Adamolekun
 


IJU Quarterly Public Affairs Forum Series:

OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST TWELVE SESSIONS

 

A.  Forum Objective

The Iju Quarterly Public Affairs Forum series is one of the activities through which the Ladipo Adamolekun Public Affairs Library seeks to contribute to the promotion of knowledge.   The exchange of ideas on public affairs issues at the Forum sessions has been inspired by the strong evidence on the critical role of ideas in societies over the centuries.  Ideas matter. 

 

B.  Participants

The Forum Convener invites participants to the sessions from the ranks of academics, retired public servants, and professionals from the public, private and voluntary sectors, with attention to gender and intergenerational mix.  Attendance at the Forum sessions has ranged from 22 to 36 participants per session.  Each year, about 64 participants attended the Forum sessions.  Of this number, about thirteen (13) participants attended three or four sessions, about 20 percent.  They constitute the core participants of the Forum Series.  See Table 1 below. 

 

TABLE 1: Summary of Participation in Forum Sessions

Year One Session Two Sessions Three Sessions Four Sessions Total no. of Participants Core Participants
2006 34 17 8 5 64 13
2007 42 13 8 4 67 12
2008 32 18 5 8 63 13

Overall, the majority of participants were from within 50 kilometres of Iju – that is from Ondo and Ekiti states.  However, it is significant that more than 50 percent of the participants at six of the Forum sessions were from outside the immediate catchment area – mostly from Abuja, Ibadan, Ife, and Lagos.  It is important to stress that after the first Forum session, between three and fifteen (15) participants in each of the subsequent sessions were first timers and most of them came through self-selection, that is, they either contacted the Convener or came along with the speakers at the different sessions.

B.  Speakers and Topics

The list of speakers and topics for the Forum series from 2006 through 2008 is provided as Annex 1.  To date, only two speakers came from outside the country: Professor Kole Omotoso, writer and social critic, from South Africa and Ms Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, a foremost feminist theorist and leader, Co-Founder and Executive Director, African Women’s Development Fund, Accra, Ghana.  It is also worth mentioning that Ghana-born Dr. Victoria Kwakwa, Lead Economist in the World Bank’s Abuja Office, was one of the speakers in the 2006 Forum Series sessions.

A summary of the main points from the first twelve Forum sessions is provided as Annex 2.

C. Pattern of Proceedings

Each invited speaker made a presentation of about 45 minutes on the selected topic.  This was followed by comments or questions to which the presenter responded at intervals.  The moderator closed each session with brief remarks.  No session extended beyond the allotted 2-hour duration (11h30 – 13h30).  Light refreshments (“Iju Snack”) were served before participants returned to their different destinations. 

  

D.  Dissemination

The media houses that have sent participants to the Forum sessions have published either the full texts of the presentations made or summaries provided by the presenters.  Vanguard, The Nation (and its predecessor The Comet), and The News magazine have been very helpful in disseminating the proceedings of the Forum. Spectrum Books (Ibadan) has agreed to publish the collection of the papers presented at the Forum.

ANNEX 1: LIST OF SPEAKERS, TOPICS AND MODERATORS

2006

2007

2008

 

ANNEX 2: SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS FROM FORUM SESSIONS, 2006-2008

1.         Establishing and Nurturing Democracy: the Example of South Africa

2.         Perspectives on African Development Performance

3.         The Politics of Political Leadership Succession

4.         The Political Restructuring that Nigeria Needs

5.         Rethinking Public Service in Nigeria                        

6.         Spiritual Dimensions of Development

7.         Cultural Democracy: A Path to Nigeria’s Development

8.         Creating New Identities for African Women: Reflections on Trends in Feminist Theory &
            Practice 

9.         Thinking through Nigeria’s Oil Wealth Beyond 2012

10.       Repositioning Nigerian Universities for National Sustainable Development

11.       Language, Education and National Consciousness

12.       Nigeria’s National Interest and Foreign Policy: a Panoramic View

 

ANNEX 1: LIST OF SPEAKERS, TOPICS AND MODERATORS

2006

1st Session - January 26, 2006

Speaker: Professor Kole Omotoso, Writer and Social Critic

Topic: Establishing and Nurturing Democracy: the Example of South Africa.

Moderator: Dr. Bode Olajumoke, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State.

2nd Session - April 20, 2006.

Speaker: Dr. Victoria Kwakwa, Lead Economist, World Bank Office, Abuja

 Topic: Perspectives on Africa’s Development Performance

Moderator: Professor Ladipo Adamolekun, Forum Convener.

3rd Session – July 27, 2006

Speaker: Professor Alex Gboyega, Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan.

Topic: Politics of Leadership Succession – African and International Comparisons.

