Igho Natufe’s path to redemption in Okpe nation – Part 3

Last week, Prof Omajuwa Igho Natufe, the remarkable political scientist and President General worldwide of Okpe Union informed us, among other things, as follows:“In his series of public lectures, Prof. PLO Lumumba succinctly addressed (the quagmire of corruption) by reminding us that those found guilty of corruption in China are summarily executed while their counterparts in Africa, especially in Nigeria, are eulogised and elected to leadership positions at all levels of government.

We recommend the Chinese treatment in dealing with convicted corrupt officials in Nigeria as the most effective method of waging the war against corruption. We are aware that sitting legislators (at local, state, and federal levels) will not support this recommendation. It is left for the citizenry to determine for how long they want to watch their commonwealth stolen by political and traditional so-called leaders”. What follows is the patriotically rebellious and interestingly revolutionary political scientist’s lucid recommendation, on behalf of Okpe Union, of what should attend the game of corrupt political office holders in the polity – in Okpe nation and Nigeria as whole. Enjoy your interesting read.

On a good governance system
A GOOD governance system is defined by its relationship to some key prerequisites, including Accountability, Transparency, Participation, and Predictability. Okpe and fellow Nigerians must be aware of these elements.

Accountability
In a democracy, elected and appointed government officials, from the president down to the office messenger in a local government council, must be accountable for their actions and policies. They must provide answers for their activities to the general population. Nigerian citizens, including the Okpe, must demand this from all government officials at all levels of the political system.

One way of doing this is for members of each electoral constituency to construct a performance-measurement framework, compelling respective government officials, to provide answers for their activities and policies.

Transparency
Simply put, transparency is the easy and unrestricted access of government information by the population. It is vital that ministers/commissioners and bureaucrats ensure the unedited dissemination of such information as demanded by the citizens, excluding information pertaining to Nigeria’s national security. All governments in Nigeria must be compelled to adhere to the tenets of transparency in their decision-making process as well as limiting the chances of government officials engaging in corrupt practices.

Participation
This is a very important component of the elements of governance. It is imperative that citizens, including the Okpe, participate at all levels of their government’s decision-making process, not as sycophants but as critical thinkers. It should be emphasised that their participation does not end with merely casting their votes on Election Day. For effective participation in public policy, it is essential for Okpe nationals and fellow Nigerians to organize themselves into credible interest groups that constantly review government policies, articulate the positions of the respective constituencies, and engage elected officials in public debates regarding the rationale and impact of their policies and programmes on the society.

Predictability
A democratic polity is governed by laws and regulations anchored on the Constitution of the country. This is not different in Nigeria. Therefore, it is imperative that the application of these laws and regulations be fair and consistent, and thus predictable, within the boundaries of the Constitution. Any arbitrary application of the laws and regulations would vitiate the Constitution and inhibit good governance. A critical element of this is the recognition of the principles of jurisdictional responsibilities, especially in a federal polity like Nigeria.

The above elements presuppose an educated, politically conscious, enlightened and an actively proactive population, where sycophancy is reduced to the barest minimum. In a polity where the citizenry is ill equipped to engage in any of the above, it is a certainty that the rudiments of good governance will readily be compromised by the government of the day. This situation buttresses the view that a society gets the government that it deserves.

Challenges of development in Okpe nation
In his address to representatives of the Sapele Memories and Development Foundation at his Palace in Orerokpe on April 26, 2024, His Royal Majesty, Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe faulted the role of “successive governments” in the decay of Sapele and the Okpe Nation. (See, Ediri Oyibo, “Orodje Okpe welcomes move to restore Sapele’s lost glory”, Orodje Okpe welcomes move to restore Sapele’s lost glory (Thenewsguru.com), April 26, 2024.) Given the thrust of HRM’s criticism of government policy vis-à-vis the situation in Sapele and Okpe Nation, it is important to quote the relevant segments of the Orodje’s statement. He declared: “Successive governments have never been fair to Sapele. That is the truth.”

Speaking further, the Orodje of Okpe could not conceal his frustration as he lamented:

“One thing that is very painful to me is the Sapele Technical College. The college had the same status with Kaduna Technical College, Yaba Technical College, Ibadan Technical College and Enugu Technical College. They are all of the same status at the same time. But all the other ones, it is either they are now universities or polytechnics. Sapele Technical College is now like a secondary school. If the college is a university or at worse a polytechnic by now, the situation of Sapele would have been different.”

While we share the Orodje’s lamentation on the neglect of Sapele and Okpe Nation by “successive governments,” we situate the problem more in the failure of Okpe elected/appointed political and traditional leaders for the stunted growth and development in Okpe Nation. These leaders played and continue to play pivotal role in the electoral “victories” of the governing parties: the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level from 1999 – 2015; the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the federal level since 2015; and the PDP at State and Local government levels since 1999, with Okpe indigenes representing Okpe Nation in the Senate and the House of Representatives, at different occasions, and holding key ministerial portfolios in the Delta State Government, for example, Agriculture, Education, Works, and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, etc. Collectively, they failed to use their positions in government to impact positively on the growth and development of the Okpe Nation, as evidenced in the dilapidating state of public education institutions and the roads, and the absence of industries in Okpe Nation, compared to, for instance, the Isoko Nation.

What was the role of Okpe leaders on the (then) proposed establishment of a university at Degheli? What positive impact have the two local government councils in Okpe Nation (the Okpe LGC and the Sapele LGC) had on the socio-economic development in Okpeland since 1999? How much does the Delta State Government receive quarterly from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)?

How much of these are allocated to, for example, the ministries of Agriculture, Education, Works, etc? How much monthly or quarterly is allocated to each local government council in the State from the actual amount received from the FAAC? These Okpe political and traditional leaders play critical role in the “successive governments” that have contributed to the under-development and impoverishment of the Okpe Nation.

If we are unable to interrogate Okpe political and tradition leaders on their poor stewardship impacting on Okpe Nation, then we lack the moral justification to interrogate non-Okpe political leaders on the stewardship of their respective portfolios impacting on Okpe Nation. A people get the government that they deserve.

To be continued.

Afejuku can be reached via: 08055213059.