Ayodeji Ake
Nigeria’s poor rating in corruption perception index and other indicators of public probity is a cause for concern, according to the former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi.
He made the remarks as the Guest Speaker at the 6th Annual Lecture of Just Friends Club of Nigeria (JFCN) which held in Abuja.
The topic of Amadi’s lecture was “High Cost of Governance As an Impediment to Development.”
Despite having an array of well educated and nurtured people, the expectation is that Nigeria will be suffused with a high degree of ethics and competence in corporate and public leadership. But Amadi said Nigeria faces an acute crisis of values which reflects in the gross lack of productivity in both its private and public sector.
He said: “As a world leading producer of oil, we ought to be richer than we are. But we know that the wealth of nations does not come mostly from natural resources. Countries like Singapore and South Korea are not so much naturally endowed. In fact, they are geographically constrained in many ways. But Nigeria won the geographical lottery in many ways. Yet are in many ways victim of Dutch Disease. Natural resources have not translated into wealth. They have mostly turned into a curse.”
“Natural resources in themselves are not a curse. They are a blessing. But a blessing that call for more work to turn them into lasting benefit to the people. Some of the Scandinavian countries are endowed with oil like Nigeria. They turned theirs into a blessing through smart policies and management. For them, oil resources have lubricated national innovation system that has made them high income economies. Examples are Norway and Finland,” he added.
Amadi, who is currently the Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, remarked that Nigeria’s travail is partly due to the lack of good leadership that can mobilise citizens towards a virtuous path of productivity.
He added that such leadership is often described as transformative or redefining.
He noted that currently, Nigeria has a low quality public education and a dysfunctional public service structure that weakens the capacity of the Nigerian state to deliver development.
He said: “Capacity is an important ingredient of development. With low capacity a country may not be able to generate good policies and effectively implement them. Lessons from successful Asian countries underline the importance of state capacity. These countries succeeded because they have capacity to design good policies and implement them with coherence and effectiveness,” he said.
In his welcome remarks, the President of JFCN, Mr. Fred Ohwahwa, said the topic was germane for the present time.
“From whatever angle you look at it, Nigeria is an apology to its vibrant citizens, the African continent, and the Black race. We are far behind in virtually all metrics of development. And this is in spite of abundant human and material resources the country is blessed with,” he stated.
He added: “Our infrastructural deficit is scandalous; our education, health and other sectors are begging for quality intervention. This unfortunate state of affairs is partly attributable to the high cost of governance. And this is at all levels of government. The time has come for us as nation to review our system of governance with a view to making the people the primary purpose of government.”
The lecture was chaired by, a former Executive Director (Programmes) of Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) and former Director General of National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Olorogun Peter Igho.
JFCN is a socio-cultural organisation that fosters and encourages the spirit of oneness, companionship and comradeship amongst members and between the club and other friendly associations. The club is also involved in recreation, sports and engages in acts of philanthropy in favour of the needy members of the society at large.
Last modified: November 8, 2024