Moderator: Professor Dipo Kolawole, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti,

4th Session - October 26, 2006

Speaker: Mr. Dare Babarinsa, Co-Founder and Director, Tell Magazine.

Topic: The Political Restructuring that Nigeria Needs                                

Moderator: Chief Olaiya Oni, a former Permanent Secretary in Ondo State and a former Minister of Education.

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2007

5th Session - January 25, 2007

Speaker: Professor Ladipo Adamolekun, Independent Scholar.

Topic: Rethinking Public Service in Nigeria

 Moderator: Mr. O.O.O. Ogunkua, a former Federal Permanent Secretary

6th Session - April 26, 2007

Speaker: Dr. Ayo Lawani – a former Director in IITA, Ibadan, and a former Manager in the World Bank.

Topic: Spiritual Dimensions of Development

Moderator: Dr. J. Ade Osanyinbi, former Registrar, Federal University of Technology, Akure.

7th Session – July 26, 2007

Speaker: Professor Ropo Sekoni, Lincoln University USA/The Nation Newspaper

Topic: Cultural democracy: a path to Nigeria's development

Moderator: Professor Akin Isola, formerly at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

8th Session - October 25, 2007

Speaker: Ms. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Co-Founder and Executive Director, African Women’s Development Fund, Accra, Ghana. (AWDF is a not-for-profit Africa-wide grant-making organization for women’s rights and development).

Moderator: Professor Bisi Aina, Department of Sociology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

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2008

9th Session - January 31, 2008

Speaker: Mr. Segun Ogunkua, a former Federal Permanent Secretary.

Topic: The nation’s economy – Thinking through Nigeria’s oil wealth beyond 2012

Moderator: Dr. Festus Osunsade, a former senior Manager, International Monetary Fund.

10th Session - April 24, 2008

Speaker: Professor Peter Adeniyi, Professor of Geography, University of Lagos and former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure.

Topic: Nigerian universities and national development: time for drastic corrective reform

Moderator: Professor Ladipo Adamolekun, Forum Convener.

11th Session – July 31, 2008

Speaker: Professor Sola Oke.

Topic: Language, Education and National Consciousness

Moderator: Mrs. Tola Adenle, Columnist, The Nation newspaper.

12th Session - October 30, 2008

Speaker: Professor Jide Osuntokun, Redeemer University.

Topic: Nigeria’s Role in African and World Affairs Since 1999

Moderator: Professor Tunde Adeniran, former Federal Minister of Education.

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ANNEX 2: SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS FROM FORUM SESSIONS, 2006-2008

 1.         Establishing and Nurturing Democracy: the Example of South Africa

According to Professor Kole Omotoso, the establishment and nurturing of democracy in South Africa is a process which has depended on committed democrats in the leadership of the ruling African National Congress, joined by some other democrats in the opposition parties and in some non-governmental organizations.  In particular, he stresses the institution-building role of the first president of liberated South Africa, Nelson Mandela.  Next, he draws attention to the role of some specific institutions in the democratization process including an independent court system to enforce the rule of law, a national assembly with well-defined oversight responsibilities, a multiparty political system, a constitutional court, an independent electoral commission, and a free press that is regulated and protected by an Independent Communications Authority.  He adds that the deliberate creation of a black professional middle class is also helping to nurture democracy in South Africa.  Finally, he identifies several problems that would need to be tackled by the incumbent and future governments including, among others, some negative consequences of a free-market capitalist economy, managing state institutions in eleven official languages, limited access of the poor to education, assuring gender balance, and the challenge of reducing corruption.

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2.         Perspectives on African Development Performance

Dr. Victoria Kwakwa draws attention to some encouraging results in the developmental efforts
in African countries in the recent past such as improved leadership, manifested in part through the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM); improved socio-economic development manifested in fast GDP growth rates in some states and better human development outcomes; improved policies and stronger institutions; and more vibrant civil society organizations.   Next, she highlights some daunting development challenges that are pervasive in the region including, among others, the doubling of the number of poor people in the last two decades (about 300 million); HIV/AIDS pandemic; and slow progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  Finally, she reviews Nigeria’s recent experience in economic reform and democratization with emphasis on the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) that she praises as “a credible roadmap for moving the country from poverty to prosperity”.  However, she concludes that achieving rapid growth that assures both job creation and poverty reduction remains a tough challenge for the country. 

