dialogue on the “Governance Crisis in Nigeria”, to mark the 74th birthday celebration of Hon. Oshun.

Scholars dominated the gathering and it was put together by renowned sociologist, Prof. Lai Olurode under the auspices of the Wing Bridge Educational Foundation, Iwo, Osun State. It was a happy day for the celebrant, a writer and a nationalist who has shown so much concern about how the country has been drifting in recent years. Oshun who is also the National Chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) said he was elated to be honoured by such an assemblage of distinguished scholars from across the Southwest geo-political zone.

Last Tuesday’s roundtable is just the beginning. The scholars that presented papers at the occasion merely gave a synopsis of their ongoing research about the current socio-economic situation in the country and are expected to continue working on the assignment. The outcome of the research will be put together in a book form to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Hon. Oshun’s birthday next year.

The host set the tone for the discussion in his welcome address when he said Nigeria has reached a critical point that requires an urgent intervention to prevent the situation from degenerating further. He said the authorities should allow autonomy to come in an organized fashion, rather than haphazardly.

The ARG chairman recalled that he grew up knowing and experiencing a country that catered for Nigerians, where a citizen did not have to know anybody to get admission to any university of their choice or secure a befitting employment, whether in the private or public sector, because of the system at the time. He regretted that Nigeria of such a setting no longer exists.

Oshun attributed the current sorry state to the faulty presidential system of government, which he said has deprived Nigerians the full participation in how they should be governed or the demand for accountability and responsiveness from their leaders.

Prof. Olurode said he and his colleagues chose to celebrate Oshun on his birthday because the ARG chieftain has been committed and selfless in his approach to politics. The idea, he said, is to encourage him to do more. The professor of sociology said: “Oshun is a committed democrat; his preoccupation has always been to change the narratives; to make sure that there is a synergy between the state and the society.

“He is also a committed community leader who has done tremendously well for his community. He has done well for himself and believes in giving back to the community. He has several programmes on the platform of his foundation that help to encourage and nurture talents in young people in schools in and around Ijebu-Imushin and beyond, including their teachers. For instance, he gives awards to encourage teachers to put in their best in their jobs.”

The renowned sociologist whose paper is titled, “Nigeria: a Paradox and a Silver Lining”, listed some of the reasons the country is not moving forward, including the lack of internal democracy among the political parties, particularly the unregulated use of money in the leadership recruitment process.

However, he identified some silver linings that can be used to consolidate the gains already made. He said: “These are the decentralisation of governance and security institutions; shedding fat; moving from vertical and overbearing relationships to a horizontal and equitable and truly federal arrangement; doing away with Nigeria’s military hierarchical and dictatorial approach to governance.”

In his presentation, which centres on state police, Prof. Azeez Olaniyan said Nigeria is the only federation that operates a centralized policing system. The lecturer at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State, cited the pathetic situation at the Central African Republic (CAR), where 80 per cent of the country is in the hands of rebels as an example of countries he categorized as failed states.

He added: “Where do we categorise Nigeria: failing or failed state? We cannot say Nigeria is a failed state; otherwise, we would not be able to gather here. But, the truth is that Nigeria is weak. We have cases of insecurity all over the country and it is getting worse by the day — this is mainly because we do not have enough men in uniform.”

With the determination of the current government to address the security situation in the country by de-centralising the policing system, Prof. Olaniyan also expressed fears about the possible abuses of state police by governors.

Dr Akeem Bello, a lecturer at the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, said everyone in the society can make a difference; because governance is a collective responsibility of leaders at all levels in society. He said nearly everyone in Nigeria is a character coach because they are in the habit of criticizing others, particularly those in government. “But, in their private life or their various offices, they exhibit the same character traits they severely condemn in others,” he added.

