It shows me quite simply that we have not yet matured as a country or people. Our supposedly knowledgable young men and women have refused to base their opinions on facts and proper analysis of events. Instead they would rather go for the easiest option which is to believe that opinion of any enemy of government who can get to the press quickest.
Soyinka’s improper pronouncement is a mere unguarded utterance and his naive opinion and is not based on facts and figures. He is just speaking his mind. It was also funny that he was in Edo State when he made this pronouncement. Hmmmm!
We are not even sure if the man is senile, yet we are too happy to jump on his words and take it as fact or maybe even law. Afterall he is a nobel prize winner (Remind me again if that was for his contribution to helping impoverished people, or it was for politics, or even as a freedom fighter…NO..it was for literature – fiction).
I boldy condemn Prof. Wole Soyinka’s statement and dismiss it in its entirety as baseless and irresponsible…just like words written in the pamphlet El Rufai’s thriller ‘The Accidental Pathetic Sod’…i’m sorry was that ‘Accidental Public Servant’?
Now unlike the learned Prof. I have been bothered enough to find out about the National Good Governance Tour (NGGT).
Now let me go back to the beginning…how the drama started:
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State had days ago accused Maku of forcing states to sponsor the minister and almost 120 other people on the entourage, paying their hotel bills, feeding them and also footing their transport bills during the duration of the tour.
Oshiomhole was quoted to have argued that Edo State government took responsibility for its officials, who travelled to Abuja for official duties and not the Federal Government, to justify his position.
The governor had said in an event that: “It is not proper to use Edo State tax payers’ money to finance a Federal Government programme. If they pay me a courtesy visit, I will receive them, but I don’t have a dime to spend on them because I do not need them to come to tell Edo people how I built roads and schools. My achievement speaks for me.”
Hear Edo god Oshiomhole speak…impressive!!!
Both the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku and the governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, on Thursday, took an exception to a statement credited to the governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that the ongoing good governance tour was a Federal Government project, saying governors gave their consent to it.
During a courtesy call on Governor Uduaghan, Mr Maku said the tour was not just a federal programme but a national one supported by state governors after it was designed alongside the National Planning Commission and presented to and debated by the Federal Executive Council (FEC.)
Uduaghan also said, “we all collectively agreed on this programme” and urged Maku not to be discouraged by the criticisms against the programme.
The minister further hinted that for the programme to enjoy national acceptance, the blueprint was presented to the National Economic Council where all the states were represented.
He said the blueprint was further debated where the governors agreed to put partisan politics aside and work in the interest of good governance.
According to Maku, the programme was overwhelmingly supported by Nation Economic Council while NGF set up Governor Godswill Akpabio led committee to get details of the tour, saying the governors took details of the programme, assessed, debated and commonly agreed on the template.
All this said and done. I have taken the time to and effort to find out more about the tour as well as speak with many of the people on the tour.
MORE ABOUT THE TOUR!
The National Good Governance Tour Team comprises of the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists; the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU); leaders of women and youth organisations; National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); National Council of Women Societies (NCWS); leaders of non-governmental organisations; Operatives of security agencies; representative(s) of the Nigerian Governors Forum Secretariat; and reporters from the nation’s print and electronic media houses.
The Social Media is also strongly represented and all aspects of the tour are streamed live on all the social media platforms.
The tour incorporates a robust Citizens Forum which enables citizens of every State to engage Federal and State Government officials on all key development policies and challenges in each State. The Citizens Forum which is attended by the Governor of each State and his officials runs live on radio, television and Social Media Platforms. In every State, citizens ask their leaders questions without restriction and Nigerians all over the world take advantage of the Social Media to file in their questions, comments, opinions or suggestions on the major programmes and activities of government.
Federal and State officials led by the Governor and Ministers answer questions and give explanations to citizens on all the major issues raised. For most Governors and other State officials who have featured in the Citizens Forum so far, it has been very tasking as citizens ask questions on almost every challenge facing their States and their communities.
During the tour itself, State officials, contractors and service providers take questions directly from journalists from the print and electronic media and from representatives of civil society and other stakeholders on the performance of projects/programmes executed by Federal and State Governments.
The tour itself is so rigorous that many participants are unable to cope with the pace of the field visitations. The tour team travels mainly by road and in most places begins from 9am and returns sometimes 10 or 11 pm daily.
I also spoke to a journalist who has been on teh tour and here is what she has to say:
“I have been part of the national good governance tour of the south south zone. The tour started with Cross Rivers state and then to Rivers then Delta and currently were now in Edo.
The tour has not been an easy ride because for most part of the day we are on the road inspecting one project or the other with the minister. It has been really strenuous contrary to popular opinion that we are having fun we sleep really late like 2am every day only to wake up at 6am for another tour.
Some states have been very accommodating like Rivers and Delta who showed us good hospitality while others just did not care.
On the area of projects we saw first hand which state was performing and which state not. I was particularly appalled by the state of backwardness in Bayelsa state despite it been the second largest oil producing state in the country and the budgetary allocations I agree that the terrain is not an easy one to build but I was particularly disturbed by the state of filt in the environment and poor standard of education in the state.”
For me I am fully in support of the National Good Governance Tour especially that as we founded the PDP Political group, League of Young Democrats LoYD, I was particularly keen to establish within the group a project monitoring team from Local Government to state, to Federal level.
Nigeria definitely needs this NGGT. Instead of slagging it off, I think we should look at some of the reports from the tours and then plan how were going to fix Nigeria.
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