Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has said that all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or tongue or religion, are united in their demands for good governance from elected leaders at all levels in the country.
He said all Nigerians know that when good governance is in town, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity will take flight and that in their place will be economic boom, abundant empowerment opportunities, good health care delivery, good quality and affordable education, abundant infrastructure provisions and the security of lives and property.
Uzodimma who was delivering a lecture titled: “2023- 2027: Nigerians elected leaders and expectations’’ in Lagos said good governance is a common language that does not need to be spoken yet can be heard clearly.
He disclosed that with good governance, Nigerians would boast of an improved quality of life and a higher average life expectancy.
“This is a common language that does not need to be spoken yet can be heard clearly. Once Nigerians see these, they will know that the country is working and that their expectations are being met. So what Nigerians expect is for the country to work. That is what they need and that is what they desired”, Imo Governor said.
Speaking on the last general election, Uzodimma said the election was remarkable for two reasons, “One, it was to herald a new administration at the Federal Government and the National Assembly and State Assemblies in addition to the majority of state governments across the country. The second reason was the novel introduction of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS) by INEC for the accreditation of voters”.
He said the assurances by the INEC that the election was going to be relatively free attracted more voters, especially youths.
He said something actually happened that strengthened the power of the electorate over public officers.
“Many candidates failed to be elected or re-elected, contrary to their expectations. The voters exercised their franchise to the fullest, and their votes actually counted. Such political upsets are good signs that our democracy is actually on the path of growth, and this has been the case since 1999”, he said.
Uzoddima said there is no politician who deliberately goes into office with the intention to fail, but said that circumstances and other variables sometimes constitute themselves into a stumbling block on the path of performance.
“Another thing is that there are different parameters for the measurement of performance between members of the Executive arm and those of the legislature.
“Often times you observe that those campaigning to be elected to the legislative arm make promises to the effect of provision of essential infrastructure like roads, water and even electricity. The legislature cannot execute infrastructure, though it can approve the budget for such projects. With this information at the back of our minds, we should then know how to judge the performance of our lawmakers” Uzodimma said.
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
