As concerns are increasingly being raised in the public domain about the way out for Nigeria in terms of governance at different levels,, the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation for the State of Osun, Mrs Funke Egbemode, has prescribed citizens’ needs assessments at different levels as important to effective governance in the country.
Speaking during an interview with the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of City People Magazine, Seye Kehinde, over an Instagram Live Chat, Egbemode made a call to government at all levels in the country to predicate their agenda on the the needs and aspirations of the people, for it to be effective and fruitful.
In her words, “running Nigeria or dealing with governance in Nigeria is quite complicated because Nigerians are politically savvy. So, I would say that don’t decide for Nigerians, rather ask them what their needs are”.
Egbemode said this prescription is applicable to governance at every level, positing that it is counterproductive to prescribe whimsical solutions without proper acknowledgement of the people’s needs.
She further stated that “governance becomes a lot easier when the leader knows what the people’s needs are before drafting an agenda. Whatever the agenda you use during campaign period, tailor it to the people’s needs when you come into office so that you are on the same page with the people you are governing”.
While still highlighting the imperative of citizens’ needs assessments, Egbemode commented on the issue of resource mobilization, affirming that wastages could be addressed when the actual needs of citizens are focused on.
In her words, “governance becomes easier when you take into consideration what your people need and you stay focused on it. It would prevent you from drawing up a 14-point agenda for a situation where a four-point agenda will suffice.
Citing the Governor Adegboyega Oyetola example in Osun, Egbemode said “the Governor, after being elected, did a Thank You Tour. It was followed by a citizens’ needs assessment, funded by the DFID United Kingdom. During the Thank You Tour, the Governor went from community to community and from Constituency to Constituency within the State, and it was discovered through this exercise that what is needed in Osogbo for instance is different from what is needed in Ayedaade and Boripe constituencies”.
Egbemode was also full of praise for the Governor of the State of Osun, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, whom she described as a man of patience, who is very painstaking, thinks things through and listens to every advice with calmness.
She also lauded Governor Oyetola for being a man whose balancing act has almost become magical considering how he joggles his balls without anyone falling, even in the midst of meagre resources in the State.
In her words, “he is a man who prioritizes well”.
