By Banji Ayoola
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el Rufai today called for elite consensus on five key points to galvanise the socioeconomic and political development of Nigeria.
He spoke in Akure the Ondo state capital at this year’s edition of the Michael Adekunle Ajasin Colloquium.
The colloquium was organised by the Ajasin Foundation to commemorate the 116th posthumous birthday anniversary of the former Governor of the old Ondo State.
Ajasin, a most intimate associate of the late sage and Premier of the defunct Western Region, Civilian Governor of the old Ondo State, now split into Ondo and Ekiti states.
He was the leader of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, which engaged the military in a tortuous, bloody pro-democracy struggle which eventually forced the dictators to initiate a transition programme that pushed them out of power, and enthroned the prevailing democratic dispensation.
Concurrently with his leadership of NADECO, Ajasin, very principled and disciplined, also led the highly influential pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, which has consistently over the years been the arrowhead of Nigeria’s pro democracy and good governance struggles.
An educationist, he wrote the policy paper that gave birth to the Free Education Policy, the star programme of the Awolowo Government, which accelerated literacy, rapidly led to the transformation of the region, and shot it far ahead of her counterparts in the country.
Rufai, the key speaker at the event, made far reaching recommendations on how to transform Nigeria in all spheres without recourse to ethnic, religious or whatever selfish sentiments that had been hindering the nation’s true development.
He spoke to a full hall gathering of eminent scholars, potiticians, captains of industries and royal fathers among others, drawing applause for his thought provoking speech, which also highlighted the exemplary way he had been governing Kaduna as a detribalised Nigerian who appointed a Yoruba as a commissioner apart from six others serving currently in his cabinet.
To El-Rufai, Awolowo and Ajasin would have been unable to overcome the opposition they faced in implementing people oriented programmes and recording a resounding success without elite consensus.
He said both Awolowo and Ajasin deserved commendation for the ingenious education policy which had improved the fortunes of the South-West region.
He said the high quality human capital development in the South-West is a direct consequence of the free education policy; adding that if there was no elite consensus, it would have been difficult for Ajasin and Awolowo to have surmounted the opposition they faced in instituting the policy.
El-Rufai then gave the areas in which elite consensus in Present-day Nigeria could galvanise the nation towards economic development and social justice.
He said the elite in the country should come to a consensus on such key issues as the rule of law, citizenship, meritocracy, diversity and devolution of power.
El-Rufai attributed the high quality human capital in the South-west of the country to the foresight of Awolowo and his political ally, Ajasin in implementing the free education programme.
He then spoke on the theme of the colloquium, which is “Promoting Economic Development, Social Justice and Rule of Law as Pathways to Stability, Peace and Prosperity in Nigeria.”
The Kaduna State Governor said Nigeria could only achieve rapid national growth if governments all over the country institute the rule of law and social justice.
He said the rule of law provides an acceptable mode of conduct that guarantees fairness, which translates to economic development within a background of social justice and peace.
He said governments have a role to play in the dynamics because they have a responsibility to protect millions of vulnerable Nigerians who have been weakened by climate change, rapid social growth and pervasive poverty.
In his contribution Hon. Agboola Ajayi, who represented the Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said Ajasin left a gap that contemporary Ondo State politicians found difficult to fill.
He said the fact that present politicians use Ajasin’s name to campaign showed that the late former governor will not be easily forgotten.
He commended Ajasin’s children for instituting a programme to remember their father’s legacies.
The chairman of the occasion, Senator Bode Olajumoke extolled the contributions of Ajasin in changing the face of present day Ondo State though his educational and industrial policies.
He also commended Ajasin’s children for organizing an initiative for the past 20 years to make many remember the legacy of their father.
In her remarks, Mrs Jumoke Anifowose one of Ajasin’s children and Secretary of the Ajasin Foundation, said her father while alive focused on social justice, human rights and human capital development, a commitment that led him to fight the military in a bid to install democracy in the country.
She hoped that the colloquium this year would provide a workable template to usher Nigerian to the rank of economically developed nations of the world.
The Ajasin Foundation was established in 1999 to espouse and inculcate ideals such as personal discipline and commitment to public good as principles for the present and coming generations of Nigerians should imbibe towards economic development.
|
