Triune Foundation, a non-governmental organisation has urged the incoming administration of the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prioritise excellent governance by appointing persons of competence and integrity to critical sectors of the economy and security in his government.

The foundation made this call in a communiqué issued by its founder, Pastor Jeremiah Akinsele, after a one-day summit in Lagos on May 19th, 2023, with the theme “A New Nigeria Leadership Imperatives for Radical Growth and Transformation”, urging the incoming government, to focus on the country’s economic empowerment.

The communiqué issued by key participants which brainstormed on the country’s progress under the incoming administration premised its call on the difficulties of insecurity, the economic crisis, the ethnoreligious divide, and other inconsistencies in Nigeria.

The foundation lamented concerns about the lack of basic amenities, like erratic power supply, inadequate social incentives and financial support, noting that those inadequacies constitute impediments to the private and public sectors.

The foundation also noted that a challenge to the leadership of the nation is the lack of trust, noting that Nigerians expect inclusive leadership and inclusive governance from the incoming administration, which will be deliberate in including the people in policymaking.

Calling on the government to evaluate the country’s borrowing policy and debt management, Triune Foundation advised the government to further entrench accountability in all parastatals.

In order to protect the public and advance the goal of a free, democratic society, Triune also noted the urgent need to reform security institutions, particularly the police, and that more focus needs to be placed on development finance, which is supported by an improved manpower base through skill development and exposure to technology tools that drive the digital economy.

Triune, in its recommendation, appealed to the incoming administration to invest in welfare programs to enhance economic empowerment as a panacea to the scourge of poverty in the country and to collaborate with actors across the private sector as a way of stimulating investments in social programs that promote the welfare of the general population.

The civil society organization urged the government to demonstrate a commitment to putting an end to the culture of political impunity, which fosters corruption, encourages the monetization of politics, and undercuts competence and patriotism.

Advocating for the government’s sense of accountability in addressing the insecurity challenge in the country, the foundation “recommends a greater sense of accountability on the part of the government in addressing the pervasive insecurity in the country and the localization of security architecture and commands to enhance inclusive participation in neighbourhood security across Nigeria”.

It further recommended “greater commitment to the reform of security institution with enabling relevant laws and regulations put in place to encourage the participation of sub-national government and state police and relevant security architecture with command structures at the state and local government levels respectively”

Triune also asked the incoming administration to “ reform the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to reflect the demands for a restructured federalism to guarantee fiscal responsibility, accountability in governance, security as well as to enhance accelerated development across Nigeria and institutional strengthening to safeguard democracy and guarantee pro-people governance and responsibility from political actors”

The non-governmental organization also advocated for significant funding for youth and women’s empowerment across the nation, from the federal to local levels of government, urging the government to provide credit support to cooperative societies and neighbourhood-based organizations to create an inclusive government.

The foundation noted that it will present the blueprint of its agenda to the incoming president to further enhance deeper engagement with political actors and other sectors of governance