By Dada Ahmed
Eligible Nigerians will, once again in February 2015, exercise their civic rights by voting into power their choices of leaders in general elections.
In the light of this, political analysts note that before the elections, stakeholders involved in the making of the next republic ought to evaluate what roles they are expected to play in making Nigeria a better nation.
They opine that although the present administration has initiated some masses-oriented development programmes, every stakeholder in politics should strive to support in government’s attempt at making living worthwhile in Nigeria.
The opinion of the analysts, perhaps, inspired Dr Tunde Arosanyin, an expert in agriculture, to author a book, entitled: “Thoughts of a new Nigerian’’.
The book, which was presented to the public recently in Abuja, compiles various feature articles written by the author on socio-economic and political development of Nigeria in the last 30 years.
In the book, the author underscored the need for transformation in Nigeria which, he insists, can only be attained by good governance expected to be provided by political leaders.
According to him, the book would assist the targeted audience, that is, political leaders, in identifying the values of good governance to boost socio-political developments in the country.
Mr Phillip Nwelli, who reviewed the book, said it would serve as a veritable companion for the leaders and the led by giving insight into what the citizens should expect from the leaders and vice versa.
Mrs Nkechi Okoronkwo, a journalist who attended the book presentation, noted that those who attended the presentation had better understanding of how to contribute to the process of building a new Nigerian society.
She urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of reading to prove wrong the critics’ opinion that “when you don’t want a Nigerian to discover something, hide it in a book because he doesn’t read.’’
Okoronkwo insisted that reading would empower the readers with ideas and knowledge required to live exemplary life and contribute well to national development.
Also, in his comment Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, the chairman of the occasion, said that for the emergence of new Nigeria, good governance must be entrenched in the political affairs of the country.
“Respect for the rule of law and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians irrespective of divisive expressions, among others, are required to transform Nigeria.
“If the fear of God is in the mind of every Nigerian, many other problems will be taken care of and we will have the Nigeria that we desire,’’ he said.
He urged the electorate to choose wisely in the general elections, observing that Nigerians had patriotic leaders and citizens that could fight corruption, poverty, hunger and protect democratic values.
“You cannot talk of a new Nigeria when 80 per cent of the population wallows in abject poverty,’’ he said.
Lambo also said that good governance should demonstrate values such as rewarding the hard work and patriotic citizens, punishing the indolent, exposing the cheat and condemning wrong doings.
He said that Nigerians must strive to co-exist peacefully and shun ungodly acts, underscoring the need for sustainable development of the enormous resources that God had given Nigeria.
He described Nigeria as a rich nation by all standards, insisting that the country only required a strong political will to exploit its abundant resources.
He also urged Nigerians to develop the spirit of good followership to enable the leadership to achieve the aim of moving Nigeria forward.
“Average Nigerian must have self-pride, know his or her rights and do everything legal to protect themselves.
“I urge all that are present at this occasion to support the Transformation Agenda that would bring about the much desired new Nigeria and help in attaining the Vision 20:2020,’’ he said.
Explaining the reason for presenting the book, the author said that he believed the readers of the book would benefit a lot if they allowed what they had read to complement their views on processes of making the country great.
Citing insurgency as a security challenge facing the country, he called on members of Boko Haram sect to dialogue with the Federal Government.
Those that attended the presentation attested to the importance of the book to the public, particularly when it was presented before the general elections.
They noted that although the presentation did not attract crowd such as political gatherings, those that attended and obtained copies of the book were enough to spread the contents of the book.
Irrespective of the author’s effort at explicating the imperatives of good conduct of Nigerians to socio-political development of the country, critics insist that there should be more aggressive political enlightenment on elections for Nigerians.
Mr Babatunde Agala, a lawyer, opined that massive civic education of voters in Nigeria was imperative ahead of general elections to ensure that people would not sell their votes.
According to him, adequate education of voters would make politicians to focus more on issues that voters would want them to address. (NAN Features)