Prof. Hakeem Olaniyan of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, said it is ironic that amid so much resource endowment Nigerians are wallowing in a poverty mentality. Prof. Olaniyan who is working on the topic, ‘Natural Resource and Our Collective Poverty: Locating the Faults and Proffering Solutions’, said: “Every Nigerian believes that the country is endowed with abundant resources. But the challenge is that the Federal Government, which owns all the resources in the country do not show enough concern about how to harness the benefits of other endowments apart from crude oil.”

Prof. Olaniyan said virtually is mouthing the latest catchphrase of restructuring because it is assumed that the governance structure is the reason why democracy dividends are not trickling down to the masses. He said Nigeria abandoned agriculture during the oil boom era and resorted to importing food to feed her citizens and that if the country replicates what post-independent leaders did, the country would be better for it.

Today, he said Nigerians have become so poor that they rely on palliatives and subsidies to survive. He said Nigeria will not make progress unless the citizens generally and political leaders in particular change their attitude toward the country’s natural resources.

Similarly, a lecturer at the Department of Jurisprudenceand International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Adeola Adedeji-Adeyemi, posits that the problem of Nigeria goes beyond the constitution and the system of government. She agrees with earlier speakers that the abandonment of agriculture is the major reason for the present economic malaise. Adedeji-Adeyemi said the regional government of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, like his contemporaries in the defunct Eastern and Northern Region, succeeded because it was anchored on agriculture. She called for cultural or attitudinal change, saying it is not the structure that is the problem. “The present political culture and mindset must change,” she added.

The Weekend Editor of The Guardian, Dr Kabir Alabi Garba, who is working on the role of the print media in resolving the governance crisis, spoke of the importance of communication in human life and how the constitution has given the media a special role of holding government accountable, as the fourth estate. He posited that if the media plays that role well, the governance crisis is likely to disappear. But, how well is the media playing that constitutionally-assigned role? he asks rhetorically.

Veteran broadcaster, Rakiya Dhikru Yagboyaju, who has been saddled with the responsibility of reflecting on how the broadcast media can make a difference, said in promoting good governance, the media should be above board. The veteran broadcaster warned Nigerians to be wary of any information they come across on social media because the advent of citizen journalists and social media has complicated the situation today. As a result, she said that society must fight against falsehood and lies by questioning every information that comes their way.

Comrade Isiaka Ayinla, who is handling the topic: “Rescuing Nigeria from the Precipice: Revisiting the Socialist Alternative”, said it is necessary to have an alternative ideological option to offer Nigerians a wider choice during elections, as almost all the political parties that contested the last general election have the same capitalist orientation. He said the socialist alternative offers a solution to the problem of mass poverty because it has a better option when it comes to the challenges associated with production. He debunked claims that such an ideological approach encourages laziness.

Prof. Dhikru Adewale Yagboyaju, who moderated the proceedings of the event, spoke on the theme: “Addressing Governance Crisis in Nigeria: Focus on Selected Elite Institutions.” The Obafemi Awolowo administration in the old Western Region, he said, relied so much on the contribution of university eggheads for ideas to run the government. Institutions like University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, he added, were centres of excellence, not only in Nigeria but globally. He said this was so much so that it was a referral hospital for the Saudi royal family for instance.

He said over the years, there has been so much erosion of values and that this has lowered the standards of institutions across the country. The way forward, headed, is attitudinal change and a replication of ideas that worked well in the past.

Many town folks, including Moslem and Christian groups, representatives of private and public schools, as well as political associates of Hon. Oshun, joined the visitors from far and near to honour him. For instance, the Head Boy of the Ijebu Anglican Diocesan College, Igan Ipabi, Ogun State, Adeleke Adebayo and the Head Girl, Ruth Eric, led by the school principal, Abimbola Adebayo and a teacher, Mrs Olabimpe Olubunmi Onajoke, delivered a goodwill message from the institution to the celebrant whose foundation, the Olawale Oshun Foundation regularly organize various talents competitions for young people to nurture their gifts.

At the end of the day, the celebrant thanked everyone who graced the occasion, including Pa Ayo Afolabi, 76, one of the celebrant’s ARG colleagues, and the Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Oluseye Oyeleye.