A former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, has advised the incoming administration of President-elect Bola Tinubu to avoid the sharing formula of the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari government.
Mr Mimiko, who was governor from 2009 to 2017, said this on Thursday while speaking on good governance and accountability at the Dare Adeboye Foundation’s Change and Development Forum.”
The Dare Adeboye Foundation is focused on community development, advocating for good governance and youth empowerment.
Dare, the younger son of the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Enoch Adeboye, is the founder of the foundation.
At the event, which was held at the provincial coordination office in the Redemption Camp, the former governor advised the incoming government to unite the nation by focusing on diversity management, consensus building and being deliberately inclusive.
“The primary goal for the incoming government should be to unite the nation and manage our diversity. The incoming government should avoid the ‘97 per cent, five per cent’ sharing formula of the Buhari administration that sidelined particular ethnicity of the country.
“Every part of this country must be included and given the right to prominent positions in the coming administration. Good governance and accountability bring about economic growth and development must show in the citizens’ quality of life,” he said.
Mr Mimiko related economic growth without development to a philosophy of the cancer cell.
Secure, Restructure
On national security, he advised the incoming government to focus on decentralising the police, rejig Nigeria’s security architecture and pay significant attention to the herders and farmers crisis.
He also advised the government to engage the youth whilst also commissioning an inquiry to the past legislature.
Speaking on restructuring, he advised that while the government plans to remove subsidy it should put up cushions for the masses as they consider the downside of subsidy removal.
Mr Mimiko, who applauded the merits of the cashless economy, stated that while it tackles corruption and enhances digitisation of the economy, it should be continued and treated with a high level of importance.
The former governor raised concerns about the growing rate of youth unemployment.
He said “we seem to be hoodlumizing our younger generation”
He urged the government to recognise the trend of deglobalisation and leverage on data to rebuild the economy and create jobs.
He highlighted four P’s for the government to focus on which include, planning and targeting, provide power and financial resources, protecting local infant industries including MSMEs and patronise made-in-Nigeria goods.
Freedom Information Act
Speaking on the Freedom of Information Act, Mr Mimiko said as an important instrument of accountability in the country, the media and citizens should take advantage of it.
He noted that the act is a foundation of an open system of governance in Nigeria, directly impacting the citizens’ quality of life and upholding civil rights
“An organisation that uses good governance is one that always, in words and action, demonstrates accountability, leadership, integrity, stewardship and transparency,” he said.
Mr Mimiko also urged the government to engage with all agitating forces of this country.
“The government should engage with all the agitators in this country, they should sit and meet with the likes of Nnamdi Kanu and co,” he said.
Significant Impact
The Senior Personal Assistant to the General Overseer of the RCCG, Leke Adeboye, stated that the foundation’s objective was to improve the lives of individuals, contribute to the nation’s growth, and support the advancement of God’s kingdom, which is now aligned with Nigeria’s vision.
Mr Adeboye stated that the foundation has made significant impacts at the individual, community, and national levels through initiatives such as Kingdom advancement, youth empowerment, sanitation projects, leadership and governance.
Kola Oyeneyin, CEO of Opportunik Global Funds, who was also in attendance, emphasised the importance of equity and justice in the development of the economy.
He stated that the public should get rid of three ideologies which includes, a general misconception that we (Nigeria) are rich, as a nation we have moved from systemic to endemic corruption and we have weak institutions and lack strong governance.
He also stressed the need for transparency, technology, inclusiveness and data investments in the new administration.
“The government should focus on making strategic bets, leverage technology for transparency. The National Bureau of statistics should become the National Bureau of Data,” he said.
Source: Premium Times
