National Interest: Anya, Aganga, Akande, others chart way forward for Nigeria

By Clifford Ndujihe, Prisca Sam-Duru, Cynthia Alo, Omobola Dickson & Henry Obetta

A host of eminent Nigerians, yesterday, dissected the state of the nation and returned a grim verdict: The country has performed below par compared to contemporaries and needs urgent action to halt the speedy slide into the abyss.

This was the consensus of speakers at the launching of “In The National Interest: The Road to Nigeria’s Political, Economic and Social Transformation,” a book authored by Dr Olu Fasan.

Elder statesmen and women, who spoke at the event held at MUSON Centre, Lagos included Publisher of Vanguard, Mr Sam Amuka; former Finance Minister, Dr Olusegun Aganga; founding Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG, Prof Anya O Anya; and former Minister of Industry, Mrs Onikepo Oshodi.

Others were former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adeluyi-Adelusi; Publisher of BusinessDay Newspaper, Mr Frank Aigbogun and Erelu Abiola Dosunmu.

Nigerians must hold their leaders accountable —Anya

Prof Anya, who chaired the event said that until Nigeria gives legal force to the democratic and accountability principles contained in Section 2 of the 1999 Constitution, the country cannot fully uphold democracy or effectively hold leaders accountable.

Noting that Section 2 of the Nigerian Constitution outlines Nigeria’s political, economic, social, cultural, and developmental obligations to citizens, he regretted that the chapter remains non-justiciable of, meaning citizens cannot seek redress in court when denied these rights.

Anya said the author’s intervention had ‘revived his hope in Nigeria, noting that the capacity-filled hall showed there were still citizens willing to act in the national interest.

According to him, the nation’s democratic practice over the last 25 years suggests that Nigeria is either confused about democracy or has reinterpreted it, resulting in a system that deviates from global democratic norms.

2023 polls setback

Citing the 2023 election, he recalled that while INEC registered 93 million Nigerians, less than one-third voted, and of that, one third voted for the man that INEC finally declared as the winner.

He said: “A democracy depends upon a majority. If you examine the numbers, you will find that in this particular case, of every one person who voted for the winner, two voted against. When a situation like that arises, it is usually a trigger to the possibility of looking not for a party but for looking for national interest.”

He argued that such an outcome ordinarily demands “political inclusiveness or even a runoff to the point where the numbers fit the principle of democracy.”

Prof. Anya added that the structure of the current administration emerged from a process that excluded the majority, making governance more challenging despite the efforts of the government to redeem our names and reputation.

He also lamented the nation’s eroding moral and ethical guardrails, saying Nigeria now struggles to differentiate between what is acceptable and what is not.

This, he said, is at the root of the country’s weakened accountability systems.

Using the National Assembly as an example, he faulted the recent decision to procure vehicles worth N160 million each for 469 lawmakers despite the country’s economic struggles.

“In a normal situation, in a moral society, you would expect that at least one person would stand up and say, ‘I don’t need it.’ But it did not happened in Nigeria,” he said.

Calling for constitutional reform, Prof. Anya urged Nigerians to revisit Section 2 of the Constitution, stressing that it contains all the principles needed for a functional democracy.
He disclosed that when he once asked a Supreme Court Justice why the provisions were not enforced, the response was simply: “They are there, but it’s not justiciable.”

He maintained: “My suggestion is that whatever we need to do to make that section justiciable, we should do so because unless we do so, we are wasting our time thinking that we will get accountability in any government in Nigeria.”

Nigeria lacks competent political leadership — Aganga

In his keynote, Dr. Aganga said Nigeria’s underdevelopment persists because its political structure fails to attract competent leaders, despite the country having abundant talent at home and in the diaspora.

He said Nigeria’s political system is designed in a way that prevents the best from emerging, noting that 65 years after independence, Nigeria remains far behind countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia in terms of development despite being referred to as the giant of Africa.

He said: “We have outstanding leaders in abundance at home and in the diaspora, some leading international organisations, others holding senior leadership positions in the private sector or the public sphere in foreign countries. So, there is no shortage of competent leaders in Nigeria. What we lack, however, is competent political leadership.

“The truth is that there is an acute shortage of quality political leadership with the national interest at heart at every level of public life in Nigeria. And I am not just talking about the centre, on which most people often tend to focus, but also the state and local government levels, where competent political leadership is needed to meet the basic needs of our people.”

Aganga explained that political structures dominated by money, godfatherism, and self-interest block credible leaders from emerging through party systems.

Beyond leadership failures, Aganga said Nigeria suffers from a deeper values crisis that undermines governance and national progress.

