PREAMBLE
As part contribution to national development and proposing areas of focus for the new administration at the Federal Level, the Rufus Ebegba Centre for Leadership and Environmental sustainability organized a seminar on setting the stage for the new administration. Therefore the seminar was organized for over 70 stakeholders to discuss and recommend programmes to assist the government meet the needs of its citizen.
The discussion and the Seminar centred on security, quality education, infrastructure and Roads, Petroleum industry, power/ energy, Economy, Leadership, National Security, Judiciary and Legislative reforms, Youth Development and employment, Electoral reform, Corruption, Health, Railway reform, Conflict, Leadership and conflict.
The Keynote speaker was by Dr. Senator Ita Enang and the Chief Host/Convener was Dr Rufus Ebegba. other speakers at the seminar include: Dr A.K. Peters, Avotu Barry and Prof. Jegede B. Over 70 Participants attended the seminar
FOUNDER RUFUS EBEGBA CENTER WELCOME REMARKS: Dr. Ebegba welcome speakers and all participants to the seminar. He stated that the seminar was a way of contributing to setting agenda for the new administration in Nigeria. Therefore the outcome of the seminar will be sent to the Federal Government to direct policy formulation and programs that will provide political dividends to citizens of Nigeria. According to Ebegba, Since 1999 till date, Nigeria has experienced uninterrupted civil rule and change in leadership that faced and is still facing a range of challenges from, socio-economic, insecurity, power failure, infrastructural decay, corruption, to global challenges such as pandemics. Despite all the agenda set by previous governments progress is still slow. With the coming of a new administration, attempts are being made to redeem the petroleum sector, forex , economy, security and other sectors with a view to re-positioning the country.
According to the Founder of the Centre the new administration requires from citizens Cooperation, Patriotism and patience. He further said that Nigerians expect so much without offering recommendation that can make the country better. He finally requested participants to discuss freely and come up with meaning-full suggestions that will assist policy direction of government.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations were made at the seminar.
- Petroleum sector
- The government should in synergy with academia especially, universities that have petroleum engineering courses as they have capacities to train students on the needed hands-on training on refining crude
- Local refining: Urgent effort should be made to bring the local refineries on board.
- Emergency option to refine petroleum products at the government rate and other supplementary charges that make up the high pump price which include; Nigeria port authority charge, universal custom, maritime, financing, distribution, bridging funds, government duties, tax, and VAT be waved. Therefore Nigeria should remove these charges as an emergency measure.
- All revenue generating institutions to pay all the generated revenue into the consolidated accounts as this will fund other projects.
- Nigeria should go to countries in Eastern Europe that refine for Nigeria at a cheap amount, and understudy their small-scale refineries that produce up to 5,000 to 10,000 barrels per day, import the equipment and install them in Niger Delta where crude is produced.
Ii. Agriculture
. Special Agricultural scheme should be adopted to make use of Nigeria;s arable land
. Ranching should be encouraged by giving credit facilities to livestock farmers
. Government should partner with NGOs to monitor government agricultural programs to ensure success.
. Fishing programs should be redesigned
. The fpoluty industry should be reviewed with a view of removing bottlenecks and
. Great Green Wall Agency should cultivate fruits-yielding trees not just any tree to serve as food and feed to raise animals while combating desertification.
. Biotechnology/Science for agricultural production should be adequately funded and result oriented.
. Biosafety and Biosecurity should be given urgent national attention
Iii. Education and Youth Development,
- The current Digital Policy should be reformed
- School curriculum from nursery to tertiary be completely reformed
- Moral and civic education be introduced in our educational curriculum up the Junior secondary school.
- The tertiary Education fund should be released to under special infrastructure intervention program to improve education after need assessment.
- The students scholarship fund should be sustainable.
- There should be 20% annual salary increase for lecturers.
- Students with special IT skills should be incubated.
- Wealthy Nigerians under special program should be encouraged to grant scholarships to students at the tertiary education level.
Iv. Leadership and Conflict–
The seminar acknowledged leadership failure as one of banes of Nigeria.
It was therefore recommended that:
. Efforts should be made for a new national reorientation for ideal leadership breeding through programs .
