It was a gathering largely constituted by academia, activists, social commentators, some traditional rulers a sprinkle of politicians, and students, to discuss Nigeria’s developmental and democratic challenges, hindering good governance and leaving the citizens in hardship: Why is Nigeria so blessed with natural and human resources and yet so poor?

Pooled together to celebrate Professor Adelaja Odukoya a human rights activist and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lagos, Professor Prof. Isaac Albert of African History, Peace, and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, led the way sharing his thoughts on ways to combat the deficiencies in the country’s system.

He spoke at the public lecture to mark the 60th birthday anniversary of Professor Odukoya, where he dissected the paradox of the Nigerian situation which prides itself as the giant of Africa but remains the capital of poverty in the world. He lamented Nigeria’s lack of development and significant contribution to the world economy despite the vastness of land and mineral resources, adding that the vision of the country’s leaders and that of the rest of the world for the country is in contradiction with what the citizens desire from a democratic government. As a result, he noted that the country has become a crippled giant with clay feet.

Professor Albert pointed to some of the major challenges the country is battling with, in which he mentioned elite dominance, weak international diplomacy, which is no win for Nigeria, mismanagement of resources, and a lack of sustainable development goals, which have placed the country in abject poverty.

The professor decried the country’s leadership structure, in which the leaders have adopted emperor-like presidents and governors, leading to collapsed local administration, captured citizenry, and weak /weakened civil society with the involvement of the international community, adding that this has also caused a democracy deficit and a lack of trust in the system.

He also lamented the absence of inclusivity in government, stating that the system has abandoned the youth despite their significant population. As a result, the youth have resorted to criminality, illegal activities, and idle religiosity, which continues to aggravate poverty in the country.

Proffering solutions, Professor Albert called for a joint problem-solving technique that includes the intervention of democratic lawmaking and progressive constitutional amendment, as well as executive interventions and collaboration with the judiciary and pressure groups. He suggested a “Joint acknowledgment of the problem; Developing appropriate conditions for solving the problem (group dynamics, perceptions, and attitudes) Joint definition of the problem (separate problems from individuals) Generate alternative solutions (brainstorming or brainstorming) Generate viable solutions, Evaluate and select solutions”

To penetrate policymakers, and get what the people want, the professor insisted that the people must have “Free and fair elections for producing the leaders that will lead the change, Inclusive governance, Transparency and accountability Active civil society, Informed and responsible citizenship, and Knowledge economy”.

Buttressing his recommendations, Professor Albert explained that “there is no alternative to democracy; elections are important in the process, and without trust, democracy is a facade, recent lessons from Africa (particularly the Sahel) show that Nigerians are getting increasingly frustrated, and time seems to be running out! commitment to collaboration is possible and works only when everybody has something in the outcomes.”

A discussant, retired Colonel L.O Chukwu called for active citizens’ participation and deliberate effort to eradicate corruption and impunity in the Nigerian system, adding that will make the recommendation provided by the keynote speaker implementable.

Another discussant and the Director of Unilag Distance Learning Education, Professor Duada Rainat, called on the state to make provision for basic amenities available to the populace, adding that critical sectors must be taken away from the private sector in the country

Dr Femi Aborisade

In a similar vein, human rights activist Femi Aborishade made a clarion call to the masses to rise to the occasion and take charge of the leadership of the country and demand the reversal of all anti-people policies including the removal of fuel subsidy.

The event was attended by academics and heads of reputable universities in the country. It benefitted from a large presence of Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which the celebrant once headed at the University of Lagos and has been serving in different capacities at the national level. It was also graced by a large community of non-academic unions and students from different institutions of higher learning across Nigeria.