By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
A senior Lecturer with the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Mr Tope Joel, has called members of political class in Nigeria to re-define governance and leadership to ensure good governance in 2023.
He made the call in Lokoja on Thursday at The Nigerian Post Kogi @31 Lecture & Award 2022 with the topic, “Governance, Leadership Re-Defined,This House Must not fall”, organised by the Nigerian Post newspaper.
The lecturer also called on Nigerians to ensure that they elect credible leaders that would give a new direction in governance to the country.
According to Joel, the redefined leadership and governance needed by the nation must entail proactiveness by leaders in dealing with issues relating to insecurity and poverty among other social and economic challenges confronting the country.
He observed that Nigeria ” is in dire need of a leadership that will govern responsibility, purposeful, patriotically, decisively,and with a sense of urgency to stir the Nigeria state away from the point of disintegration.”
The lecturer,who is with the Department of Social Science and Humanities,School of General Studies of the Polytechnic, stressed the need for the envisaged leadership in Nigeria to also demonstrate characteristic of social re-engineering that would evolve from the family institution up the ladder to ensure stability and cohesion.
According to Joel,a leadership that is weak and unresponsive will aggravate instability and disorder, stressing that “if this house(Nigeria) will not fall,its governnent and leadership must be redefined.
” Consequently, there is the need for proactive , dynamic,re-defined governance through resilent leadership at all levels in Nigeria; Federal, State and Family level.
“The much needed social re-engieeribg in Nigeria must evolve from the family institution, there is need for good governance and leadership at the family level towards engendering national stability and cohesion,” he explained.
He noted that the present situation in the country had brought to the fore the importance and centrality of leadership and stability in solving the country”s numerous problems.
According to the lecturer, the high level brigandage, lawless and disorder are symptomatic of a nation that is bedevilled with serious internal structure and deficiencies,all rooted in weak leadership.
In his good will message at the occasion,the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Lokoja,(FUL), Prof. Olayemi Akinwunmi,advised Nigerians not to use religion, ethnic and other divisive expressions to destroy Nigeria, especially as 2023 general elections gather momentum.
The Vice Chancellor added that Nigeria certainly needs the next polical leaders to curb the nation’s security, social and economic problems to the barest minimum in view of the gravity of the security and challenges confronting the country.
In his contrubution, former Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, who said the place of good governance remained critical to the socio-economic development of Nigeria,called on the next crop of leaders to come to terms with the people’s aspirations in the act of governance.
Prof. Ocheni, who was the Chairman of the occasion,commended the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaha Bello and President Muhammadu Buharibfor confronting kidnapping and other forms of crime and criminality frontally. called for more efforts in curbing the problem to the barest minimum.
The Editor-in-Chief of Nigeian Post,Mr Mike Abu, in his opening remarks said the annual event represents the newspaper’s continued commitment to contribute its qouta to the social, economic and political development of the state.
Governor Bello, who received the award of “Nigerian Post Newspaper of the Year” was represented by the Commissioner For Information and Communications,Mr Kingsley Fanwo.
Our Correspondent reports that other awardees at the occasion include, the Rector,Kogi State Polytechnic,Dr.Usman Ogbo, Mrs Billy Nwogu among others.
Many import dignitaries, cutting various strata of the society.in and outside the the state such as the state Chairman,Jamatul Nasir Islam, Amb.Usman Bello and the state council Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Alhaji Adeiza Momohjimoh as well as the Editor-in-Chief, The Reporters, Alhaji, D. U Ahmed, attended the event at the NUJ Press Centre.