He criticised the prevalence of corruption, weak meritocracy, and the dominance of tribe, religion and money in politics, a combination he described as a “political Bermuda Triangle” that traps the country in underdevelopment, stating,

“Values are sacred. No country can succeed without the right value system underpinning governance.”

Aganga then called for a cultural shift in understanding public service as a selfless calling, not a money-making venture.

The former minister also insisted that Nigeria’s political and governance structure is deeply flawed, arguing that over-centralisation of power at the federal level hinders national cohesion and effective development.

He advocated constitutional reforms, including a possible move toward a parliamentary or hybrid system to ensure accountability, stronger institutions, and more productive governance.

Olu Fasan’s grammar is beautiful — Amuka

Also speaking, Publisher, Vanguard, Uncle Sam Amuka,who was the special guest of honour, described Dr Fasan, a Vanguard and BusinessDay columnist as a gifted writer with beautiful grammar, noting that the book has what it takes to change Nigeria.

“I know the publisher, Dr Olu Fasan. If there is one thing I don’t miss in Vanguard every week, it is his Thursday column. If there are persons here who don’t know that he writes a column on Thursday, I beg of you, get a copy of Vanguard on Thursday, and read his column.

“Try and read his column. He lives abroad, he japa-ed to London many years ago. But for some reason, he knows more about you and me, about Nigeria, than those of us who live here. He expresses all these views every week in his column.”

Expresses worry over killings

Mr Amuka also seized the opportunity to decry the widespread killings in the country. “I had the privilege to sit beside Professor Anya, and I asked him before we started: ‘what is going on?’ He had a copy of Vanguard, and he looked at the headline. All these killings that have become the reality of Nigeria, we did not start this way.

“I have read some headlines that it is Donald Trump threatening to come and bomb or shoot us.

I don’t think he will come to bomb us. But let us stop bombing and killing ourselves. What do we do to stop bombing ourselves, killing ourselves every day?

Fasan’s book is narration of history, challenges, and way forward for Nigeria economy — Aigbogun

In his detailed review, Frank Aigbogun said, “If books by themselves can transform economies without human intervention, this book In the National Interest -The Road to Nigeria’s Political, Economic, and Social Transformation, is one. He described the book as a narration of history, challenges and the way forward for the Nigerian economy which has remained largely one of potential over the years.”

According to him, Olu Fasan is not only a renowned economist, but he is also a lawyer, political analyst and a writer who has maintained a weekly column in both BusinessDay and the Vanguard, adding, “I am proud to say that readers across the globe look forward to reading Dr Fasan every week as he delves into socio-political and economic issues with such depth, confidence and clarity.”

The 599-page book, which is divided into five parts and published by Penguin Publishers; USA 2025, he noted, is “simply a call to action,” stating that
“For more than 60 years, Nigeria has remained a country defined only by its potential than much economic progress-an outcome of lack of focus, inept leadership policy inconsistency, and corruption.

Nigeria must continue to industrialise — Akande

In her remarks, Mrs Onikepo Akande, urged Nigerians not to lose the will to industrialise, insisting that industrialisation remains the nation’s surest path to economic transformation.

Akande argued that Nigeria’s progress depends on harnessing its human and natural resources for productive development, saying: “I know that industrialisation is the key to economic development, employment generation and poverty reduction. And I hope that Nigeria will continue to have the will to industrialise.”

Akande, who commended the book reviewer emphasised that Nigeria is blessed with capable men and women who are willing to contribute to national development if given the opportunity.

Also speaking at the launch, Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos , Abiola Dosumu said Nigeria needs constant reminders about its socio-political challenges, stressing that the country cannot continue to operate a system that does not reflect its realities.

She said the book serves as a needed wake-up call adding,“we need constant reminders from various perspectives and minds like Dr. Fasan’s book today.”

According to her, while leadership is often blamed for national failures, citizens themselves have not fully played their role in strengthening democracy.

“What are we doing as the people? This democratic system is supposed to be for us and guided by us. Have we played our part? I don’t think so,” she noted.

Dosumu argued that Nigeria may need a hybrid democracy tailored to its cultural values, diversity and lived realities.

“Maybe what they have imported is not working for us. We should have a democracy that reflects our realities, our values, our ways of life,” she said.

She urged scholars and constitutional experts to develop a governance template that truly fits the country’s unique conditions, saying such a shift could help address Nigeria’s recurring governance problems.

Dosumu further advocated peaceful civil action when leaders derail, saying citizens cannot remain silent while governance fails.

“When a leader is going wrong, all of us should carry a placard, peacefully, and say we don’t agree. But when things are going wrong and you’re quiet, you get the leadership you allowed,” she said.

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