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3.         The Politics of Political Leadership Succession

Professor Alex Gboyega’s paper is focused on the replacement of a state political chief executive (president or prime minister) through interactive group processes that are enshrined in state constitutions as the regular procedure or norms of leadership succession.  It highlights the key political institutions for leadership succession: political parties, the electoral system and the regime type (parliamentary/cabinet system or presidential system).  Regarding African experiences, the paper identifies four factors that are responsible for conflict-ridden leadership succession procedures: novelty of the structure of government and frequent disruptions, inchoate character of the party system and leadership fragmentation, ambitions of party /government leaders, and ethnicity.  According to him, only a few African countries have recorded successful political succession, notably Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana. Nigeria’s “Term elongation debacle” of April/May 2006 is used to illustrate the main problems of leadership succession that are widespread in Africa.   The specific problems identified include, among others, deep cleavages in society, weakness of political parties, excessive centralization of power and executive dominance.  The paper concludes by stressing the need for proper management of Nigeria’s 2007 civilian-to-civilian political succession in order to avoid a derailment of the democratization process. 

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4.         The Political Restructuring that Nigeria Needs

Mr. Dare Babarinsa makes a strong case for political restructuring in Nigeria through constitutional reforms.  He acknowledges that there are two broad areas of disagreement among the significant number of Nigerians who support the need for urgent action on the subject: one is the kind of constitutional reforms and the other is the road to the reforms.  He proffers three solutions.  First, he opines that Nigeria needs a new constitutional arrangement that would make the zones the federating units instead of the present “puny” 36 states.  This would give room to regional political and economic competition and cooperation.   Second, he would like the zones to take the developmental initiative from the national level, especially in respect of economic planning and the delivery of public services.  His third solution is an urgent need to fashion out a leadership credo on zonal basis with each zone drawing on shared history and cultural affinity.  Finally, he makes a strong case for the fashioning of an elite consensus on the way forward that would include creativity in approaching the issue of constitutional reforms.

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5.         Rethinking Public Service in Nigeria                        

Professor Ladipo Adamolekun contends that a “golden age” of decent public service provision from the 1950s to the mid-1960s has been followed by progressive decline and decay.  He asserts that the negative development could not be arrested by the rehabilitation efforts embarked upon since the 1970s/1980s due to (i) inadequacies in diagnostic work; (ii) a mix of appropriate and inappropriate remedies and, above all, (iii) weak or neglected implementation of remedies that would have made a difference.  He recommends a fundamental re-thinking of the concept of public service that would include attention to its values and mission; institutional and organizational issues; resource issues (especially human capital); and implementation and performance issues.  Finally, he proposes an agenda for action whose main points include evolving a Nigerian public service culture that is value-based; developing and nurturing public service leaders (both political and technocratic); turning public institutions at all levels into learning organizations; developing e-government as a channel for delivering services and enhancing transparency; enabling citizens to play their role in demanding accountability and quality public service delivery; and establishing small but versatile permanent structures for public service reform at both the national and sub-national levels.

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6.         Spiritual Dimensions of Development

Dr. Ayo Lawani argues that unless the moral and spiritual ailments of humankind are attended to, all efforts aimed at promoting economic, social, and political development will be in vain. Specifically, he asserts that the prevailing paradigm of development is grossly inadequate because it is not environmentally or socially sustainable.  In its place, he proposes a new spiritually-based paradigm of development whose essential features can be illustrated with respect to issues in social and economic development, the roles of government, the matter of rights and responsibilities, as well as political arrangements and the national question.  His elaboration is in two parts.  First, he outlines five interrelated eternal (divine) laws – “the spiritual laws of life and of development” - that also serve as the basis for the spiritually-based paradigm of development: The Law of Movement; The Law of Reciprocal Action; the Law of Homogeneity; the Law of Balance; and the Law of Spiritual Gravity.  Second, he demonstrates the application of the spiritual principles to the development of strategies or blueprints for development and provides illustrations related to cultural diversity, political arrangements, the role of leadership and socio-economic development.

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7.         Cultural Democracy: A Path to Nigeria’s Development

 Professor Ropo Sekoni revisits the theory of Chief Obafemi Awolowo that a multicultural and multilingual country needs a federal system of government if it is to achieve economic, social and political development.  Furthermore, he relates the theory (re-christened cultural democracy) to the dynamics of globalisation and the possibilities for a self-governing Yoruba region within it.  He argues that the underdevelopment of Nigeria is due to the imposition of “cosmetic federalism” during decades of military centralism and uniformity, devoid of cultural democracy.  He uses the experience of the Yoruba region to illustrate the negative consequences of cosmetic federalism: the loss of political and economic autonomy to develop and progress at its own pace and the disarticulation of Yoruba culture within Nigeria and in the Diaspora.  According to him, other nationalities within Nigeria (e.g. Hausa-Fulanis, Kanuris, Ijaws, Efiks, Ogonis) suffer, in varying degrees, from the same negative consequences of cosmetic federalism.  As a way forward, he would like public intellectuals, scholars and cultural activists to form a society of federalists that would keep on the front burner the debate on political restructuring consistent with a truly federal system.

