Since you left office as Secretary to Anambra State Government, many people have waited to see your next move. What are your plans for the forthcoming governorship election in the state?
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I left government in June 2015 and returned to private life. However, I remained a member of Nigeria’s attentive public.
The nature of my policy and governance consultancy meant that I am involved in every aspect of the governance discourse at the national level, but purposely not on Anambra State.
I have addressed many critical national issues in my policy op-eds. On Anambra politics, I only broke my silence in mid-November 2016, when I said ‘Anambra has been hijacked’ and hinted that I might re-enter the political fray, if that was the only way to salvage Anambra and save the Anambra North political mandate. With 2017 on the roll, it means that I’m constructively engaged and fully involved.
What policies do you think Federal Government should put in place to reverse the current economic recession faced by the country?
The economic and political rot in Nigeria is not new. The challenges we face are also not peculiar to Nigeria. Yet, good governance is not a one off event; it is a systematic process that requires policy clarity, coherence, political will and the policy executors who can effect required changes without being cowed by either the leadership or sectional pressure groups.
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Presently, so long as the Federal Government lacks the will to introduce a single foreign currency regime, some Nigerians will feed fat on the faulty exchange regime, while the country as a whole suffers since we are import dependent.
We need some form of shock therapy to turn things around. Results-based budgeting at all levels, support for the private sector and allowing free market forces to hold sway might do the trick.
The present practice of deficit budgeting and borrowing to finance soft and social infrastructure is unhelpful. Generally, we must have the courage and political will to operate governance within available resources.
Nigeria is at the crossroads, facing agitations from the Niger Delta, pro Biafra groups, economic recession and religious crises, among others. What do you think is the way out?
Agitation, protests and dissent are all tenets of any healthy democracy. Nigeria cannot be an exception. There is a yawning trust gap between the leaders and the led. Nigeria has never been as fractious as it is now, except during the civil war period.
Government can’t keep on preaching about change and asking people to trust them, even as the situation deteriorates visibly. I’ve said it elsewhere, recession, crises, disenfranchisement and alienation are not dividends of democracy.
It is also fallacious to handle the agitations in Niger Delta and pro-Biafran groups as a matter of law and order, while not applying that principle to herdsmen violence and killings.
There should be constructive political engagement as well as confidence building measures that are devoid of political rhetoric and policy actions that are not based on pre-cepts. That is the way out.
What is your take on the problem of high cost of governance in Nigeria?
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Good governance is not about expropriating every sector – political, economic and social so as to convey a sense of being in charge or hands on. Individual investors, the organised private sector and the local government and municipal or township governments all have critical roles to play.
Yet the federal and state governments have coveted every facet of governance in order to control local government funds. It’s ironic that some elected state governors even refuse to hold local government elections.
This results in wastes, duplication, lack of check and balances and absence of due process. Cumulatively, the end result is a huge state bureaucracy that translates to high cost of governance.
You cannot address youth employment by creating an unwieldy legion of young exuberant political appointees, with bogus titles, exaggerated sense of self worth, undue expectations and a bloated sense of entitlement. Government needs to be streamlined to be effective, nimble and efficient.
Speculations are rife that you are interested in contesting for the November 18 governorship of Anambra State. Can you confirm this and on what platform?
Yes, I will be contesting. I have said so publicly and consultations on the platform are ongoing. There exists a very cogent basis for my candidacy. Be assured that almost every registered party on this side of the political terrain will field a candidate or adopt one.
This time around, which platform or party a candidate belongs to may not matter as much as the candidate’s bona fides. I believe our people and Nigerians as a whole have learnt some hard and harsh lessons about incidental leadership.
Anambra deserves better leadership and the people know it and will decide. I doubt that there will be a repeat of past mistakes this time around; if that happens we will have ourselves to blame in the medium and long term, and not just for Anambra State, but for the entire South-East geo-political zone and the Igbo nation.
Why the desire to serve in governorship capacity?
I n every capacity that I have served as a public servant, I have always put in my best and added value. So, a governorship slot, or foray into that realm can’t be any different. But then, leadership is about vision, exposure, capacity and the wherewithal to deliver the required governance values and services.
Besides developing a forward looking blueprint, one must also have the experience and institutional knowledge of how government establishments are run.
Regarding Anambra, our potentialities remain high, but we are underperforming and underachieving because we are contented with a state that is just working rather than aiming to be the best state that every other state emulates and aspire to catch up with or surpass.
The general opinion is that the incumbent governor has done well and that Anambra North is lucky to occupy the position. Why the quest to replace Chief Willie Obiano, who incidentally is from your zone?
What are the parameters of doing well? Routine governance obligations like paying salaries and pension hardly constitute critical good governance benchmarks; except of course, if you are comparing your state to near-failed or unviable states. Don’t get me wrong. Credit must be given where due. Anambra has progressed with each successive administration.
But then, if one goes to the Olympic Games, the ultimate goal is not just to get beyond the first round, but to win the gold medal. On the core question, every incumbent must run on his record while in office; the challengers will run on the basis of being credible alternatives with far more better services to deliver.
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In the end, the electorate will decide. Any leader with a stellar performance will not be at risk of being openly challenged. Those who are openly challenged have obvious chinks in their armor; such inadequacies are not lost to the generality of the people. Moreover, there’s a vast different in concrete achievements and hyped accomplishments.
Why do you think Anambra needs a change of guard at the government house?
The last two years of the Peter Obi administration was used to set the foundation and trajectory that would have set Anambra State well ahead of every other state in Nigeria. I was part of that endeavour and we finished strong.
Unfortunately, the momentum was lost, our development partners left; the continuity promise was totally abandoned and the enormous saved resources were frittered away.
Those who were not part of the grand design hijacked the mantle of leadership and reins of governance without any recourse to the game plan. The reality is that you cannot implement an idea, which you are not the author or one for which you do not know the genesis or have a full buy-in.
Those from the North, who really campaigned and worked assiduously for the government house, had a clear vision and determination. But those who arrived later scuttled the plan.
A second tenure should be predicated on performance and full accountability. As far as I can see there is a performance shortfall and an accountability deficit. So, I belong to the cadre of those who believe that Anambra deserves better and that there are ample and plausible reasons for desirable change.
What difference do you think you can make from what Governor Obiano has done so far?
There is no magic wand to governance; but there must be accountability, credibility, capacity, frugality and the political will to do things right. I do not believe in criticisms for the sake of it or to discredit.
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I’ve been involved in public service at the federal, international and state levels. I was a child raised in various local government settings. What makes a difference between one governor and the other is accountability, policy articulation, ownership, buy-in and unfettered service delivery.
When advisers and supporters have no sense of ownership of governance methods, it means they are in it for what they can get for themselves. Policy and projects suffer and unmet needs go unattended.
As a leader, administrator and governor, I will ensure that there must be a hands-on approach to governance. The best global practices must be put into play to serve the people.
When a government is doing well, the people are unlikely to grumble. Presently, I hear a lot of grumbling, and chaffing at prevalent hypocrisies, despite the clamour in the media of how good things are.
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