Experts task government on inclusiveness, good governance
President and Chairman of Council, NIM, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda
The need for government to ensure there is inclusiveness in governance has been stressed. Corporate governance and Management experts who gathered at the 2019 Distinguished Management Lecture organized by the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) (Chartered) in Lagos yesterday want President Buhari to appoint competent professionals to drive the desired growth the country needs.
With the theme, ‘Nigeria’s progress principles and the new metrics’, the experts emphasized the need for government to change the old ways of doing things. While stressing the need for attitudinal change and value reorientation, they also want the interest of the nation to be put first at all times.
Chairman, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, said it is appropriate for the government to shift focus into the key variables, the bedrock, and pillars in creating national wealth and development. Ogunbiyi highlighted the variables to include leadership and leadership choices, good governance encompassing rule of law, peace, and security, education and knowledge, investment and saving, diversities and inclusion, social security and patriotism.
“Nigeria has been plagued with a host of security challenges from militancy, insurgency, kidnapping, herdsmen/farmers crisis as well as a host of others. Nigeria seems to never run out of security challenges. “The national budget allocated to defense has increased from N340 billion in 2014 to N594 billion in 2019, highlighting the increase of security challenges across the Nation. Insecurity and prosperity do not co-exist until our leaders realize this, then we are pretty much going to be static for some time,” he added.
Earlier in his remarks, President and Chairman of Council, NIM, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, said the task of getting the country up and running on the right path should not be left for government alone; all hands must be on deck to take Nigeria to where we all want it to be.
Prof Iyanda who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Pat Anabor, said efforts by successive governments to get the nation’s economy up and running has not yielded the desired result. She said although the nation is blessed with an abundance of human and material resources it has not been making the needed progress.
However, the ability to bridge the yawning gap between putting the right policies in place and proper implementation has been the bane of the country’s meaningful development. However, the institute said the task of getting the country up and running on the right path should not be left for government alone; all hands must be on deck to take Nigeria to where we all want it to be.
