Sharing my views

KWENU! Our culture, our future

Sharing my views

ACHO ORABUCHI

Dallas, Texas

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Let me begin this piece by enunciating my philosophy in order to put my views in a proper perspective. I am moderately conservative in many issues and strongly conservative in others. I believe that everyone has an inalienable right to freedom, security, and pursuit of happiness. Life should be cherished and we should be thankful to God each day of our life for his grace. We should dedicate ourselves to serving humanity in any capacity we may find ourselves regardless of our political persuasion or our ideological constructs.

Admittedly, I hold freedom of press, speech or expression, and association very dearly. I do believe in limited government. I simply do not think that government is the answer to all our social and economic problems. Individual responsibility is a critical element in solving some of the societal problems.

However, to foster economic growth, it is the responsibility of the government to create the enabling environment and good business climate for both the local and foreign investors to be eager to invest in the economy. Also, the government should create an environment where people have equal and fair opportunities to achieve their greatest potential.

On education, primary and secondary education should be compulsory. Education beyond secondary level should be made affordable to those who wish to further their education.

Economy

Nigerian economy is a one-product economy that is riddled with corruption. Nigeria needs to diversify her economy. The sole reliance on oil for Nigeria’s source of foreign reserve and export earnings, coupled with corruption and waste, would not lift many Nigerians out of poverty. Nigeria, at this stage, needs to attract massive foreign investments to help diversify her economy for a meaningful growth. Federal government policies should be geared toward encouraging small-scale businesses, agricultural sector, viable tourism, implementation and application of technology in the educational system, attracting foreign investments. These variables are needed in addition to the oil for meaningful growth whereby policy makers focus on both micro and macro economics of the country.

Foreign Investment

Additionally, the policy makers must create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Nigeria has to have infrastructures in place and most importantly, security of life and property, to attract foreign investors and tourists. No one or no investor would want to visit or invest in an environment where lives and properties are not secure. The rising number of kidnappings and armed robbery operations are not helping the matter. Furthermore, the incessant religious and ethnic crises would make Nigeria unsafe for foreign investors, including Nigerians in Diaspora. Foreign investors and Nigerians living abroad would lose confidence in Nigeria because of lingering violence in the country.

State Governors

Sometimes people shy away from confronting reality or saying the truth or even criticizing the government for fear of disfavor or their lives. I have stated in the past that the governors should rate themselves based on how well they have improved the lives of the people since they took office. If these governors are not paying pensioners, workers, and teachers timely, they are performing poorly. If they are not creating jobs, maintaining state and local roads, providing quality education, and are not implementing people-oriented programs, they should not have been in the office in the first place. Most of these governors travel overseas often. They often leave the dilapidated healthcare system in their state for medical treatment overseas. In fact, they appreciate what they see and enjoy in United Kingdom, America, and other western countries. My question is: What stops them from implementing some the good things they enjoy abroad in their respective states? The current governors should ensure that they are truly serving the people.

The local government system is a good model for the country, but generally speaking, the LGA bosses have proven to be failures. They have failed the system terribly because they have systematically denied the masses of the dividends of democracy.

Things in United States I would like to see in Nigeria

I would like to see transparent, responsible, and accountable leadership in all public and private institutions, including every level and all branches of government. I would like to see people in government driven by service and ideology instead of selfishness. It is my opinion that the National Assembly does not have the necessary tools to perform its oversight functions. It is imperative the members of the National Assembly be trained in order to be adequately prepared with information and skills to discharge their responsibilities in a democratic society. For democracy to thrive, majority of the citizens must have the knowledge of the issues. In this regard, it is the responsibility of the media to educate the masses on national, state, and local issues.

Furthermore, the delineation of the powers of the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches should be understood by those directly and indirectly involved, including the masses. Separation of powers among the branches of government is designed as a mechanism for checks and balances within the system. The masses should be empowered to have the basic knowledge of the concept of democracy.

National Resources

The national resources have not only been mismanaged, but they are also not being distributed equitably and fairly. In the past, policy pronouncements were not congruent with their implementations or executions. There should be constructive and effective plans in place to implement policies before they are pronounced.

I had wished that the issues generated in the report of the Acting Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Vincent Azie were investigated and resolved sometime ago. Also, I had wished he was not removed. The removal of Mr. Vincent Azie gave the appearance that the government was giving a lip service to the anti-graft/anti-corruption programs at that time. It appeared that the federal government was hiding or covering up something, or did not have the interest of the nation at heart by letting Mr. Azie go.

Nigeria needs people like Mr. Vincent Azie if the country is serious in combating corruption that has eaten the fabrics of the nation. Corruption is an endemic problem in Nigeria and it has to be fought relentlessly by all and in all quarters.

Democratic Experiment and Recommendation for electoral reform

What Nigeria has now is far better than the military rule. The democratic experiment in Nigeria has not reached its expectation. The democratic structures and principles are not fully developed and utilized in Nigerian nascent democracy. Some institutions are not playing their respective roles independently with the central aim of converging to the national goal. The three branches of government and the three levels of government are not working to their potential to achieve good governance, which is a bedrock of democracy. However, I am optimistic that with passage of time and effort the structures and principles will be fully developed to sustain a viable and fledging democracy in Nigeria.

Nigeria must have an effective local government layer that is closer to the people. Along the same line, the country should have effective partnership between levels of government, media, and private sector in order to strengthen our democracy. While a totally independent electoral body would institutionalize the country’s democracy, the media should strengthen it by educating the masses about the issues. The education, knowledge, and awareness of issues by the citizens in a democratic society are paramount in facilitating democratization processes. Also, the independence of the judiciary, media, and the electoral body should be greatly protected and preserved as the rule of law is maintained.

Furthermore, the President and National Assembly should enact immediately or strengthen the necessary legislations to extend residency rights to all Nigerians in any state in which they have established viable businesses or have been domiciled for a minimum of six (6) continuous calendar months. If there is an existing law in the books that grants Residency Rights to all citizens, it is incumbent upon the federal government to strengthen and enforce it. If there is a Residency Right Law already in the books, it is the moral and constitutional responsibility of the local, state, and federal governments to ensure that citizens of Nigeria are aware of the law. All citizens should have the right of employment at any level of government--local, state, and federal--in the state they have established residence.

Nigeria should be able to guarantee her citizens equal rights and equal opportunity regardless of their ethnic background or state of origin. The rights and security of every citizen should be protected at all times in order for democracy to thrive in Nigeria. Also, the right to own property in any part of the federation should be an alienable right of every citizen of Nigeria. Constant dislocation of economic activities of citizens of Nigeria is one of the factors that impede economic growth.

Government should partner with public sector in the delivery of services to the citizenry and in grooming future leaders.

Kaput!