. The Nigeria Police should be more interested in resolving small civil conflicts rather incriminating the process,
. Conflicts resolution methods should be overhauled to avoid breeding dissidents who feel that the society has failed them.
The following key tools that lead to leadership failure , tagged 7 I’s should be remedied in the new national leadership order.
- I- Indiscipline
- I- insincerity
- I- injustice
- I- intolerance
- I-Inpatient
- I- Impunity
- I- Me, myself and I
The followings are also recommended for the new administration to urgently address:
- Poverty alleviation/eradication
- Food Security
- Corruption
V. Electoral Reforms. The following is recommended for the improvement in the electoral system of Nigeria
- clean-up of electoral corruption and strengthen the institution
- Elecronic Voting should be total I.e the use of BIVAS machine should include voting with the machine if its to continued
- Electonic voting should include mobile voting to safe cost, avoid vote buying and violence. It is also faster.
Vi. Security
Some of the recommendations include:
- More safety and other equipment should be provided for security forces
- Serious effort should be made to ensuring that bandit and other criminal elements are eliminated without undue political influence,
- The retirement Age of the Police should be raised to 65 years.
- Community Policing should be well articulated and financial supported for effectiveness
- State Police should be considered under special laws.
- The NYSC should be converted to ad-hoc security outfit as an emergency measure for the next five years.
- All Police Officers should be entitled to at least a power motor bike,
- Welfare of security Officers should include early house mortgage,
- Frontline commanders should be given discretionary authority to combat bandits and kidnappers.
Vii. Un-employment
It was agreed that Leadership needs a critical mass of people and followers. It was observed that Nigerians are leaving in volume and seeking asylum in countries in search of better lives and more are leaving to go work for other countries helplessly . Nigeria with over two hundred million population, 50% of the population is unemployed and 80% or more of the youths are unemployed or more. One of the reasons being the fund allocated to the state government by the federal government are not disbursed appropriately. Therefore government must create opportunities not by making policies statement but by ensuring that the people responsible for the implementation downstream ensures they are done.The following was recommended under un-employment:
- Employment Plan for the engagement of every graduate be designed
- Education system should be tailored towards economic and empolyment opportunities,
- There should be a employment scheme designed for the employment of Youth in all sectors .
Viii. Legislative Reform:
Its observed that the Legislature has no control and tends to intimidate the executive arm of government officials. Its therefore recommended that
. The legislature should be more more civil in their approach of the executive official rather than be confrontational and intimidation .
. To much fund is channelled towards the legislature and it is over bloated . Its therefore recommended that has to be scaled down to regional representation.
. Its also frowned at, at the seminar the appointment of already elected legislators into the executive arm of government, as this process will amount to wastage of money in conducting another election to replace such officers.
. The legislators should not receive any gratification from any Ministry, Department and Agency during oversight visits.
. Invitation of executive officers to the NASS should be reduced as this visitations impeed the work of the Executives.
Ix. Judiciary Reform.
. The judiciary should be well funded and judicial officers well paid.
. The judiciary should be insulated from political influence.
X. Anti-Corruption .
.Anti graft Officers should be well paid and trained.
. A unt under the Ministry of Justice should be created to oversight anti graft Agencies.
Xi. Infrasture/ Roads
. Emergency should be declared in this sector,particularly the repair of bad roads across the country,
. The rail sector should develop along road projects
Xii Power/ Energy.
.Government should also declare emergency in this sector as it’s a live-wire of our economy .
. Alternate sources of sustainable energy I.e solar, electric vehicles and CNG should be brought into the sector with improvement. There should be a three year realizable program.
Xiii. Health
. Specialist hospitals should be built and well equiped in each senatorial district of Nigerial to avoid foreign trips and improve the health of Nigerians . six should be built annually accordingly to geopolitical zones
. Medical Doctors and other medics should be paid 20% salary increase annually
. Pharmaceutical firms should be encouraged to be established in Nigeria.
Xix. Economy.
. Multiple taxation should be eliminated
. Old currency phase out should take three years and effort should be made by the central bank to retrieve old currencies without distorting the economy
