To Enhance Good Governance, Gambari Tasks Govt on Mentoring of Younger Generations

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 

A former Chief of Staff to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari; Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, yesterday urged governments at all levels to harp on mentoring younger generations of Nigerians so as to boost good governance in the country.

Speaking yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital during the seventh annual general meeting of Ilorin Emirate Professors’ Association, Gambari who is also a former Nigerian envoy to the United Nations (UN), advocated meritocracy as the antidote to Nigeria’s problems.

He said that mentoring of the young generations would go a long way in achieving commitment to excellence in the nation’s polity.

Gambari spoke on the ‘Roles and Responsibilities of Academia in Good Governance.’

 According to him, “Our founding fathers believed in mentoring others and at the end of the day pushed those mentees into positions of responsibility.

 “I, therefore, urge the ruling class not to take the communities for granted”.

He tasked academics to move out of the comfort zone by engaging in dialogues that would ensure good governance.

 “While we should encourage that academia moves out of its comfort zone in the ivory towers to encourage conversations and dialogues in a very constructive setting in the achievement of governance, we must nevertheless not forget Ides of March.

“Today’s world is characterised by disruptions of all sorts, mostly technologically driven, social polarisation, new age nationalism, political instability and climate change. 

“In the midst of this governance architects are forced to make tough decisions which involve allocating scarce resources to myriads of challenges and demands. We must provide support in the form of clarity in the process of making such decisions”.

“For academia in Nigeria, it is important that we evolve in how we practice and must understand where the world is headed given all the complexity we currently face in a very turbulent geo-political world order.

“Additionally, there never has been a more critical time where our voices should be heard in a very constructive tone and pitch and the only way to do it is by maintaining our independence and dignity while speaking truth to power,” Gambari said.

The diplomat recommended an amalgamation of sciences, social sciences, humanity and technology to overcome the complexities of issues facing Nigeria.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, and chairman of the Governing Council of the Kwara State University, Malete, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, had preached love, peace and unity among scholars from the emirate.

He cautioned against pull-him-down syndrome.

On his part, the President of Ilorin Emirate Professors Association, Prof AbdulKabir Solihu, said beyond conventional mandates of teaching, research and community service, “academia is increasingly called upon to provide thought leadership, evidence-based policy input and ethical guidance in governance processes.”