Anyiam-Osigwe Decries Leadership Delivery Failure in Nigeria

By Lucky Isibor

A social crusader, George Anyiam-Osigwe has deplored the ineptitude of governance delivery in the country regretting that after 63 years of nationhood the nation has achieved marginal infrastructural development just as the provision of economically relevant variables remains largely stunted with an inflationary trend that lacks any index of evaluation and approximation.

Anyiam-Osigwe stated this while delivery a lecture titled "Responsible and Responsive Leadership Delivery: Nigeria and The Appropriate Democratic Tenets", at the Development lecture organised by the Moses Oisakede Leadership Foundation (MOLF) and the launching of the Edo Restoration Movement, held at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre in Benin City, Tuesday, 13 June.

The erudite scholar lamented the inability of the State to  adequately appropriate the human resources that abound and the country's loose of skilled manpower to irregular migration.

According to him, "From the first republic of 1960 to 1966, the fourth republic of 1999 to 2023, we have only been able to record a window dressing in the context of impacting sustainable development. 

"We have achieved marginal infrastructural development while the provision of economically relevant variables remains stunted. Although the distribution of electrical wires and poles has been achieved, the availability of light is perhaps worse today than our past years. A country that has built four refineries is presently importing fuel while the restoration of the refineries remains a very potent electoral asset for politicians at the point of campaigns.

"The educational system is sadly riddled with poor funding, outdated curriculum, unserious academic environment where examination malpractices thrives, neglect of staffing of our schools at all levels, among others. 

"With a shrinking industrial space and a collapsing economic environment, unemployment has made going to school unattractive for our youths. Deriving from the high level of poverty arising from a mismanaged economic space, our youths are involved not just in advance fees fraud (419) but in ritual money which has been neatly redressed in the definition of Yahoo plus. 

"In all aspects of our country’s span, the neglect of human resources resonates from an unrealistic wage system to lack of the appropriate facilities that guarantee access to food, housing, health, economic existence, and social responsibility. 

"Drawing from the inability of the state to define ‘self in the social order in any sphere, we lose large man power to irregular migration. Appreciating that large population clearly expresses a large workforce, depleting our working population by environmental and social contradictions that lead our people into voluntary slavery appropriately situate the ineptitude of governance delivery in Nigeria. 

"With an inflationary trend that lacks any index of evaluation and approximation, a number of Nigerians, particularly in the large cities like Lagos, are either begging to be able to eat, eating from the dustbins, or barely existing on a meal a day".

While situating the root causes of governance failure on faulty leadership recruitment processes which enthrone  regimes of corrupt leaders and continue to perpetrate corruption, electoral malpractices as means of retaining political power, Anyiam-Osigwe tasked the citizenry on holding all government institutions accountable in the discharge of their responsibilities.

"With the character of the political class, we have virtually thrown our destiny and resources to personnel whose expertise is in perfidy and chicanery. Deriving from the trickle down effect of our political leadership, corruption has become symbolic with success in political participation and in other aspects of human endeavours.

"It must be noted that except we insist on the appropriate democratic tenets, we will continue to regress nationally thriving on mediocrity at the realm of leadership. Efforts are ongoing to check the corruption in our democratic process. In this context, we must dispense with the anathema of votes buying and selling. We must insist on retribution and deterrence anchored on enabling laws to criminalise votes buying. We must stand to hold electoral umpires accountable for poor performance and compromise. We must generate a moving mass of volunteers in our various community to act as democracy vanguards pursuant to eliminating these antithesis of genuine and sustainable democracy".

Launching the Edo Restoration Movement, the convener of the movement, Richard Ofenimun (Esq), pointed out that the objective of the group is the restoration of the values and virtues of politicking in Edo State. 

According to him, the group which is not tied to any particular political party will seek a credible individual to support ahead the Edo State 2024 governorship election. 

"Edo Restoration Movement is to restore the values and virtues of politicking in Edo State, to bring the people together to install a government that will truly be responsive to the yearnings of Edo people. 

"For now, we're looking at individuals that have the mind to bring about better governance in Edo State. The individual could be in any political party, depending on what the person is all about, then we can call all out to support him".

High point of the event was the launching of the Edo Restoration Movement by the convener, Richard Ofenimun (Esq). He urged Edo people to join them in their Edo restoration agenda, adding that they've opened an operational office at the Oguola area of Benin City.

Present at the lecture and launching were members and representatives of various civil society organisations, members of Moses Oisakede Leadership Foundation, market women, students and artisans.