Dr Christopher Kolade, Diplomat, Academic, and Chancellor, MacPherson University, on Thursday emphasised the need for strong corporate governance by government.
He disclosed at the ‘Platform Nigeria’ organised by Pastor Poju Oyemade of the Covenant Christian Centre, that if corporate governance was properly applied, it would produce expected results.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Platform Nigeria is a non-profit initiative of the Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos.
Corporate governance is a system of rules, policies, and practices that dictate how a company’s board of directors manages and oversees the operations of a company; Corporate governance includes principles of transparency, accountability, and security.
According to Kolade, if those in the National Assembly representing the public are working for their self interest, the general body will lose out.
“The reason there are so many negativity in the country is that people that we pick to represent us at the NASS are not doing as expected because if you represent someone, you are meant to take care of the person.
“They need to give account of what they are doing but the issue is that they do not practice what is expected, they only work for themselves and their families.
“In the end, they do not feel accountable to the stakeholders that they are representing, and this is why our politics is very dangerous to us as people now hire thugs to win,” he said.
Kolade said that the country was where it was because Nigerians practised party politics, and had allowed themselves to put politics ahead of governance.
He pointed out that the blame was not only on politicians but everyone, as the values being imparted on the younger ones had deviated from the norms.
The chancellor urged everyone to see themselves as custodians of two things: preserving the quality of what they had received and developing that which they had received.
He said that to do this, the custodian must acknowledge and preserve its responsibility, adding that to preserve development had to do with education.
In his contribution, Mr Osita Chidoka, a former Minister of Aviation, urged the youth not to sit down at home and expect someone to bring them to national limelight, they must struggle for it.
According to him, there is a very wide gap between promise and performance; a wide gap between the promise represented on Oct. 1, 1960 and the performance on Oct. 1 this year.
He added that Nigeria belonged to all Nigerians, and therefore, Nigerians should believe that Nigeria at 60 presents an opportunity.
“While growing up, I was never discriminated against and I decided that the yardstick I would use is my role model, emulating what the person does and had achieved.
“Nigeria at 60 presents an opportunity as all those born in 1960 and have entered the public service are retiring and what they are handing over is not too good.
“Now it has fallen on those born in the 70s, what are they going to offer, are they going to sit down and be voting for ‘Big Brother’ or will they turn those votes into changing the narratives of Nigeria,” he added.
Edited By: Oluyinka Fadare/Emmanuel Okara
Source:
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