“About accountability, I did not know how you expect me to announce on the pages of newspapers that it is not the real issue.”
Describing participation as one of the critical components of democracy, the former governor urged Nigerians to contribute their quota towards good governance in the country, while he called on political leaders to constantly keep in touch with the changing needs of their citizens through polls, surveys and other scientific models of empiric information gathering before formulating or concluding on policies. In his words:
“The constitution makes it clear that we all have roles to play if we must have a good life. It is not enough to elect brilliant or honest President and Governor and think that is the guarantee of good governance.
But if you hear statements like, “government cannot do it alone”, citizens have a role to play, citizens must be interested in their own safety. Participation takes many forms, voting, payment of tax, helping out, asking questions and speaking up.”
Calling on the federal government to urgently reinstate the teaching of history into the school curriculum, the Chief Examiner of Bishop Okonkwo’s Essay Competition, Professor Akachi Ezeigbo lamented the extinction of History from Nigeria’s school curriculum. She added that if students are left to their own devices in coming to terms with the country’s history, it will be extremely dangerous.