Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
Nigerians have been urged to speak out against bad governance, corruption, insecurity and poverty, with citizens warned that silence and indifference could further deepen the country’s challenges.
The Chairman of the Open Africa Foundation, Tunji Aworinde, said citizens must actively demand accountability from public officials and insist on transparency, justice and respect for the rule of law to achieve national development.
He made the call at the 11th International Conference on Financial Crimes, Governance and Electoral Integrity, organised by Inspired Citizens of Africa and Nigeria and the Police Force Reform Secretariat in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Our Voice Must Be Heard,’ Aworinde described the rule of law, transparency and accountability as indispensable foundations for national unity, peace and economic prosperity.
“Rule of law, transparency and accountability. This is the only foundation of unity, peace, and prosperity. No country that thrives on impunity and lawlessness prospers,” he said.
He expressed concern over poor conditions in public schools, citing inadequate learning facilities and unsafe classrooms, despite government budgetary allocations to the education sector.
Aworinde urged Nigerians to use their voices to demand urgent improvements, insisting that children should not be subjected to learning environments that compromise their safety and development.
“Our voice must express our outrage at the appalling learning conditions for our children. We must express our outrage and tell those people who have the power to change things around that this is no longer acceptable,” he said.
He also condemned persistent insecurity affecting schoolchildren, particularly cases of abduction and attacks on schools, arguing that the protection of children’s lives should take precedence over expensive government projects and political interests.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road could wait. The countless fleets of imported vehicles could wait. The presidential jet could wait. The campaign for our votes could wait. The safety and security of our children could not wait and must never wait,” he said.
The foundation chairman further urged Nigerians to reject political indifference and speak out against unemployment, poor electricity supply, corruption and other governance failures.
“Indifference is not a response to our national problems. Misrule, public and political corruption, arrogance, poverty, unemployment, epileptic power supply and insecurity are issues we must speak against. Indifference to human suffering makes our humanity inhuman,” he said.
Also speaking, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Cardinal Emeritus of Abuja, called on religious leaders and Nigerians to uphold shared moral values, including justice, honesty, compassion and respect for human life, as essential ingredients of good governance.
He maintained that religion should serve as a unifying force and contribute positively to national development rather than deepen divisions.
“In the pursuit of good governance in Nigeria, religion and its values should not be an obstacle at all, but rather a positive asset that we should all jointly enjoy,” he said.
Onaiyekan also criticised the political elite for prioritising the acquisition and retention of power over citizens’ welfare, warning against attempts to manipulate the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election.
He called for free, fair and peaceful elections, expressing concern over the growing influence of money in politics and the use of public institutions to advance personal political interests.
The cleric urged Nigerians to collectively demand their rights and hold political leaders accountable, arguing that ordinary citizens could peacefully challenge the dominance of a small political elite.
“If our 240 million ordinary Nigerians, respectable Nigerian citizens, insist on our rights against the no more than 5,000 political elite that have captured the system, then we shall overcome this peacefully, in a win-win situation for all Nigerians,” he said.
On police reform, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Dr Stanley Ude (rtd), Deputy Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, called for increased investment in intelligence gathering, modern surveillance technology and community policing to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
He also advocated greater involvement of state and local governments in police funding, training and welfare, arguing that the responsibility should not rest predominantly on the Federal Government.
“In the past, it has been majorly the Federal Government that has been carrying that burden. Currently, they are carrying virtually 90 per cent, but the state government should also take part of that, and then the local government should also take part of that,” he said.
Ude expressed concern that the police remained largely reactive rather than proactive in addressing security threats, particularly kidnapping, and called for improved intelligence analysis and adequate operational logistics.
“You may have intelligence available, but you don’t have the logistics to react to that intelligence. A lot of times, we have intelligence that is not properly analysed, or that is not even available, and we need to invest in intelligence gathering and intelligence analysis,” he said.
He further advocated the proper screening and training of community vigilantes to enable them to work with formal security agencies in identifying and reporting suspicious activities.
Addressing preparations for the 2027 general election, Ude disclosed that police officers were undergoing specialised training and orientation on electoral laws to ensure professionalism and neutrality during election duties.
“Our role is to support INEC to ensure that we have free, fair and credible elections and that voters feel confident to safely go and vote, observe their votes being counted and returns made accordingly,” he added.
Also speaking, Group Director, Policy Advisory, Nigeria Revenue Service, Sunday Okeowo, identified inadequate revenue generation and the country’s debt-servicing burden as major constraints on the government’s ability to finance development.
He disclosed that debt servicing, which consumed about 97 to 98 per cent of government revenue in 2023, had declined to approximately 50 per cent but remained a significant fiscal challenge.
“As of today, the debt servicing has reduced to about 50 per cent of revenue. And that is where the problem still lies,” he said.
Okeowo called for aggressive revenue mobilisation and improved tax compliance to reduce the country’s dependence on borrowing and increase funds available for infrastructure and essential public services.
“Aggressive revenue mobilisation becomes our option. We need tax, and it is human beings that pay the tax,” he said.
He described tax payment as a civic responsibility, adding that Nigeria’s new tax laws were designed to capture emerging economic activities, including digital businesses and cryptocurrency transactions, while addressing tax evasion and illicit financial flows.