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The Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN) have asked the federal government to as a matter of urgency come up with a deliberate communication blueprint that would require public functionaries to communicate openly about government successes and challenges in order to reduce the prevailing suspicion regarding every facet of governance in the country.
In a communique signed by FFDGN chairman, Dr Chris Akomas and his two deputy chairmen after the forum’s two-day summit on Thursday in Abuja, the forum recommended vigorous public enlightenment on Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution about the fundamentals and directive principles of state policies as a means of inculcating patriotism.
It said, “Government at all levels should be encouraged to sustain the preservation and adaptation of enduring cultures to strengthen ethical leadership, social cohesion and national development.
“Also, government should continue to promote and enhance national values of family and community loyalty and respect between leaders and citizens.”
The forum therefore, enjoined the federal government to harness the country’s youthful population, vast natural resources from agriculture and solid minerals in order to grow intellectual and technological capital.
They also want the government to complete the Ajaokuta Steel Complex towards enhanced nation-building and sustainable development
It said recruitment processes into the public service should consider competence and character in ways that selection systems prioritises merit.
For Nigeria’s democracy to thrive, it said, leadership recruitment processes must be reassessed to allow the emergence of credible individuals who would earn the trust of citizens and the legitimacy to lead.
This is also as it said that political leadership is to continue to support the younger generations to focus on digital innovation and creativity while the government it equally noted should provide effective regulatory framework for the use of Artificial Intelligence.
Finally, it said teachers renumeration should be enhanced in order to facilitate their role modelling responsibility while the role of traditional rulers, it said, should be clearly defined in the constitution in order to enhance their contributions to the preservation of enduring cultures and traditional roles in modern governance.
The theme of this year’s summit is, ‘Rethinking Nation-building: Bridging the Leadership-Citizen Disconnect through Orientation, Attitude, Character, Culture and Tradition for Sustainable Development’.
Former Katsina state governor Aminu Masari was the conference chairman with Ifeanyi Okowa, the immediate past governor of Delta state as co-conference chairman.
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