Sultan wants reforms to speed up national dev’t

The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has charged leaders in emerging democracies to introduce policies that will deepen democracy through effective administrative reforms aimed at galvanising all stakeholders towards achieving national development goals.

A press release signed by the University of Abuja Deputy Director, Information, Malam Garba Waziri, said the Sultan, who spoke in a message to the inaugural lecture instituted in honour of the late Sultan Muhammadu Maccido at the University of Abuja, noted that such reforms would quicken development and reposition democratic institutions which were necessary for the support and collaborations of all.

Sultan Abubakar, who was represented by the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu Usman Chindo Yamusa III, also charged the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace and Development Studies, University of Abuja, which instituted the lecture series, to be at the vanguard of providing stable proactive strategies capable of achieving results on all aspects of crimes and ethno-religious challenges in the country.

He further called for support to the institute to position it well to enable it provide opportunities for best administrative practices in the country.

He expressed the hope that the maiden lecture series on management and leadership challenges in Nigeria will be galvanised to further enhance peace, quality leadership and development in Africa.

The guest lecturer, Professor Eghosa E. Osaghae, Vice-Chancellor, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, observed that the first set of African leaders had the vision and intellect to transform the circumstances of our backwardness, underdevelopment, and despair on the continent but that some of the leaders squandered the people’s goodwill.

“The leaders failed to subordinate the interests of the state to those of the citizens”, he said adding that “in simple terms they failed the integrity and legitimacy test, therefore had to rely more on coercion than voluntary obedience.”

Professor Osaghae, however, posited that there was hope in the emerging trend which seeks the installation of the rights of individuals and groups, and involved struggles especially from the reinvented civil society and social movements.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Michael U. Adikwu, said the university decided to honour the late Sultan Maccido through the annual lecture series in recognition of his immense contribution to the development of the university as the Chancellor of the university.