Policy Briefs

Obaze on the marble ~  Imperatives of Good Governance 2

Oseloka H. Obaze


“Good governance is about unfettered commitment to inclusivity, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus-building, equity, effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery, as well as accountability, and of course, sustainable strategic vision.”

“Anambra State has been hijacked and it is presumptuous to believe that we will leapfrog, if we con­tinue on the present course.”
“Anambra governorship contest is like a premier league finals. With a second or third team you risk losing. With your best or most qualified team you are assured to win. ”
“We must restore our value system in our youth. Their resilience, strength of character, commitment and values will make the difference. They must strive to uphold their integrity against all odds.”

“Managing the Nigeria-Biafra narrative is easy, if Nigerian policymakers and politicians can think clearly.”

“The truth is that we live in a multi-sectarian nation. We pay lip service to governance, when we have good examples to borrow from. Our social development indicators point to our arrested development.”

“As Nigeria struggle to situate herself positively in global affairs, dissonance in her governance modalities remain all too common. Such dissonance is symptomatic of extremely weak institutions.”

“Another reality is that Nigeria struggles at all levels with governance challenges. Rule of law inevitably, becomes the most easily flouted, ignored or manipulated, and often made inapplicable to common interest. ”

“Purposeful leadership requires reframing our governance modalities. Doing so requires confidence without attitude- attitude towards the governed; attitude towards the political opposition and attitude towards the so-called traducers.”

“Save Anambra’s Future; Governance, Not Hype; Don’t Mortgage Anambra; Anambra Deserves Better.”

“Regardless of what we do as a nation, no matter how much we covet the inspiration and vision that transformed Singapore and Dubia, if we have leaders who lack vision and commitment, we remain at risk of underperforming and underdevelopment.”

“We cannot therefore speak of infrastructural development without first grasping sectoral priorities and sectoral niches, affordability and areas where we must strive for comparative advantage. We must of necessity determine what our focus sectors are, those being areas where we can exact “high impact value.”

“A nation’s resort to prayers to resolve its ills, even if it offers succor, only underline the failure of governance when it’s not a redemptive process.” 

“Absence of policy synergy between the federal government and the state and local governments in pressing areas continue to pose immense challenges.” 

“Insofar as the federal and state governments continue to to connive to asphyxiate the local governments, prevailing challenges will subsist.”

“Nigeria’s governance challenge is that we often put in public offices people who are still seeking relevance. We need people in public office who no longer need government as much as government needs them.”

Oseloka Obaze, MD & CEO

Oseloka Obaze, MD & CEO

Mr. Obaze is the former Secretary to the State Government of Anambra State, Nigeria from 2012 to 2015 - MD & CEO, Oseloka H. Obaze. Mr. Obaze also served as a former United Nations official, from 1991-2012, and as a former member of the Nigerian Diplomatic Service, from 1982-1991.

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