Ugo Aliogo
Ahead of the elections, a former Minister of Aviation and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has stated that the incoming president should focus on uniting the National Assembly in order to make the government more accountable.
He also stated that there was need for government to focus on building great institutions rather than focusing on finding a “good man” leader, adding that while leaders come and go, but great institutions helps to determine the future success of countries.
Chidoka disclosed this recently at a virtual meeting organized by Which Way Citizens’ Scenarios team to dialogue on national issues.
In his remarks, the Founding Partner, Nextier, Mr. Patrick Okigbo, predicted that the rate of violence in Nigeria was bound to increase.
He further explained that the most promising way to address the worsening insecurity in the country was through improved governance and service delivery, improved securitisation through non-combative approaches, fix the economic challenges, youth unemployment and criminal justice system.
He said: “Change in political and economic realities will result in reduced incidents, casualties and humanitarian needs, reduced tension and agitations, it will also result in decline in demands for guns, informal security provisioning and disincentive for violence and on possible way out he provided the following recommendations.”
The Executive Director, Africa Circular Innovation Partnership (CEIP), Dr. Natalie Beinisch, who spoke on economy described how issues such as inflation, foreign currency controls and fuel subsidies were increasing risk and undermining business productivity.
She also discussed how structural challenges, including insecurity, access to energy and japa were affecting business growth and the fact that lack of confidence in Nigeria’s public institutions was leading to capital flight.
She argued that to increase business confidence, some of the steps that the new administration could take included appointing reputable technocrats to key administrative positions, reduce foreign currency controls, address fuel subsidies and continue to take steps to reduce unnecessary compliance and permitting burdens, particularly for smaller companies.
She added, “Nigeria will get stuck in a “Land of Lost Hope” unless radical governments embarks on radical and far reaching economic reform.”
The Vice Chancellor of Coal City University, Prof. Afam Icha-Ituma, said there has been an improved ranking of the Nigerian universities from five universities in the previous year to 12 universities in the top band in 2023.
