ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has said that political leaders and the followership must be refined in their statements, comments and embrace equity and fairness in the administration of the country to keep Nigeria united and free from undue agitations.
The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Joyce Overah, stated at a one-day forum on citizens’ conversation with elected public officials, organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation, in Asaba.
The governor noted that information is key to good governance, hence there is need for both the government and people to share correct information to reduce conflicts.
Governor Okowa said that there are a lot of unrefined, half truth and untruthful statements coming from some quarters about government, adding that this type of forum will help to keep the people abreast of the policies and programmes of government.
While tasking all Nigerians on equity and fairness in the administration of the country, Governor Okowa said that ‘this type of town hall meetings will put to rest, the issue of agitations.’
He urged political office holders to hold regular meetings with their people to keep them abreast with facts on issues.
In his paper, the Guest Speaker, Prof. B.I.C. Ijeomah, said that tribalism and nepotism has remained the bane of Nigeria’s democracy.
He pointed out that the foundation upon which Nigeria was founded was faulty, noting that until ‘we restructure to suit the peculiarities of the country, things will always go wrong,’ adding that good governance is possible, but some factors must be considered first before it will succeed in the country.
In the same vein, the state Director, Mr. Okoro Jifbioced and the Director-General of NOA, Dr. Garba Abari, said that the programme has been organised in about 18 states put together to educate the people and leaders to know their rights and obligations.
They said that it is a platform for interactions that will help government to know what the people want and bring better communication between the rulers and the governed.
The Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Delta State, Hon. Itiako Ikpokpo, who gave clarifications on local government administration, noted that payment of local government workers’ salaries, including primary school teachers, was the responsibilityof the councils.
