Former Minister of External Affairs Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi has said the recent retreat organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Nigeria governors in Kigali, Rwanda exposed them as leaders with little or no thought for originality.
The Kigali retreat, which was attended by 19 Nigerian governors, according to a communiqué issued by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) secretariat, was aimed at leveraging the innovative technology of Rwanda.
But Akinyemi who appeared on a national television programme on Wednesday, questioned the choice of Rwanda for the retreat.
He wondered whether the organisers preferred development over democracy and whether the model Nigeria governors went to study in Rwanda where one man has been at the helm of affairs for 23 years.
“I do admit and I concede that the president of Rwanda inherited a terrible situation when he took power. Whether he had a hand in what happened or not, is a debate and a narrative for another day.
“You are emphasising development over democracy. If that is what you want for Nigeria, then let us say so and then let us abolish our constitution.
“The constitution we have in Nigeria is not comparable to the constitution in Rwanda,” he said.
Akinyemi also wondered why Nigerian politicians should travel outside the country to learn how to govern their people when a lot of such resort centres are available in Nigeria.
“I can’t believe we will fall into the pit of shame by 19 of our governors going to Kigali, Rwanda to learn how to govern. In any case, if I say things can’t get worse next week, they will get worse.
“Nigeria governors have no business going to Rwanda. The UNDP have no business taking our governors there. In any case, the UNDP has no business putting up a training programme for our governors. What is the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies there for?
“We have several training institutions; the Nigerian Defense College is there. These are Nigerian institutions that could put up a training programme, a retreat for our governors. They didn’t need to humiliate us by going to Rwanda,” he argued.
Akinyemi noted that the nation’s first set of leaders did not travel outside the country to learn public administration, adding, “Obafemi Awolowo, Sardauna (Ahmadu Bello), Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, in all their campaigns once we became independent, they never went to London, or Paris or the United States, as part of their campaigns. They never did.
“During the Second Republic, Shehu Shagari, Obafemi Awolowo, Aminu Kano never left the country as part of their campaigns but now, we have a new crop of politicians,” who did.
He also criticised the communiqué issued at the end of the retreat and said it was not worth the paper in which it was written.
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