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8.         Creating New Identities for African Women: Reflections on Trends in Feminist             Theory and Practice

 Ms Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi provides a magisterial overview of the African Women’s Movement in all its political and ideological diversity and its responses to the current situation of African women.  She acknowledges the pre-colonial and colonial roots of “feminist theory and practice in Africa” and draws attention to both the similarities and differences between African and “western” feminism.  Two notable areas of differences highlighted in the paper relate to culture and identity and the experiences of African women with the state. However, she stresses the dynamic interconnections between African feminism and “global feminism” through instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action.  She identifies some key challenges facing feminist activism in Africa including lack of enabling environments, protection of the integrity of feminist space, and the problem of many women in leadership positions who fail to push a progressive agenda for women. Finally, she points up several strategic directions for feminist agenda in the coming years, notably investing in the personal growth of women, developing feminist leadership and building and sustaining feminist institutions.

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9.         Thinking through Nigeria’s Oil Wealth Beyond 2012

The central message in the well-researched presentation by Mr. O. Ogunkua is the need for Nigeria to begin planning for the day when revenues from oil might no longer be realizable.  He cited informed researchers and practitioners to demonstrate that while fossil fuels (petroleum) would still be available in huge volumes for decades after 2012, demand is very likely to begin to fall from around that date - gradually at first, but precipitously within a decade or two thereafter, because of the availability of alternatives to oil.  The alternatives include synthetic fuel, hydrogen fuel, and biofuels.  Warning that Nigeria’s oil wealth might become oil doom within less than a decade, he recommends some strategic plans that would help ensure independence from oil.  The recommendations include the development of a Petroleum Displacement Provisioning and Compensation Mechanism that would help bring discipline to national development planning process; investing in the development of technology to support agricultural and industrial development; massive and effective investment in infrastructure; establishment of departments of Future Fuels in selected universities; and massive investment in human development.

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10.       Repositioning Nigerian Universities for National Sustainable Development

Professor Peter Adeniyi’s paper is in three sections.  The first section provides an overview of the mission of the University together with its potential contribution to both the individual and the society. The current state of the Nigerian Universities is examined in section two with attention to the major critical factors that enhance and/or hinder the performance of the Universities.  Three phases are distinguished in the evolution of Nigerian universities: the formative years (1948-1974), the years of expansion, differentiation and centralization (1975-1999) and the years of increased expansion and privatization (2000-2008).  In the third section, attention is focused on what governments/proprietors need to do or should be persuaded to do in order to empower the Universities to face the present and future development challenges of the country.  Suggestions made cover such critical issues as university autonomy, funding of universities, remuneration of university staff, and lifting of mandatory retirement age for academics.  The paper ends with some suggestions on how the internal organization and management of the universities can be improved. 

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11.       Language, Education and National Consciousness

Professor Sola Oke argues that bilingualism is inevitable in a multilingual society.  He draws attention to the acceptance of this position in the National Policy on Education that recognises the need to create an educational environment in which English is not used exclusively for the education of the Nigerian child.  This policy stance is reinforced in the Nigerian Constitution that confers “official” status on three indigenous languages (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba), in the first instance.   However, the reality on the ground is totally different. There is an assumption that there is a dichotomy between indigenous Nigerian languages and English, the language of formal education. There is also a belief that a Nigeria first language could prevent the proper assimilation of English, thereby putting its speakers at a disadvantage vis-à-vis the others whose mother tongue is English.  There is also the erroneous belief that a child would perform better if he speaks only English while it is ardently believed that the child would be weaker if he/she has to learn more than one language.  After providing illustrations of how the use of indigenous languages can enhance learning and promote national consciousness, he warned against their progressive marginalization.

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12.       Nigeria’s National Interest and Foreign Policy: a Panoramic View

Professor Jide Osuntokun asserts that since independence, Nigeria’s national interest includes the freedom for black people on the continent of Africa in particular and for Africans in diaspora.  Consistent with this commitment, Nigeria supported decolonization and opposed the apartheid regime in South Africa. Over the years there has been a redefinition of the national interest to include nuclear free zone in Africa, democratic governance, economic integration of Africa, peace and security in our region, among our neighbours and in the African continent. According to him, Nigeria’s recent effort to spread democracy, in spite of the failure of democratic governance at home is also based on the fact that democracies hardly fight one another and trading partners do not usually go to war against each other.  In conclusion, he stresses that since power remains one of the important factors in the foreign policy of any country, it is important for Nigeria to develop its latent power through exploitation of her natural resources, mobilization of her people, good governance, rapid economic development and selfless and excellent political leadership.

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